Pitney Bowes Postage Meter With Time Stamp (1956)

Does anyone find this old postage meter imprint a bit unusual in that it records the time (8:30 PM) in addition to the day and date?

Even though some time recorded meters were used back in that day, the time being so late in the evening would suggest to me that the posted material wouldn't even have been picked up by the post office until the next morning.



What would have been the point of using an evening time stamp like this? Maybe just for internal auditing to make sure work was being done during a selected work shift, etc.?

Just a curiosity I haven't seen many examples of, so I thought I'd share it and ask these questions.

Thanks.

Many Post offices in busy cities were working minimum 2 shifts in those days as the only affordable correspondence was letters. The main Minneapolis Post Office still runs 24/7, 365 days a year.

Here is one, 19 years earlier with the same PB Indicia with a 10pm date stamp. I love this cover as it's got a few things happening. It's a meter, with postage due of 1¢ paid with 2 - ½ ¢ Postage due Stamps, plus it's an upside down Envelope. It appears as if the put the back on upside down as the Flaps at the bottom and you can see the flap through the window.

Interesting info. Both covers are well before my time and I never realized those post offices were working 24/7 back then. You wouldn't get that kind of service today, though, which I expect is exactly why there are no time stamps on meters anymore.

I wonder why the post office used two fractional 1/2c stamps rather than a 1c stamp. (Seems like extra work on their part.)



Thanks.

After seeing this timing I just had a look on my covers and found a delivery cancellation at back side of the cover timed 5AM. its 13-december-1897 @ Newport, Isle of Wight , England.

They weren't necessarily open to the public to walk in and drop off mail but the sorting and shipping ran through the night. In this present day, Minneapolis MN main PO still runs 24/7, 365 days a year.