Is A Folded Letter With A Private Die Stamp Considered A Stampless Cover?

Boyd's was not a part of the U.S. Post Office - it was a private company that made its profits from picking up and delivering letters within the City at a time when there was no Post Office provided home delivery. Boyd's was one of many such services around the country and they all had arrangements with the local post offices to provide this kind of private service to tie into the actual postal system. The label is a label, not a stamp. It was made by the private company at the private company's expense for the private company to keep their books. There are still local posts today that make their own labels and carry letters privately outside of the postal system. I think that John Beckers suggestion of not calling it a stampless or a stamped letter is a reasonable one. Or, you could call it a "Boyd's local post letter" which is the kind of description I tend to see most often in auction catalogs and price lists. By the way, Boyd's was quite prolific and such letters with these labels are not overly difficult to find.

Kimo

I couldn't agree more. I think I've seen more Boyd's stamps (labels) than any others. Hussey's comes in a close second. From what I've seen in Scott's the value of this item is minimal. I find the content fascinating as the subject of the letter, Robert Morris, had somewhat of a history. After his death, his son Thomas managed his affairs. Thomas died in 1849 in New York. Henry W. Morris is the son of Thomas Morris. Unfortunately the letter is unsigned and undated so I'm guessing when I say this letter is from father to son. Whoever wrote it seemed to know the recipient wouldn't have to guess.

http://historicindentures.com/categ...bert-morris/

Found this online regarding letter content.

If a folded letter with a Boyd's local post stamp indicating local post service is a "stampless" letter, what do you call a folded letter with a Boyd's handstamp marking indicating local post service? Collectors of carrier and local post stamps would only refer to the second as a stampless cover.