This covers shows the American "Franklin Mark" cancel. Patterned after the British "Bishop Mark" (introduced in England by British PM Henry Bishop in the 1660's) it was used to date stamp a letter to show when it was received by the local post office. The intention was that the "received by" date would document the time for local delivery and thus prompt the postman to be diligent in his rounds. The American version is in black with "day over month" in a circle with no dividing line. The British mark has a dividing line and can have the day or month on the top depending upon whether or not it was inland or foreign post. There are also Scottish (oval in red) and Irish "Bishop Marks", as well as Canadian. The American version was named after Benjamin Franklin the first US Postmaster and is found on US delivered letters from the latter part of the 18th century, disappearing from about 1800, much scarcer than the British Bishop Mark.

As a Life Member of the American Philatelic Society and in association with the American Philatelic Society's new guidelines on expertization, Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd. will guarantee the authenticity of this philatelic item to the purchaser of record for a period of five years from the date of sale. You will receive a full color receipt with our written guarantee of authenticity - signed and sealed. Please note that our five year Guarantee of Authenticity does not apply to condition issues such as centering, cancel, gum, paper or other aspects of the item. It is the buyer's responsibility to promptly examine the material upon receipt for any vices, defects or other dissatisfactions and return it within our seven day examination and "return-for-any-reason" period. However, if at any time during the five year period you receive an opinion from the American Philatelic Expertizing Service that this item is not authentic, please return the item in its original condition along with the written guarantee and contrary opinion and we will refund you the original purchase price and the cost of the opinion.