AI Appraisal Estimate

This item is a vintage, white-colored envelope, meticulously filled out with typewritten addresses. The sender is identified as 'Dale B. Gerdeman, 1041 Fifth Street, Las Vegas, New Mexico'. The recipient is 'Mr. Vernon A. Forrester, 4617 Odessa Avenue, Fort Worth 15, Texas'. The most significant distinguishing features are the postal markings: a circular postmark in green or blue ink indicating 'LAS VEGAS, N. MEX., SEP 8 3 5 PM 1958', and a '4c United States of America' postage stamp depicting a waving American flag. The stamp is affixed to the upper right corner and features a serrated edge, characteristic of traditional stamps, with wavy cancellation lines extending from it. The envelope shows signs of aging consistent with its estimated age, including some discoloration and minor creasing characteristic of paper stored over decades. There is a small white adhesive tag or sticker visible on the right edge, partially obscuring a detail, which appears to be a modern sales tag indicating '9300030' and '$200S' (likely $20.00). This tag is likely a dealer's mark rather than an original part of the item. The typewritten addresses suggest a period when typewriters were standard for mail correspondence. Its condition appears to be relatively good for its age, without major tears or significant water damage, preserving the integrity of the addresses and postal marks. The quality of the paper is standard for its era, a common mid-weight paper that has held up well over time. The item provides a historical snapshot of postal communication from the mid-20th century.

I have virtually examined this vintage postmarked envelope, noting its white color, typewritten addresses, and a clear green/blue 'LAS VEGAS, N. MEX., SEP 8 3 5 PM 1958' postmark. The highlight is the '4c United States of America' flag stamp, appropriately cancelled. Its condition appears relatively good for its age, showing expected discoloration and minor creasing, but no significant tears or water damage that would impede its historical integrity. The presence of a modern sales tag is noted as a dealer's mark, not original to the item. Authenticity, based solely on the images provided, seems high for a period postal item. The stamp and postmark appear consistent with 1950s postal practices. However, definitive authentication would require in-person examination to assess paper quality, ink consistency under magnification, and to rule out any alterations not visible in the images. Provenance documentation regarding its journey from mail to collectible would also add to its verified history, though this is less critical for common items. Regarding market conditions and demand: This is a relatively common period envelope. The 4-cent flag stamp (Scott #1094, issued 1957) is not rare, and covers from this specific period, while historically interesting, generally do not command high prices unless they denote a rare postal routing, specific event, or an extremely rare cancellation. The typewritten addresses are standard for the era. Comparable sales for similar mid-century U.S. covers with common stamps typically fall in the single digits to low double digits. The small adhesive tag listing '9300030' and '$200S' (likely $20.00) indicates a dealer's asking price, which I find to be at the higher end, if not optimistic, for this particular item. Given its good, but not exceptional, condition and the common nature of the stamp and postmark, I assess the market value for this piece of ephemera and philatelic history to be in the range of $5 to $15.