Scott #27 5ct Strip of 3 on Folded Letter on blue paper to France, VERY RARE. New Orleans to Nantes, France. Stamps tied by New Orleans circular cancels dated “MARCH 22,1859″. Red “New York 12 March 30″ cancel and several French transit cancels. The cover has a pressed horizontal crease through the center that does not affect the stamps. The top stamp has been trimmed at top by separating with scissors, a practice that was apparently common in New Orleans during that period. There is a straight edge at the right of all the stamps, and I can’t determine whether this is natural from being the right column on the sheet or also from scissors separation. Since I don’t read or speak French, I have no idea what the letter is about. My store has numerous very nice US classic stamps, including some of the rarest, and I add new ones all the time. George K’s Stamps. Note: I always added links to as many applicable reference sites as I could to aid you in expanding your knowledge of philately and help you identify and value the stamps I list. Sorry for the extra work. For clear, beautiful pictures of all the US and UK classics, go to his award-winning site. For a more accurate assessment of current value based on the total range of grades, see the PSE (Professional Stamp Experts) pricing guide, which is updated quarterly. Their cert grading also considers other factors than just centering, such as shade, impression, eye appeal, the back, perfs, faults, etc. But it will give you a better idea of the range of retail values in the US Classics arena. Search for “PSE Valuation”. Search for “Stamp Collectors Against Dodgy Sellers”. (see below) Here is part of the story, published on-line at MSNBC. Com. This item is in the category “Stamps\United States\Covers\Postal History”. The seller is “geokster” and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to North, South, or Latin America, all countries in Europe, all countries in continental Asia, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Egypt, Reunion.

• Place of Origin: United States
• Quality: Used
• Certification: Uncertified
• Grade: Ungraded