New hometown stampless folded letter -Lock Haven, Pa.

This sort of has me a bit perplexed. From around the net (some of our sister site members said)


It could be a 5 too? Also, if that is a 5 it would indicate the letter was not prepaid (i.e., sent collect), for which the rate in 1852 was 5 cents, as opposed to 3 cents prepaid in cash or with stamps.


"wt1 said:
J(ames) H(utchins) Johnson of Bath, NH. Note in addition to his political career, he owned and operated a lumber mill in that town:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_...hins_Johnson "

" battlestamps said:
Nice cover for $3.00. The federal government did not require stamps to be used until 1856 so it's pretty common for covers from this time period not to have stamps.

It appears to be a 5 in the small oval and not a 3. The American Stampless Cover catalog lists small five in circle for Lockhaven, PA.

Also it appears this cover is from 1852 as far as I can tell based on the date from the last image.

"Glenn Estus said:

If a letter didn't have a stamp or wasn't stamped "PAID" it was considered unpaid. Therefore, the "3" is actually a "5"

"Glenn Estus #8232;President, Vermont Philatelic Society said

www.vermontps.org

editor, The Vermont Philatelist

First Day Columnist, Stamp Insider www.stampinsider.org

empirestatepostalhistory.blogspot.com/

nypostalhistory.blogspot.com/

vermontpostalhistory.blogspot.com "

 Looks like a 3c to me,   yet I would back science every time, over visuals.
Otherwise it is the Philatelic "Inkblot test"

Ergo, my album page would have 5c