US Stamp 554 On Cover Dec 1 1921, Pre Release?

I recently bought a large amount of covers from the classic era, 554s,499s,a few 500s, and a lot more. There are almost 750 of them, mostly 2c reds, and 1c greens, however this caught my eye. It is US stamp 554, which was released on Jan 15, 1923. This cover has what appears to be US stamp 554 and it is cancelled on Dec 1, 1921. Was it released early, is it rare, info would help. Thanks.

One of the most reasonable explanations would be that the wrong date as entered in the cancelling device.
That the stamp was used before it was printed is sort of unlikely!

Peter

Do you think that that makes the cover worth anything extra? @petert4522

I doubt it seriously. It might add to the value if the stamp was actually used before the first day of issue, but that would not be the case here!

Peter

The last "1" in "1921" looks drawn in over a faint impression of what was there originally. Doesn't match the first "1" at all.

my guess: very rare, but no extra value

I agree with Rhett. The "1" in "1921" looks like it was altered. Obviously, there are compelling reasons for doing things like that. It reminds me of a photographer who, years ago, altered a locomotive road number and then took a photo of it so that he would have photos of all the engines in that group! We can't say what was going on in the mind of this faker but it does seem nefarious.

Jack Kelley

Regardless it's a mystery for Sherlock Holmes

Doesn't it look like the return address was written over the postmark?

Given the spacing between the 2 and the "1" I'm guessing the postmark is 1927.

Possibly, the reverse side may have a rec'd stamp?

Maybe georgesstamps could provide such a photo if such is present.

Regards,
Stampalotapus

This series of stamps was not even contemplated until the spring of 1922 (let alone engraved or printed), so it is impossible to be a legitimate pre-date in 1921. There is nothing of value in the stamp, Universal machine cancel, or addresses to suspect any fakery or deception. I believe this is an ordinary cover in all respects.

So what is it? A likely scenario: The cancel dial shows generally weak letters in the right central portion of the dial. This can be from irregular thickness of contents or from another letter being partially overlapped behind it as it was canceled. The dial also shows the non-planar placement of the central date and time pieces causing some slugs to imprint heavier than others (This is also occasionally caused by dial damage, a buildup of ink or a transitory speck of dirt on the dial). It would be easy to have a year date of 1924 or 1927 imprint oddly due to damage or an odd alignment of the other date slugs. (It is certainly no less readable than today's spray cancels!)

The year date would certainly be correct in late December - proper dating of mail was very important. Backstamping was long in the past by the 1920s except for special cases like registered, airmail, and special delivery so a backstamp is very unlikely. The address and return address are all in the same ink and handwriting. An ordinary cover with the most interesting feature being the simplicity of the address - it got delivered with only a name and city!

@stampalotapus nope there is nothing on the back.