Star In Circle Cancel But No Town Marking.

There is notation on the back, it reads:
P.M
Waukesha, Waukesha
Lev Wis July 15th
R. July 19th 1880

Except for the Star cancellation, there are no other hand stamped markings. It makes for a nice clean cover. But to me it's a mystery.

My guess would be Waukesha, Wisconsin. I have no idea what the "lev" represents. Might be an interesting research. I found the post office there opened 04/13/1837 and would start there. Maybe contacting the town's historical society might provide more info.
It's a nice clean cover for sure. I'd add it to my collection.

looks like docketing for the date of the contents and the date received.

hard for my old eyes to tell from the image, but it almost looks like the stamp is not tied to the envelope? perhaps a closer look at the left side of the stamp (bottom side on image) could reveal if the p/m goes through the perfs and onto the envelope.

kuhli, it is actually tied by one spot of ink showing between the 7th and 8th perfs (counting left to right in image).

The writing on the back, appears to be all the same hand. So I would guess it would've been written at the receiving post office.

Waukesha Wisconsin

Leave Wisconsin July 15th

it'a guess, but I think a good one, since it was send to a law office, it's probably some kind of tracking

Will be important to show the back

Don't seem to be same hand writing at back, so it's may be the secretary or the lawyer himself who take a note on the back of when it leave and when he receive it. This cover have may be never been mail but hand carry, and someone put a stamp for sell it

I meant the hand writing on the back is all in the same hand. So it was unlikely written by the sending P.M.


Certainly there's always the possibility of shenanigans.

It was common practice for many people, especially people in some kind of business including lawyers to write on the back of letters they received noting the date they received it, the date they responded, and sometimes the date the letter inside was dated. This one appears to have a notation by the lawyer or his secretary as to the date of the letter inside plus the date the lawyer actually took delivery of it. Sometimes you find even more handwritten information on the back and sometimes it is even on the front. None is official, but all of it is interesting in terms of seeing dates that are often not in either a postmark or a receiving cancel.

Kimo, I made the mistake of assuming the P.M. was Postmaster.



TheStampNut, I think this is good advice. They may be able to note if no town markings was a common practice. Or even if the star in circle was from there.

Thanks for all the input.

I lean very strongly toward this being a canceled stamp added later (by a collector or dealer) to an envelope to give the appearance of having passed through the mail. I find it odd that the killer is sock-on-the-nose, yet any origin town mark is wholly absent AND there is no receiving mark either - both which were required.

Particularly noting section 379 of the 1877 Postal Laws and Regulations which reads in part: "All Mail-matter other than Second Class to be postmarked. - All mailable matter (except that of the second class) deposited in any post-office for mailing or delivery must bear the postmark giving the name of the post-office and an abbreviation of the name of the State (and on first-class matter the date of deposit); and all letters received from other offices or post-offices must be postmarked on the reverse side, with the date and, when possible, the hour on which they are received. ..."

I'm not sure the stamp is tied. Retroreveal is a great way to check cancels.

If so, and surely it sounds likely from opinions of people that know more than me, than someone took the time to put a small line and a dot of color between the perfs.

Well it's an interesting albatross at any rate.

I sent an email to the Waukesha Historical Society. I'll follow up here with any information.

Stampcrow, Good luck, but again, for this to have passed through the mail, TWO post offices had to violate postmarking regulations, which is highly umlikely. If you really think this is tied (and 2 violations occurred) please post a hi-res scan of just the stamp area to show us what you are seeing as a "tie"