1867 Cover with Painterly Cancellation: To Selectmen of Littleton, from Templeton MA printed doll Between the tombstone shape of

Between the tombstone shape of the paper

and I really love that all of the pieces are shaped like tools (specifically intended to represent farm tools from what I’ve read

as bright and crisp and clean as if made yesterday

excellent paint inside and out

with the larger stencils producing letters that are 1 inch tall and the smaller letters that are 1/2" tall

1867 Cover with Painterly Cancellation: To Selectmen of Littleton, from Templeton MA printed doll Between the tombstone shape ofI was recently reminded, coming upon this and a couple of other covers envelopes listed today, of the beauty of fancy old cancellation marks and this one to my eye is about as beautiful as it gets. Beyond the star like mark itself, for me it's also about how that black ink stamp interacts with the rest of the elements in this case simultaneously blotting out and illuminating the pinkish red of the 3 cent stamp, perfectly centered over it, with the