Found this in my box of mixed stuff I inherited. Nothing fancy or even rare I assume, but it's the first "free" CDS I've seen thus far. Thoughts? Thanks, Dave
The free franking rules have been defined and redefined many times over the past 200+ years. Although the original poster does not show the original enclosure, William Smith Herndon served in the House for 2 terms 1871-1875 representing Texas. It is interesting that his service spans the July 1, 1873 abolishment of the franking privilege and the general introduction of Official Stamps. Thus this cover would be from 1871, 1872, or 1873, during which time Congress could RECEIVE mail for free also, which this cover represents. It is "free" because of the recipient, not the sender.
DC, as you might imagine, handled huge quantities of free franked mail from congress and other government offices. There are a number of different "free" markings from DC; this is one of the later ones. Some of the other big cities used them too, though they are less common. In my primary collecting area of Ohio, Cincinnati had an integral "free" postmark during the 1850s and into the late 1860s or early 1870s.
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Posted 03/12/2017 9:01 pm
