5c Red Brown (12). Horizontal pair, margins to touched or slightly in, used with horizontal pair of 5c Red Brown, Perforated (28), both tied by red "New York Paid Jan. 12" (1858) circular datestamps on cover front only to Havana, Cuba, red Daniel Curtis & Co. New York merchant's oval handstamp at bottom left--carried by the New York & Charleston Steam Ship Co. Nashville, departing New York Jan. 16, 1858, and arriving Charleston Jan. 18, from Charleston it was carried by the steamer Isabel, operated by

M. C. Mordecai, departing Jan. 19 and arriving Havana Jan. 22--bold blue "NA" handstamp and matching "3" (reales) due handstamp, manuscript "12", the lettersheet front has been affixed to a different folded letter to appear complete, small ink erosion in address and right 5c perforated stamp with small corner crease, Fine appearance, the only recorded cover with a combination of 5c 1856 Imperforate and 5c 1857 Perforated issues, as well as the only recorded 5c 1856 cover to Cuba, a logical explanation for this mixed-issue franking is that the sender posted the letter with imperforate stamps and uprated postage with perforated stamps, probably at the post office, ex Mayer and illustrated in the Frajola-Mayer book (p. 145), with 2006 P.F. certificate

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