Hartford CT Machine Cancel Waterloo Ontario Railway Insurance Business Mail
OVERVIEW
Offered is an authentic United States Scott UX27 McKinley postal card commercially used on October 6, 1915, from Hartford, Connecticut, to J. R. Strickland, Agent of the Grand Trunk Railway at Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Far more than an ordinary postal card, this is a documented piece of early twentieth-century business correspondence illustrating the close working relationship between The Travelers Insurance Company and one of Canada's principal railway systems.
The reverse preserves the original Ticket Department accounting notice, providing exceptional commercial and transportation history interest.
FRANKING & POSTAL HISTORY
The card is a United States 1-cent red William McKinley postal stationery card, cataloged as Scott UX27.
As official postal stationery, the postage is printed directly into the card rather than applied as an adhesive stamp.
The indicium is tied by a well-struck Hartford, Connecticut, machine cancellation dated October 6, 1915, at 3:30 PM.
The cancellation incorporates standard wavy killer bars, cleanly tying the McKinley indicium. Mailed internationally from Hartford to Waterloo, Ontario, this piece reflects routine cross-border business correspondence and documents a genuine 1915 commercial postal transit.
CONTEXT & COLLECTOR APPEAL
The historical importance of this card lies in its surviving business message.
The reverse contains an original printed acknowledgment from the Ticket Department of The Travelers Insurance Company confirming receipt and verification of returned insurance tickets.
During this period, Travelers Insurance marketed short-term travel accident insurance through railroad ticket offices, with railway ticket agents acting as authorized representatives.
This card documents the accounting procedures required to reconcile unsold insurance ticket stock (Agency 3989, forms 206 through 249, inclusive) between Hartford headquarters and an agency on the Grand Trunk Railway system.
As the Grand Trunk Railway was one of Canada's largest railway networks, this is an appealing crossover collectible for railroad, insurance, and commercial postal history specialists.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Country: United States
Year: 1915 (Usage Date)
Type: Postal Stationery Card
Topic: Railroad Insurance Commercial Mail
Theme: Postal Stationery and Railroad History
Subject: William McKinley Indicium
Era: WWI Era (1915)
Occasion: Commercial Business Correspondence
Region: Connecticut to Ontario Canada
Stamp Color: Red
Denomination: 1 Cent
Currency: United States Dollar (USD)
Printing Method: Typography
Cover Stock/Paper Type: Standard Buff Card Stock
Gum: Without Gum (Postal Stationery)
Cancellation Type/Date: Machine Cancel with Wavy Killer Bars (October 6 1915)
Catalog Numbers: Scott UX27
SKU: USA-UX27-1915-TRAVELERS-GTR
CONDITION
This authentic commercially used postal card shows expected age-related toning, light handling wear, and minor peripheral edge wear consistent with more than a century of business correspondence.
The red McKinley indicium remains well-printed with strong color.
The Hartford machine cancellation is clear and fully legible, while the Travelers Insurance Ticket Department message on the reverse is complete, crisp, and easily readable.
The handwriting remains attractive and well-preserved.
Please examine all high-resolution photographs carefully on the individual listing to verify the exact physical state, edge characteristics, and cancellation clarity prior to purchase.