This is an extremely RARE Arthur M. Claflin, Hopkinton encased 10 cent postage stamp. The Civil War Era Merchant of clothing, Hopkinton, is considered to be one of the rarest of existing merchant types found today, fewer than 15 examples are believed to exist. While this encased stamp has not been graded, its condition appears to be in outstanding condition with clear, easy to read lettering: BUY YOUR CLOTHING OF HOPKINTON. ARTHUR M. CLAFLIN, MAIN ST. PAT AUG 12, 1862 with J. GAULT name appearing below. Webbing appears on the mica, which can be seen in the close up image of the stamp. The US 10 cent postage stamp itself has a rich deep green color, featuring president Washington. High resolution of the images seen on the liveauctioneers site are available upon request. Contact our recommended 3rd party "for profit" shipper Pak Mail at (260) 637-4809 or contact@pakmailshipsfortwayne.com for shipping quote PRIOR to bidding. Scheerer WILL NOT ship this item under any circumstances, no exceptions.