Cuba 1840 - SFL from Havana to London, England - GILPINS EXCHANGE READING ROOM AND FOREIGN LETTER EXCHANGE OFFICE, N-YORK Forwarding Agent
A February 8, 1840 SFL with contents (three page letter) from Balentina Vda. de Goicouria e Hijos, Havana to the well-known Fred Huth & Co., London merchants of the time. Backstamped in transit at New York with a perfect strike of a FORWARDED THROUGH GILPINS EXCHANGE READING ROOM AND FOREIGN LETTER OFFICE, N-YORK Forwarding Agent handstamp applied in red. This Forwarding Agent mark is listed and illustrated in the book "THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE FORWARDING AGENTS" by Kenneth Rowe on page 153 of the 1984 Edition and classified with a Rarity Factor of 3. A very, very nice and scarce item.