My Favorite Cover To Share

I love sharing this cover as you won't find many like it.

Great cover! Looks like Aug 19 Philadelphia postmark? Looks like 3cent under 3000 miles and 1 cent carrier delivery rate. The resolution was too low for me to determine type. Do you know the type or Scott number and plate/position? The 1851-57 1 cent is one of my favorite stamps. Fantastic cover, thanks for sharing.

The strip of 3 for the city to city are type 2, the single 1¢ canceled by the handler is still up for debate in my mind, I just haven't figured it out yet.
It has very unusual Franking as usually you would see 1-3¢ & 1-1¢, and the 7 bar grid hand cancel gives it a great touch. I do need to have it certified and also to find out the Plates & positions.

Here are high-Res close ups of the upper Right and lower stamps

Upper Right Strip of 3



Lower

With the single being tied by the cancel, I would think that the grid was by the receiving office for carrier. I would think that they would use a strip of 4, senter may have decided on delivery after having the postage added. Unfortunately, the right lower scroll end is not shown, but it does appear to be a Type II by rest o features. It may have come from a differnt row and have been a different relief. Plate 1, 2 and 3 used the roll "C" transfer roll with 3 reliefs (A, B and T) while plate 4 used a 6 transfer roll with reliefs A - F. Each relief was slightly different. Plate 4 was released in 1856. WOW, really great cover!

I'm sure the uppers and lower are from different plates, here is what I've found so far:
The uppers have more defined cross-hatching on the Lapel.
The lower has more defined lower right scroll
The upper has heavier and more lines where the curl in the hair is below ear.
The lower has a noticeable little squiggly "S" looking mark directly above Ben's head.

did you post this on vSC awhile back?

Yep, that's the one.

I always find it interesting that early on postage stamps were placed on the left as well as the right hand side of on envelope. But that some how the right hand side seems to have won.

Does anyone know if the post-office instructed people to do so?

Yes, all the time, in differing pamphlets,
broadsheets.

Still not sure how it arrived on this Egyptian issue: