9 March 1875 letter from sailor onboard USS Canandaigua at Aspinwall, New Grenada
double 10¢ steamship rate prepaid by sender, entered mails at New Orleans on March 26 for local delivery

Mail carried by a steamship with a mail-carrying contract was subject to a ten cent per half ounce rate until July 1, 1875. This cover was carried by such a steamer on the regular mail route between Aspinwall and New Orleans. The U.S. stamps could have been purchased in New Grenada (Colombia) or in the U.S. by the sailor.

1875 twenty cent piece minted in Carson City

The twenty cent piece was a short-lived coin that was minted for circulation only in 1875 and 1876. They circulated primarily in the West where silver was preferred over paper currency. The Carson City, Nevada mint, where the above example was coined, operated from 1870 until 1893.