CANADA 1945 'HEREFORD CATTLE' ADVERTISING COVER SALMON ARM TO MERRITT BC

CANADA 1945 'HEREFORD CATTLE' ADVERTISING COVER SALMON ARM TO MERRITT BC

1945 (Feb. 8), Illustrated Livestock Ranching Advertising Cover from Salmon Arm, British Columbia to Merritt, British Columbia. White wove commercial envelope featuring a large black-and-white photographic halftone engraving spanning the entire left half of the face, illustrating a registered Hereford cow and calf in a pasture setting. Partially pre-printed with typed addressee styling, completed in manuscript ink: "E.W. Veale. / MERRITT, / BRITISH COLUMBIA, / CANADA". Franked at upper right with a single 4¢ carmine King George VI War Issue, paying the 4¢ domestic first-class letter rate (including 1¢ war tax), tied by a circular postmark originating from SALMON ARM B.C. Reverse flap bears an inverted circular receiving date stamp MERRITT / FE 8 / 45 / B.C. confirming same-day transit. Edge wear along the perimeter, light corner blunting, faint handling wrinkles, and small adhesive corner softening; see scans for condition details.

Mailed during the final winter of the Second World War, this illustrated agricultural cover documents purebred cattle breeding and interior ranching trade in British Columbia. The single 4¢ War Issue adhesive paid the standard domestic letter rate, consisting of 3¢ basic postage plus the 1¢ War Exchange Tax. The distinctive pictorial design was utilized by livestock breeders in the Shuswap region to market purebred Hereford breeding stock to cattle operations throughout the provincial interior. Directed to rancher E. W. Veale in the historic Nicola Valley ranching hub of Merritt, the letter was posted at Salmon Arm and carried over the Canadian Pacific Railway and Kettle Valley Railway lines, arriving on February 8, 1945, as recorded by the crisp Merritt receiver on the reverse. A complete 1945 illustrated livestock advertising cover featuring a prominent Hereford cow and calf engraving, tied by Salmon Arm and Merritt cancellations.

Technical & Social Commentary

·       Technical Analysis: Demonstrates a solo 4¢ King George VI War Issue franking tied by the Salmon Arm postmark, complemented on the reverse flap by a clear strike of the Merritt circular receiving date stamp.

·       Geopolitical Context: Captures wartime British Columbia interior agriculture and livestock production operating under the late-war Canadian domestic postal tariff and war tax structure.

·       Logistical Narrative: Dispatched from Salmon Arm on February 8, 1945, routed south via CPR mainline and Kettle Valley rail connections, and received at Merritt on the same day.

·       Social/Mercantile Insights: Documents ranching communications in the Nicola and Shuswap valleys, showing how specialized livestock breeders used high-impact bovine photo engravings on commercial mail to sell breeding stock to regional cattlemen.

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.  

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