SC #65 On Cover... Maybe???

A curious thing. Not sure if this is a cover or something else. And it looks as though the "5" on the cancel date is inverted.


Scott does not list a #49a, this looks like a 64 or a 64 to me. But I'm not real good with distinguishing color on stamps.


The 5 in the year 1865 is inverted


This is the back of the... well, envelop. It looks like the front was cut off and used for annotation of someones certificate or a receipt of some sort.
Is Colby APS significant?

Looks like both 5 and 3 are backwards

Peter

Colby was Sylvester Colby, a well known auction dealer 50-75 years ago.

http://pbbooks.com/SY.html

I believe the date is 1865, but the 5 was put in upside down, unless it is 1863 with a deformed 3.

Any ideas what this might be?

I read, "Certificates .......... are of Hattie James of 4 May 63 ____ $10

June 8/63."

The "63" in the docketing is proof that the date is '63.

Not possibly a 64 or 64b, since these issues were the first of the 3 cent shades, printed early, in August of '61. Very difficult, if not nearly impossible to certify a stamp as any shade of pink (64/64a/64b) with any date later than around Jan/Feb of '62.

Here are the colors identified y Mike McClung, (and you can probably find these in back issues of The Chronicle) that originated in '63:



Hope this is helpful......

The year date in the cancel is undoubtedly 1863, a 4-digit type-slug, not individual digits.
Of any town, Washington DC would have the least need/reason for makeshift dates.
Inking, dirt, wear, strike techniques, paper thicknesses, etc., can create transient illusions.

I would suggest a highly abbreviated business or legal message to convey the gist of:
"Certificates / Paid and executed on the account of Hattie Jarvis",
the second line I interpreted the original text as "Pd & Excd", perhaps exchanged?
Other opinions welcome!