Dear Forum Members-
Yesterday's snail mail brought me an article from the February 26, 1996
issue of Linn's Stamp news which announces a Mark Twain cover recently found
up in Nova Scotia.
A resident of Truro went to a stamp show and paid 25 cents (Canadian yet)
for An envelope addressed in the hand of Samuel Clemens. The address reads
Mr. Bradford Dudman
Yarmouth
Nova Scotia
and is postmarked Branford, Conn., July 29, 1881. The return address,
pre-printed on the envelope, reads, "Return to S.L. Clemens,/HARTFORD,
Conn.,/If not delivered within 10 days." Inside, the new owner found a
"white card engraved in red with Clemens' ornate Gilded Age 'SLC' monogram
and the message:
'Dear Sir: In reply I am obliged to say that I have quitted the platform
permanently. With thanks for the compliment of your invitation I am Truly
Yours Mark Twain.'"
The card itself seems to have been one that Clemens had printed up in
advance and apparently is what is known as a facsimile card. Robert Hirst of
the Mark Twain Project stated to the author of the article in question that
up to this find, only three such cards were known to be in existence.
The moral of this story is, if you are a collector, scholar, or whatever,
don't quit looking. I haven't.
...and so there ain't nothing more to write about, and I am rotten glad of it...
Marcus W. Koechig
M&M Books
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