This choice late nineteenth-century commercial advertising cover represents a fine piece of Maine agricultural history and botanical trade ephemera. The envelope features a crisp, bold circular postmark from North Bangor, Maine, dated April 25, 1898.

The cover is franked with a single 1c deep green Benjamin Franklin First Bureau Issue stamp (Sc 279), paying the circular or unsealed third-class mail rate. The stamp is tied at the upper-right corner by a target killer strike. The left portion of the envelope displays a detailed woodcut engraving vignette of a rose on a leafy stem alongside elaborate advertising typography for "MCCABE BROS., Growers of and Dealers in Fruit and Ornamental Trees, SHRUBS, ROSE BUSHES &c. / SMALL FRUITS, AND ORNAMENTAL STOCK A SPECIALTY. / NORTH BANGOR, MAINE." The face is addressed in a flowing pencil script to Hattie Hodgdon in Southwest Harbor, Maine.

• Stamp: 1c Deep Green Benjamin Franklin, First Bureau Issue (Sc 279), issued in 1895.

• Postmark: North Bangor, ME circular postmark dated April 25, 1898.

• Corner Card: Detailed illustrated rose vignette and typography advertising McCabe Bros. Nursery and Nurserymen stock.

• Condition: Commercial usage condition, showing light handling folds and vertical creasing while preserving complete artwork and a bold, sharp postmark strike.

• Keywords: McCabe Bros, North Bangor ME, Penobscot County, Southwest Harbor ME, Nursery Advertising, Botanical Vignette, Rose Vignette, First Bureau Issue, Sc 279, Third Class Rate, 1898.

Gilded Age Horticulture: McCabe Bros. Nursery of North Bangor

This authentic 1898 commercial cover offers exceptional cross-collectible appeal for specialized collectors of classic First Bureau frankings, Maine botanical history, small-town postmarks, and vintage agricultural trade advertising:

• North Bangor Postal History: Operating as a distinct rural post office serving Penobscot County agricultural producers, North Bangor strikes from the late nineteenth century remain far scarcer than standard city postmarks from downtown Bangor.

• Turn-of-the-Century Nursery Ephemera: McCabe Bros. specialized in supplying hardy fruit trees, rose bushes, and ornamental shrubs tailored for Maine's coastal and northern climate. Botanical trade covers featuring detailed woodcut flower engravings remain highly popular targets for specialized garden, nursery, and trade illustration collections.

• First Bureau Circular Rate: Clean commercial 1c third-class or local rate usages of the 1895 Benjamin Franklin First Bureau issue (Sc 279) remain popular among classic U.S. postal historians. Finding a well-centered example tied by a clear North Bangor postmark on a botanical advertising entire provides great display appeal.

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American Numismatic Association life member

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