1873 STAMPLESS COVER/LETTER MESSINA, ITALY SHIPMENT OF MEDICINAL FRUIT T0 NYC

Description: We are offering a Stampless Postal Cover / Letter with a Messina, Italy postmark, a New York postmark when it arrived, and two other postmarks which are a little difficult to make out. The letter dated March 1, 1873, was from W. Sanderson & Sons, Messina, Italy (the stationery is embossed with their name at the top). Messina is on the island of Sicily. The letter is to Messrs. Lanman & Kemp, New York City. W. Sanderson & Sons advise Lanman & Kemp that 60 cases of Bergamot were shipped on the Steamer Alexandria to their address in New York. (Bergamot is a citrus fruit native to Italy, from which essential oils of the peel and the juice were used to make medicine.) They said they had received Lanman & Kemp's telegram regarding Fleet Beef [we believe it says from the Java Coast] and Folly Beef or Jolly Beef ? - we're not sure, and then they mention something about English orders. (The handwriting is a little difficult to make out in some places.) They say that morning they had received a telegram from W.H. Cole & Co. which said, 'Lanman & Kemp telegraphed us that they accept your offer and requested us to wire you'. "We shall therefore ship you this new order for 100 cases of Bergamot". Sanderson & Sons also quote prices for bitter oranges, which apparently had been difficult to get. [Bitter orange is a citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia, whose oil from the peel & flower is used in traditional Chinese medicine for digestive disorders, and apparently there was a demand for it in the United States.] **NOTE** - as was common during this period, the letter also served as the envelope by folding it a certain way, addressing it, and sealing it with a red wax seal. **CONDITION** - Excellent

Price: 25 USD

Location: Santa Clarita, California

End Time: 2024-11-16T22:57:15.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD