Americana Stamps

Lot #: 3141

1860 Canada West to Prince Edward Island, "PAID 5" Handstamp

Brampton, Canada West, to Summerside, Prince Edward Island, 22 April 1860. A family letter (brother to sister) charged five cents. The letter travelled via Lennoxville and Montreal, 26 - 27 April 1860, and arrived in Charlottetown in May 1860. On the reverse, there is a large red arrival handstamp of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, dated 7th May 1860.

The letter reads:
"What are they getting the Rifle companies for, do you expect an invasion from some foreign enemy or is it to keep down civil commotion. I hope the conservative party in politics, now in power, is not driving the democrats into rebellion. Even this would be better than that you should devise a scheme to rush into republicanism and throw off by force of arms your allegiance to Great Britain!"

Canada adopted decimal currency on 1" July 1859 and letters to Prince Edward Island were charged five cents per half ounce if prepaid, although the threepence handstamps remained in use for some time, occasionally modified locally.

Opening: $180
Estimate: $300 - $500
Category: US Stampless, Eastern Seaboard
Provenance: Ex Malcolm Montgomery