US Scott Jq-1, One Cent Parcel Post Postage Due, How Not To List A 11-2-1917 Cover

The listing title on ebay was (seller's name redacted),
and it is generally accurate for the cover shown below.

This is a nice WWI patriotic YMCA cover to start.

However, while the title is generally accurate, important details were missing. This is not just a postage due cover, but a Parcel Post Postage Due cover which is much more difficult than finding the then current 1917 1 cent ordinary postage due (J-61) and those listed thereafter. Even listing the year as 1917 would have brought more interest in as much that the 1917 and later ordinary postage due one cent stamps are not particularly noteworthy unlike the one cent ordinary postage due one cent stamp issued within the few years prior to 1917.

However, more important than just the year of 1917, this is a November 2, 1917 cover which is significant as that was the first date of the 3 cent WWI US letter rate which was raised from 2 cents. Such dated and postage due covers are quite well collected as "rate change covers" how ever when the postage due is paid by a Parcel Post Postage Due Stamp, it is a rare example to find. There are only less than a half dozen recorded. They are more common than postal cards mailed the same day when that rate went from one to two cents with postage due collected with a PPPD Stamp.






Now the bad and the good; of the known 11-2-1917 JQ-1 covers and cards, this is the one with the most missing. It has the clearest postmark and unlike some, the JQ-1 does not obstruct the the date. It is the only WWI YMCA or other Patriotic Cover as well as the only sent by a US Soldier (?) from a military base.

The camp is named after Lt. General Arthur MacArthur Jr, MH, who served in the Civil and Spanish American wars as well as General-Governor of the Philippines. It was the Battle of Missionary Ridge where 19 year old, The Boy Colonel's actions were recognized by the Medal of Honor. He is the first father-son to be awarded the Medal of Honor, with his son Douglas; later followed by Theodore Roosevelt (former POTUS) Spanish American War and Theodore Roosevelt Jr, 56, WWII actions at Utah Beach, Normandy landing as the only General and oldest soldier in the first wave, arriving one mile south from where planned, he declared, "We'll start the war from right here!" leading the division with handgun and cane.

Camp MacArthur construction started July 20, 1917 and opened in September 1917 with the arrival of 18,000 National Guardsmen and officially closed March 7, 1919.

EDIT-

An Aside: One can stare at the computer screen for hours, days, weeks, months and even years to find an unusual, tough, rare, unique or unbelievable goodie you might want. Then there are days such as today when two such out of left field items close on ebay just hours apart from different sellers and locations, in today's case Florida and Indiana. For the other item see: https://goscf.com/t/82434

Note to self, just keep looking.