1876 Imperial German Folded Letter & Cover-Breslau to Janowitz-Church Correspondence-Wax Sealed with Stamps

1876 Imperial German Folded Letter Cover – Breslau to Janowitz – Church Correspondence – Wax Seal & Stamps

Website Price: $95.00

Original 1876 Imperial German folded-letter cover sent from Breslau—present-day Wrocław, Poland—to church authorities in Janowitz.

This is a particularly attractive example of 19th-century postal history because the handwritten document itself was folded to form its own mailing cover. No separate envelope was used. The outside of the folded document was addressed, franked with postage stamps, postmarked, and sealed with wax for mailing.

The document is dated:

Breslau, 4 November 1876

and appears to concern official church or ecclesiastical administrative business. The text is entirely handwritten in period German script and bears the official reference number 8574, along with several additional handwritten administrative notations.

Folded-Letter Construction

One of the most appealing features of this piece is its original method of mailing.

After the letter was written, the same sheet of paper was folded inward to create its own cover. The exterior was then addressed to the church authorities at Janowitz, stamped, postmarked, and closed using an official dark red wax seal.

This type of intact folded correspondence provides an excellent look at how official documents were prepared and mailed during the 19th century.

Postal Features

The exterior retains:

● Two original Imperial German postage stamps

● Period circular postal cancellations

● Ornate handwritten address

● Official reference number 8574

● Original red wax seal on the reverse

● Additional period postal and administrative markings

The surviving wax seal is especially attractive. Although partially chipped from age and opening, a substantial portion remains intact, with its central heraldic design and surrounding lettering still visible.

Historical Interest

At the time this document was written, Breslau was part of the Kingdom of Prussia within the German Empire. The city is now known as Wrocław, Poland.

Dated only five years after the creation of the German Empire in 1871, this document represents an appealing example of early Imperial German correspondence and postal history.

The combination of official church-related content, period handwriting, original postage, postal cancellations, and a surviving wax seal gives the piece interest across several collecting fields, including:

● Imperial German history

● German postal history

● Silesian history

● Church and ecclesiastical history

● 19th-century handwritten documents

● Wax seals

● Genealogy and local history

Condition

Very good original condition for a document approximately 150 years old.

The piece retains its original mailing folds and shows normal age toning, light staining, scattered spotting, minor creasing, and expected edge and handling wear.

The handwriting remains strong and generally legible.

Both postage stamps remain attached. The original wax seal is partially chipped but substantially intact, with much of the design still visible.

The folds, postal wear, and opening marks are part of the item’s original history and have been left untouched.

Please examine all photographs carefully as they are an important part of the description.

Collector Highlights

● Original 1876 document

● Dated Breslau, November 4, 1876

● Early Imperial German period

● Original folded-letter cover

● Letter and mailing cover are the same original sheet of paper

● Official church-related correspondence

● Addressed to Janowitz

● Reference number 8574

● Two original Imperial German postage stamps

● Period postal cancellations

● Original dark red wax seal

● Entirely handwritten in period German script

● Approximately 150 years old

A very attractive and complete piece of 19th-century German postal and documentary history.