C32 Airmail Cover Cancelled With Single 5 Cent Stamp

How odd or unusual is this? I have an Anderson cover (image below) for C32 with only a single 5 cent stamp on it. The new rate (lowered from 6 cents to 5 cents) did not go into effect until a few days after the first day of issue, so first day covers were supposed to have additional postage affixed to them; most simply put two 5 cent stamps on them. Obviously, this "slipped through." But is it at all unusual or uncommon?

Image:

Is there any trace of an address? If not, maybe it was postmarked and just handed back to the cachet maker/collector.

It doesn't have an address so I would guess it was never passed through the mail stream in the first place. A much less likely possibility is that the item was cancelled a few days after the actual first day and mailed at the new rate, and the address was later removed.

No address, so I guess the "postmarked and handed back to the catchet/maker collector" explains it. I didn't think of that possibility. It may be more common than I realize: I found another C32 cover, HF, with the same thing (single stamp). Still, most of the C32 covers I have collected, including many with no address, have the correct postage. While less common, I'm not sure that adds anything of value, as collectors might prefer to have "correct" postage on the cover. So I may have to hunt around and see if I can find examples with these cachets with correct postage. (Actually, I do have an Anderson with two stamps. But not a Farnam.)

Thanks for the replies, helping me to understand a bit more than I did before.

It's a philatelic use.

It's a philatelic use. Yes!

But There does appear to be adheasive stains on the cover which may suggest an address label may have been used and since fell off or removed!

Good eyes! I didn't remove the label myself, but besides what you see in the image, the adhesive is tangible to touch as well. Oh, well...I guess I keep my eyes open for a truly unaddressed one, though for C32 Scott CV is for addressed covers.

Thanks for catching this. I've acquired a large collection of airmail covers over the years, and am only now going back and paying closer attention to them as I catalog them in a database program. I'll be sure to described this as "addressed, label removed."