(Outgoing Philadelphia) 1868 Philadelphia, Pa. To Palermo, Sicily. Folded letter sheet franked with 1868, 10¢ green, E. grill, horizontal pair canceled by solid star handstamps paying the 19¢ North German Union mail rate, purple "Phil'a., Br. Transit, Paid All, Mar 12" cds and red manuscript crayon "4" credit, blue manuscript "fr1½" silbergroschen for transit beyond the German-Austrian border, transit and receiving backstamps, Very Fine, an extremely rare North German Union rate usage from the Philadelphia exchange office and the earliest known usage of this Philadelphia exchange office marking; with 1981 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 89  Estimate $1,000 - 1,500. Philadelphia was not an exchange office for North German Union mail when the convention was negotiated in October of 1867. When the detailed regulations to this convention where agreed to in June 1868, Philadelphia was listed as an exchange office for the North German Union mail. $0 (Image)

(Outgoing Philadelphia) 1868 Philadelphia, Pa. To Paris, France. Cover franked with 1866, 15¢ black (s.e. at left) tied by grid handstamp and purple "Philadelphia, Paid 12, Jan 7" foreign mail cds, sent by American contract steamship N.G.L. Deutschland with blue Calais entry cds, Very Fine. Scott No. 77  Estimate $200 - 300. Credit to France should have been only 6¢, since the Calais arrival marking notes American service. British packet via England was probably the intended sailing (Cunard 'Scotia' departing N.Y. on January 8th) so the Philadelphia exchange office credited France accordingly. $0 (Image)