Cross Border Travel Accident Insurance Accounting
OVERVIEW
Offered is an authentic United States postal stationery card mailed from Hartford Connecticut to Waterloo Ontario Canada on 6 October 1915. Addressed to J R Strickland, an agent for the Grand Trunk Railway, the card was utilized by The Travelers Insurance Company Ticket Department for railway insurance ticket accounting.
It represents genuine corporate correspondence documenting the return and verification of travel insurance tickets sold directly through regional railroad ticket offices.
FRANKING & POSTAL HISTORY
The postal stationery is a United States 1 Cent McKinley issue cataloged as either Scott UX24 or UX25.
The red indicium is printed by typography on standard government postal card stock. As a printed postal card, the perforation size and state of original gum are not applicable.
The indicium is properly tied by a highly legible Hartford Connecticut machine cancellation featuring a circular datestamp and wavy killer bars dated 6 October 1915. Under reciprocal postal agreements of the era, this domestic postal card legally crossed the international border into Canada at the standard 1 cent rate rather than the 2 cent Universal Postal Union international rate.
CONTEXT & COLLECTOR APPEAL
Travelers Insurance was a pioneer in travel accident policies, which passengers could purchase directly at railroad ticket counters. Railways like the Grand Trunk distributed these tickets through their station agents, who periodically returned unsold stock for reconciliation.
The reverse side preserves the exact internal accounting used between the Hartford headquarters and the regional railway agent, detailing Form Number 388, Agent Number 3989, and Ticket Serial Numbers 206 to 249 inclusive, all authorized by Geo S Penfield. This piece anchors firmly at the intersection of early twentieth century United States postal stationery, cross border postal history, and early railroad corporate operations.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Country: United States
Year: 1915
Type: Postal Card
Topic: Grand Trunk Railway Corporate Insurance Postal History
Theme: Railroad Accounting Ephemera
Subject: Travelers Insurance Grand Trunk Railway
Era: 1910s
Region: Hartford Connecticut to Waterloo Ontario Canada
Stamp Color: Red
Stamp Denomination: 1 Cent
Printing Method: Typography
Paper Type: Government Postal Card Stock
Gum: Not Applicable
Cancellation Type: Hartford Machine Cancel with Wavy Killer Bars
Cancellation Date: 6 October 1915
Scott Number: UX24 or UX25
Features: Cross Border Usage Corporate Accounting
Custom SKU: USA-1915-UX24-TRAVELERS-GRANDTRUNK
CONDITION
Original postal used condition.
The card shows normal commercial usage consistent with a 1915 international mailing, including light natural age toning and minor edge and corner handling wear.
The Hartford machine cancel is exceptionally clear.
The reverse accounting form is perfectly intact, boldly filled out, and fully legible with no severe creases or tears.
Please review all high resolution photographs carefully to determine exact condition.