Lot
1814 
Official Seal, 1877, brown, used to seal top edge of officially-opened unpaid cover, "Milwaukee Wis. Feb 27" cds on cover to Kewaskum Wis., second "Milwaukee Wis. Feb. 28" circular datestamp on back, clear strike of "Held for Postage" handstamp, blue crayon "3c" and matching "2706"; opened a bit roughly at right, back toning, Very Fine and rare use at the Dead Letter Office, ex-Richardson; with 1991 P.F. certificate. Scott Nos. OX1 $1,000.
While this cover lacks a Dead Letter Office handstamp, the presence of the Milwaukee cds on the back and the crayon markings on the front indicate handling likely by the Dead Letter Office. Despite its official designation as a seal for use by the Dead Letter Office, only a handful of the "Post Obitum" seals are known used there, with the remainder used by postmasters.
Reference: Illustrated and Discussed by Kotanchik in his book on p. 83.