Question On Airmail Rate 1928 Waco To NYC

I acquired this cover at an auction with about 60 others.

It was sent from Waco, TX on March 23, 1928, and arrived in New York City, NY on March 24, 1928. It's labeled "Air Mail" and is franked with 12-cents of postage (a strip of 6 US Scott #599),

The amount of postage puzzles me. This was the era of Contract Air Mail, and the rates were 10-cents (per ounce) for less than 1000 miles, 15-cents for 1000-1500 miles, and 20-cents for more than 1500 miles. The distance from Waco to NYC is more than 1500 miles.

My hunch is that this cover was incorrectly posted but made it to its destination anyways. Anyone have another explanation? Any other observations on this cover?

Btw, the sender was Tom Padgitt Leather Goods, and the recipient was H.D. Folsom Arms, a wholesale dealer of shotguns and rifles.

Thanks!

If I read my Beecher/Wawrukiewicz U.S. rate book correctly, the rate was 10 cents per 1/2-ounce for any route from Feb 1, 1927 to July 31, 1928. Airmail rates were frequently changing in this era and could easily confuse mailers.

Conjecture at this distant point in time, but my guess is the sender erroneously thought airmail was *in addition* to the letter-rate postage and applied 10+2, instead of just the proper 10 cents. The USPOD was happy to keep the overpayment.

A very different lower Manhattan at the time. That address is close to City Hall and what was known as "Newspaper Row".

I concur with John's reading of the chart in Wawrukiewicz - the rate in effect at that moment for airmail was 10 cents per 1/2 oz, so the sender would appear to have overpaid if the letter was 1/2 ounce, and seriously underpaid if it was overweight at all.

There don't seem to be other permutations of airmail circumstances which could get one to 12 cents at that time, so John's hypothesis that the sender might have thought the airmail rate was in addition to the regular surface 1st class rate seems quite plausible.

Tom Padgitt Leather Goods had a good run, apparently only closed in 2014. Back in the day, it looks like Padgitt's also sold firearms & ammunition. https://www.ebay.com/itm/292763323274 That might explain the correspondence with Folsom Arms.

Very helpful. Much appreciate the reference to Beecher and Wawrukiewicz. I don't have that book, but I will soon - I just ordered it from the APS.

Updates to the Beecher and Wawrukiewicz book are located here https://stampsmarter.org/learning/Home_TonyW.html
Don

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