3c Ultramarine (114). Affixed sideways and tied by perfect strike of Horse in Hat fancy cancel and "Union Mills Pa. Feb. 15" (1870) circular datestamp on orange cover to Ellington N.Y., barely reduced at left, stamp with small piece out at left

EXTREMELY FINE STRIKE OF THE UNION MILLS HORSE IN HAT FANCY CANCEL. ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE SUBJECTS AND DESIGNS WE HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED.

Union Mills, Pennsylvania, was the source of several remarkable fancy cancel designs in the 1869-71 period, including the "KKK" Skull and Crossbones, Kleagle Mask (two versions) and the Horse in Hat designs. All indicate Ku Klux Klan activity in this Western Pennsylvania town during the immediate post-war Reconstruction period. The Horse in Hat (sometimes called a Dog in Hat) is a symbol of Celtic ritual, in which horses were adorned with human attire, such as hats.

Ex Haas, Robertson and Boker.

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