Question On Cover To Belvedere

Good afternoon all,

I just got this cover and I can't find any information about it. I suspect this a home-made cover and hand made paper. Looks like signed by person receiving. Stamp 5 cts New York 20 Jul. This stamp looks like double circle? Any information that you could share about it, would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Regards

Bump.

Its not clear to me how much you do or don't know, but - Its called a stampless cover.

It was mailed in New York City, and sent to Belvidere, NJ.

The red postal marking at upper right is called a : Circular Date Stamp (CDS), which indicates the name of the town Post Office and date that the letter entered the mails, along with the postal rate - 5 cents, for a letter traveling less than 300 miles.

Often, but not always, "red" indicated that the letter was pre-paid, while "black" markings were letters sent unpaid, where the addressee had to fork up money in order to claim the letter.

This particular New York marking was definitely in use in the mid to late 1840s, and is often found in conjunction with a handstamped "paid", indicated pre-paid.

The writing at left is called "docketing", and it was very common in the 19th century. It could have been applied by the recipient, sender or other.

NO! Color means nothing on domestic U.S. mails. It is either marked "paid" or it is not.

John, thanks for the correction.
I spend too much time analyzing foreign mail exchange markings, and not enough time with domestic.