AUSTRIA 1866 5KR FOLDED LETTER LINZ TO VIENNA W/ CONTENTS
1866 (Jan. 25), Folded Letter from Linz, Upper Austria to Vienna, Lower Austria. Franked with a single 1863 5kr rose Emperor Franz Joseph I oval embossed issue, displaying crisp embossed detailing and deep color. The adhesive is tied to the upper left corner by a bold, circular LINZ / 25 / 1 town dispatch postmark, with a matching large circular 9-11 Fr. / WIEN / 26 / 1 morning delivery cancel cleanly struck across the reverse panel fold. The front of the cover features a striking, oval merchant handstamp in blue-green ink from Anton Carl Hafferl / Linz a/ Donau. The complete internal letter sheet is fully intact, clean, and written in a fluid business hand with the sender's corresponding corporate letterhead subtly embossed in the upper left margin.
This mercantile document, dispatched from Linz on January 25, 1866, tracks a complex commercial credit transfer between regional financial nodes on the eve of the Austro-Prussian War. Writing to the Viennese merchant house of I. M. Pollak, the forwarding agent Anton Carl Hafferl confirms a series of substantial banking transactions. Hafferl notes that he has successfully settled an account through the local credit institution ( Credit Anstalt ) for the sum of 892.07 Austrian florins on behalf of a partner named Hofmann. The second paragraph outlines the physical processing of trade goods, noting the arrival of various specific cargo lot numbers ( ö. W. erhalten... ) that were instantly cleared, leaving a remaining balance of 264.90 florins to be credited via an assignment check managed by Moriz Ebel. This dense exchange illustrates the highly structured banking mechanisms required to balance provincial manufacturing invoices against metropolitan capital accounts.
Please examine lot scan carefully and please send any questions at least 48 hours before the auction closes. Please note that cover condition usually includes normal wear and tear to cover edges, opening tears and some creases and wrinkles. Only exceptional or extreme condition issues will be mentioned.
Legend:
PS - Postal Stationery
FL - Folded Letter
SFL - Stampless Folded Letter
RPO - Railway Post Office
CDS - Circular Date Stamp
DPO - Dead Post Office
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