New England Route Sesquicentennial Postal Stationery
OVERVIEW
Offered is an authentic United States postal stationery entire bearing the printed 2 Cent Liberty Bell Sesquicentennial Exposition indicium cataloged as Scott U522.
This example was postally used on 2 June 1927 through Lowell Massachusetts and addressed locally to Chelmsford Massachusetts.
Of particular interest, the reverse sender identifies Pelham New Hampshire, documenting a cross border New England mailing pattern in which rural residents frequently utilized larger neighboring urban postal facilities for dispatch.
FRANKING & POSTAL HISTORY
This postal entire bears the printed carmine red United States 2 Cent Sesquicentennial Liberty Bell indicium issued to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.
Cataloged as Scott U522, the indicium is printed by typography on standard woven postal stationery envelope paper.
As a government printed entire rather than an adhesive stamp, the perforation size and state of original gum are not applicable.
The indicium is tied by a clear machine cancellation reading:
LOWELL MASS
JUN 2 1927
2 30 PM
accompanied by standard wavy killer bars, properly prepaying the prevailing domestic first class letter rate during the late 1920s.
CONTEXT & COLLECTOR APPEAL
The reverse flap identifies sender Mrs G. P. Wood of Pelham New Hampshire, a town located directly north of the Massachusetts border.
Rather than mailing locally through a smaller New Hampshire office, the cover entered the larger Lowell Massachusetts postal network before delivery to nearby Chelmsford Massachusetts.
This small but meaningful detail illustrates the dependence of rural New England communities on regional industrial postal hubs during the interwar period.
The combination of official Sesquicentennial postal stationery, documented interstate sender origin, and a clean Lowell machine cancellation creates attractive crossover appeal for collectors of United States postal stationery, New England postal history, and early twentieth century regional mail transport.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Country: United States
Year: 1927
Type: Postal Stationery Entire
Topic: New England Interstate Postal Route Liberty Bell History
Theme: Sesquicentennial Liberty Bell Postal Stationery
Subject: Pelham New Hampshire Lowell Massachusetts Route
Era: 1920s
Region: New Hampshire to Massachusetts
Stamp Color: Carmine Red
Stamp Denomination: 2 Cents
Perforation Size: Not Applicable
Printing Method: Typography
Paper Type: Postal Stationery Envelope
Cancellation Type: Lowell Massachusetts Machine Cancel
Scott Number: U522
Features: Interstate New England Route Liberty Bell Entire
Custom SKU: USA-1927-U522-LOWELL-PELHAM
CONDITION
Original postal used condition showing normal age toning and handling wear consistent with 1920s domestic mail transit.
The Lowell Massachusetts circular datestamp and machine killer bars remain sharply struck and fully legible.
The envelope has been cleanly opened along the upper edge while retaining the original back flap structure.
Reverse flap displays sender identification from Pelham New Hampshire together with a small collector notation in lower corner.
No major tears repairs or structural defects observed.
Please review all photographs carefully for exact condition.