Canada 1858 Very Fine Stampless Cover Sent from Hamilton to Caledonia

A wonderfully attractive example of a stampless cover sent from Hamilton, ON on August 21, 1858 that was rated using the very distinct fancy numeral "3. The cover wasnsent to Messrs Bull and Garland in Caledonia, which is a small town located along the Grand River in Haldimand County. The town had a population of just under 10,000 in 2011, so it there would have been very little surving mail from this time period, especially in such a state of preservation. There is a very feintly struck Seneca, UC backstamp dated August 23, 1848 on the back. Fine covers from this period usually sell for between $35-75 depending on the markings. The grade of this cover is VF-84 as follows:

Intactness of the cover: 25/25

Paper freshness from the front: 10/25

Paper freshness from the back: 10/10

Condition of the paper and edges: 15/15

Handwriting: 4/5

Clarity of the markings: 20/20

Based on this grade, a retail value of $125 is reasonable.