Postmasters' Mistakes

Pre-1873

Free Frank cover
FREE COVER MISTAKEN FOR REGULAR MAIL, ca. 1835-1843. The originating postmaster did not recognize Caleb Cushing as a member of Congress. He scribbled over the "Free" notation and added a twenty-cent postage fee to the correspondence.
The cover bears a hand-stamped Baltimore, Maryland, postmark dated February 3.
10-cent rerated free frank cover
COVER ADDRESSED TO SENATOR W. P. MANGUM, ca. 1834-1836 or 1840-1841. The cover bears a Greensboro, North Carolina, postmark. The cover is an example of a postmaster’s change from rated postage to free frank.

 

Free Franks