First Day Cancel Curiosity - April 5, 1980

I've kept this as more of a curiosity than anything else.

In the day, one would write to the Post Office where a new postal card was issued and ask for a first day cancel, enclosing the proper remittance and a self addressed stamped envelope for a cleanly returned postal card.

In this case, I was writing for a 10c Salt Lake Temple Postcard. The curiosity is that the return envelope was postmarked with the first day cancellation for that postcard but on stamps unrelated to the first day cancel.

I suppose there is a postal regulation that prohibits this, but it was probably more of a postal clerk wanting to please a stamp collector.

Nothing of particular value, I know, but I do find these sort of cancellations quite interesting.

so the postcard didn't have a first day cancel?

Sure, the postal cards had the requested first day cancel. They were inserted inside the envelope and sent back to me. The self addressed stamped envelope, though, had the same first day cancel applied. (I don't think they were supposed to do that.)

Good one!
I reckon that's a ripper, that would have broad appeal if
you auctioned it. It's a keeper.

It's a keeper

Wow, I feel like such a dummy. I did not until just now pick up that the envelope that the first day postal cards were mailed in also got the first day cancel. That certainly is, as nuggethill said, a keeper.

That's a great story and I agree with Rod that the cover would have broad appeal.

I also think it reasonable to assume that the cover wasn't cancelled at any of the post offices mentioned in the thread USPS FRUSTRATION! in the US Modern discussion!