3c Orange Brown, Ty. II (10A). Large margins to barely in at top right, tied by blue grid cancel, matching "Geneva N.Y. Jul. 1" circular datestamp on 1851 First Day of Issue folded letter to Rochester N.Y. and forwarded to Litchfield Conn., red "FORWARDED" straightline handstamp with "Rochester N.Y. Jul. 2" circular datestamp, manuscript "5" unpaid rate at top right for forwarding postage, vertical file fold well away from stamp

VERY FINE. A REMARKABLE FIRST DAY COVER WITH BOTH OF THE JULY 1, 1851, RATES -- PREPAID 3-CENTS BY STAMP AND FORWARDED WITH 5-CENTS POSTAGE DUE. THIS IS ALSO THE ONLY RECORDED 3-CENT 1851 FIRST DAY OF ISSUE COVER FROM GENEVA, NEW YORK.

Three new stamps were created for use starting on July 1, 1851, after a change in the postal rates -- 1c, 3c and 12c. The basic rates became 1c for newspapers, circulars and drop letters (with an escalation for distance up until 1852), 3c for domestic letters sent up to 3,000 miles, and 6c for letters sent over 3,000 miles. The rate for sending collect, without prepayment, became 5c for up to 3,000 miles and 10c for distances over 3,000 miles. The 1847 Issue was demonetized after July 1, 1851, when the new rates went into effect.

In his census in the 1851 Sesquicentennial book, Wilson Hulme recorded a total of 43 covers used on July 1, 1851, which is the first day they were valid for postage. The example offered here is desirable for a number of reasons, including the clear yeardate on the contents, plus the display of two different rates which had become effective on July 1.

Ex Burleigh. Illustrated in Sesquicentennial book on p. 126. With 1989 P.F. certificate

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