When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
The complete folded letter is franked with a 2 Reales “FRANCO EN GUADALAJARA” provisional stamp, handstamped in black, with the denomination and 1868 date appearing in the centre.
The stamp appears to correspond to the 1868 2 Reales Guadalajara provisional, generally catalogued as Scott #43 when printed on lilac paper. The paper has aged to a very pale lilac/grey appearance.
The Guadalajara provisionals are a particularly interesting chapter of Mexican postal history. These stamps were produced locally by using the circular “FRANCO EN GUADALAJARA” device, with denomination and year inserted in the centre.
The stamp has generous margins and is used on the original complete correspondence. A further Guadalajara postal cancellation is struck across the stamp and onto the letter, tying the adhesive to the original postal document.
The letter is internally dated:
Guadalajara, 3 May 1868
and addressed to:
Señor Don Rafael Cancino
México
The front also bears a particularly attractive blue oval commercial handstamp:
“AGUSTIN GIL – GUADALAJARA”
The original handwritten correspondence remains complete inside the folded letter.
This is therefore not a detached stamp or cover front, but a complete contemporary 1868 folded letter with its original Guadalajara provisional franking and commercial correspondence.
Identification note: Based on the stamp design, denomination, date and apparent paper colour, the adhesive appears consistent with the 1868 Guadalajara 2 Reales provisional / Scott #43 type. The item is offered without a modern expert certificate, and buyers should make their own assessment from the detailed photographs.
Condition: normal filing folds, light age toning and handling consistent with a genuine commercial letter from 1868. The stamp shows large margins and a strong impression of the provisional design. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description.
IMPORTANT: The folded letter and Guadalajara provisional stamp offered in this listing are exactly the items shown in the FIRST photograph. The buyer will receive the exact same original letter and stamp pictured. No substitutions or replacements.
All additional photographs show detailed views of the exact same item.
An attractive specialist piece for collectors of Mexico postal history, Guadalajara Provisionals, Scott #43, 1868 issues, classic Mexican cancellations and 19th-century commercial mail.
