Cuba 1899 - Scott UX1 - EDIFIL 39 - H&G 36 - Overprinted Postal Card, with privately printed message side.
The first postal card issued by the U.S. Administration for use in Cuba. These cards were created by using an existing 1c. U.S. postal card (UX14) and overprinting them under the indicium with: CUBA.-1c. de Peso. This card has a privately printed message side of "El Progreso Médico", Havana, and is addressed to Dr. Aurelio Flores, Catalina (de) Güines. (The Flores last name has almost completely faded away. It appears as if the sender started witting the address with a certain ink and finished with a different ink, that faded away in places.) The indicium escaped cancellation at Havana, but there is a partial but identifiable CATA(lina de Güines) - REC. - NOV (18)99 receiving cds on the reverse. The EDIFIL catalogue does not list or prices these cards with a preprinted reverse side message. This is only the second card of this issue we have ever seen with a printed message side. (The other one is also for sale at this time) . VERY RARE and interesting item