vertical pair (positions 1 and 7 from the sheet of 12), showing full frames except where slightly irregular at upper right, on June 25, 1845 folded letter from Hartford to Philadelphia, endorsed "Paid 2" and red straightline "Paid" applied at Hale's New York office, file folds including one through bottom stamp, fine and attractive, the finer of two recorded covers with a pair of the Hartford Mail Route stamp (the only recorded multiples for the issue), one of the most important Independent Mail covers, ex-Boker, Golden, and Puliafito, 2000 Philatelic Foundation certificate

The best source for information on the short-lived and enigmatic Hartford Mail Route is Richard Frajola's 2015 monograph on the subject, which can be accessed here.