Covers canceled before actual date of issue

These covers have date cancellations that precede the actual date of official issue. It is not clear whether they are forgeries or official cancellations. In the latter instance it possible that the postal official forgot to advance the date counter on the cancellation stamp. For this reason I have classified them, at this stage, as commemorative covers rather than postal covers


The official day of issue of the Great Britain stamps was May 7th. May 6th was an official holiday. Stamps were provided to the various post offices in advance. There is at least one other example of a cover mailed to Mr. Burgess, cancelled May 6th, from the Tunbridge Post Office.


Like Great Britain, the first day of official issue of the Samoa Silver Jubilee stamps was May 7th, 1935. The top cover was canceled the day before i.e. May 6th in Apia, the Capital of Samoa. Although the surname has been erased it would appear that the letter was addressed to Herbert Wallace who was a stamp dealer. The lower cover shows an official first day cover.