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DESCRIPTION: This item is a very nice handwritten antique letterhead, dated October 13, 1876. The letter was sent from Wickwire Brothers, “Manufacturers of Wire Cloth and Wire Goods, Specialties Corn Poppers, Dish Covers, Coal and Meal Sieves, and Window Screen Wire Cloth,” Cortland NY. It was sent to “A.T. Benjamin, Great Bend” (A.T. Benjamin was the coal agent for the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad Company at Great Bend, PA). The letter asks for prices on delivered coal “we are using egg at present we would like price of chestnut also…” It is signed “Wickwire Brothers.”

CONDITION: This letter is in excellent overall condition. There are no tears; the paper is strong; printing sharp; handwriting clear. It has several light folds from original mailing, and minor age discoloration as would be expected in a piece of this age. Our scan clearly shows the close-up details of the piece. It measures 8 inches wide by 10 inches high; the back is blank.

This item is part of a large group of documents that are related to the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad in Scranton, PA. The DL&W Railroad in this period was also the DL&W Coal Co., and the railroad serviced its coal operations. See our other auctions for more interesting examples!