US Type U48 (Entire) Wells Fargo Cache Cover W/ Postage Due?

This was in a collection that was consigned to the Oregon Stamp Society this past month. Most of the covers were common and inexpensive, but this one caught my eye. I took a few photos in the hopes of getting opinions on the identification, usage, authenticity, and potential value. I regret to say there were no contents, and I didn't take photos of the back - although I'm certain I would have had there been anything useful there.

Of particular interest is the two "collect" handstamps and handwritten 18c. Does this imply there was postage due?

If valuable enough, this cover will be auctioned off buy itself in our spring auction. Comments welcome!

Brian Riley

I'm no expert, but postage due for what? It's not addressed.

Thinking out loud.

Robert

No idea how these were used, addressed, or rates determined. Perhaps it was bulk mail sent to a regular customer?

Wells Fargo franks are the most common of the western express companies. Think of them as private extensions to the government-run postal system.

The UPSS has recently published a 2-volume tome on these guys. $250 for non-members. Beautiful resource (if you can take the hit, $$-wise, that is).

The lack of an address means the address was probably on the actual item to be sent, with this envelope being used as a "paste-up".

Someone with more knowledge is bound to come along and give us a nice treatment on this subject.

It would be real nice if you could see that other side, but oh well.

"The lack of an address means the address was probably on the actual item to be sent, with this envelope being used as a "paste-up".
"

Yeah, maybe.

Still pretty cool.

Robert

It could also be a contrived or bogus cover although the basic underlying cover is not an expensive one.

I'm in the camp of probably attached to a parcel, which was addressed - for a lower denomination postal stationery entire, there would have to be more to it to warrant 18c postage due, so since postage (6c) was contained on this envelope, the postage due of 18c was added to it. The San Francisco cancel on the 6c looks valid to me.

What does the back side look like? Not looking for markings, but for adhesive/wax, etc.

This is the most likely scenario - a "paste-up" onto something else that held the address. Signs of adhesive remnants or paper adherence on the other side would cinch the argument.

Covers with 24c rates are most often to GB, but partial payments were not allowed, so it would say 24c collect if that was the case. Therefore, it is likely an underpaid domestic cover.

This item would normally never enter the mail stream, especially if it was attached to a parcel. That means that the collect 19c should be a Wells Fargo marking. The postal laws required that the POD be paid for the equivalent of the POD providing the service. The express company was free to charge whatever they wanted above that amount.