Ma Bay Colony Duplex Cancel | April 8, 1930 At 1 Am

Came across this amongst my collection of covers. It is actually an early First Day Cover. Early by date, perhaps ... but also VERY , early by time, as it is clearly postmarked 1 AM on April 8, 1930!

Anyone happen to know if this was a common occurrence (i.e. having a stamp postmarked so early in the AM on the first day of issue)? I don't recall ever having seen a FDC postmarked so early in the morning:

I may have answered my own question, as I just found two others that were dated 1 AM on it's First Day of Issue ... this time October 19, 1929 for the Ohio River Canal Issue.

I guess the post office did do these cancels early in the morning way back then. (Though I don't think we'd see it too often today.)

Today, you are lucky to be able to read the cancellation.