{"product_id":"buffalo-new-york-1898-melvin-carpenter-general-merchant-letterhead-6-x-4","title":"Buffalo New York 1898 Melvin Carpenter General Merchant Letterhead - 6 x 4","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"87\" data-end=\"303\"\u003eThis 1898 Melvin Carpenter general commission merchant letterhead documents everyday commercial food trade activity in Buffalo, New York, during the city’s late nineteenth-century period of regional market expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"305\" data-end=\"915\"\u003eAs a major Great Lakes port and rail hub, Buffalo supported a dense network of commission merchants handling produce, dairy, and staple goods for both local retailers and regional distribution. Businesses like Melvin Carpenter operated at the wholesale-retail intersection, supplying fruits, butter, eggs, and country produce to urban customers while maintaining detailed handwritten accounts that reflected pricing, quantities, and seasonal availability. Such letterheads functioned as both receipts and business records, offering insight into food economics and merchant practices at the turn of the century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"917\" data-end=\"1487\"\u003eThe letterhead features bold printed identification for Melvin Carpenter at 64 West Market Street, with handwritten entries listing bananas, oranges, and lemons, along with individual prices and totals. A dated received payment stamp from May 1898 and period penmanship reinforce its use as an active transactional document rather than a purely promotional piece. The compact 6 x 4 format reflects practical day-to-day accounting use, making this a strong primary-source artifact for collectors of Buffalo history, food commerce, or nineteenth-century business ephemera.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1489\" data-end=\"1776\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eThe item shown in the listing is the exact item the collector will receive. We have tens of thousands of items to choose from. Shipping will always be combined or refunded to save you as much money as possible. Please contact us with any questions, or visit our store page for specifics.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Everything Ephemera","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52978840010936,"sku":"20250825","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0939\/8740\/6008\/files\/57_5854919c-435c-4759-b734-5508f575d38d.jpg?v=1773001660","url":"https:\/\/everythingephemera.com\/products\/buffalo-new-york-1898-melvin-carpenter-general-merchant-letterhead-6-x-4","provider":"Everything Ephemera","version":"1.0","type":"link"}