Mutilated Civil War Patriotic Cover?

Was at an estate auction today (there were no stamps advertised) just for the fun of it, and I found this interesting piece. Waited most of the day and was able to win it for a measly $10. But now I'm not so sure about it.
I thought at first it was a patriotic cover. It was in a plastic sleeve inside a display case. When I was finally able to examine it I saw it was not an envelope but looked like a post card.
Once I got it home I was really able to give it the once over. The paper is thin, so it's not a postcard, and I can tell now that the bottom edge is not square with the rest of the piece. So I figure it's been cut from a patriotic cover.



But on closer examination, under a loupe, I'm really starting to get suspicious. While the paper looks and feels old, the front has small dots of colour all over it, much like a laser or ink jet print. Also the text is very soft and up close is also made up of little dots.
Do you all think I've been had? is this a copy of a cover?
Caveat emptor!

Here's a closeup of the text at the bottom. You can see the small dots of colour.



I'm starting to feel not so pleased with myself.

Baker was a United States Senator (he remains the only one ever killed in battle), and he was killed at Ball's Bluff. It's always very difficult to tell from a scan, but it does look real. There are books that list these, and tell scarcity ratios.

Checkout this link for a similar "full cover" currently listed for SIX TIMES what you paid ($60 retail) although it is a full cover (with flap) and is much less "yellowed" by age:

http://www.cwartifax.com/cgi-bin/Di...Item.asp?852

How does that compare with your example? The listing suggests that this cover is "very rare".

Great link wt1, that is the same cover, although the upper text on mine is blue while theirs is red.
My concern is whether mine is original or not. I did an experiment yesterday where I scanned and printed another older yellowed cover on my ink jet printer, and I got a similar, though not exact dot thing happening. The ink jet dots were much smaller and closer space.
The alternative theory I have depends on how these were printed. I realized that stone lithography leaves dots similar to those shown above. I have a couple of art litho print (not reproductions but authentic prints purchased from the artists) and the dots left by the stone are a little larger and less uniform.
So my next question is how were these printed?
The text on mine is very rough compared to the example shown on the CWArtifax website. Possibly, if this were stone lithography, mine could be a later impression where the 'plate' has worn and is showing it's age.
Just some thoughts.

Also, another case for stone lithography, there is a small amount of pitting on the paper. Small indentations from the ink side to the other side of the cover. Some of these pits have colour in them.

There is no reason to believe that it is not real and of the period. Likewise, it was probably yellow to start, unless there are signs of fading.

At the end of the Civil War, there were box cars full of patriotic covers (literally). Thousands and thousands. People collected them, and pasted them into albums. This is a "cover front," and not unusual, as people were interested in the designs.

While there were huge numbers printed, there are some designs that are rarer than others (usually from the earlier part of the war), and some designs that are common unused as remainders, and rare used, as they were issued close to the end of the war.

You didn't get a bargain at $10, but you also know the most you could have overspent.

I'm pretty sure it's legit James. I love these old patriotic covers. Back then people actually collected these that's one reason that so may unused patriotic covers exist.

Thanks ILS. I've swung back that way too. I'm pretty sure the blue dots are residual ink from the litho stone, and the degraded quality of the text points to a later pressing.
Of course this leads to one major problem for me. I've opened up yet ANOTHER area to collect. I thought specializing would be easy, but nooooooo!

Ha-ha..you know that it's no use in fighting it James..Just hang on and enjoy the ride!