dateline on folded letter to Troy, New York, endorsed "Mr. W. Niles", a silversmith and post rider residing in Shaftsbury, light wear and splitting along folds, very fine appearance.

As of 1790, Vermont refused to sign the Articles of Confederation and become part of the United States because it was engaged in unresolved boundary-line disputes with the states of New York and New Hampshire. They operated their own independently funded postal system from 1783 to 1791, when it became a state. During the Republic period, Vermont established state post offices that were not part of the US postal system in several cities. This is one of five reported covers carried as part of the Vermont Republic Postal system, none of which have any postal markings.