HAWAII, 1851, 13c Blue, “Hawaiian Postage” (3). Type I--the lefthand position in the setting of two--ample to large margins on three sides, frameline touched but complete at top, small piece missing at upper left, slight erosion and gum soaks at lower left, these areas touched up in blue pencil, tied by red “U.S./POSTAGE PAID” in oval handstamp, matching “Honolulu * U.S. Postage Paid * Apr. 26” (1852) circular datestamp on buff cover to Charles F. Gulick at Nashua, New Hampshire, red “San Francisco Cal. 16 May” circular datestamp and matching “PAID” and “8” in circle handstamps (6c U.S. postage plus 2c ship letter fee), light wrinkling

THE UNIQUE RECORDING EXAMPLE OF THE “U.S. POSTAGE PAID" MARKING ON A MISSIONARY STAMP AND ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING HAWAIIAN MISSIONARY COVERS FROM A POSTAL HISTORIAN’S PERSPECTIVE.

The red oval “U.S./POSTAGE PAID” handstamp was used infrequently in 1852 and 1853 on outbound mail from Honolulu to the United States, as evidenced by this cover, the stampless cover to Russia (Honolulu Advertiser collection, Siegel Sale 769, lot 2136), a newspaper wrapper (Gregory Fig. 18-1) and the pair of 1853 13c Kamehameha III stamps off cover (Golden collection, Siegel Sale 1009, lot 225). In 1859 the device was altered by removing the “U.S.” and was used exclusively to cancel Numeral Issues on inter-island mail at the Honolulu post office. Prior to the discovery of this cover by Floyd W. Fitzpatrick, circa 1951, the oval marking was not known to exist on the Missionaries.

The addressee, Charles Finney Gulick, was born in Honolulu on April 10, 1834, and died at the young age of 20 on January 18, 1854, in Glen Haven, New York. The docketing at the left side of the envelope reads, “Recd from Mr. Wilcox June 15th/52. Written on board the Esther May.” The sender of this cover was the Reverend Abner Wilcox, a teacher in charge of the Waioli Select School. He visited the United States with his son in 1851 and returned to Kauai on April 4, 1852.

The letter in this cover (no longer present) was evidently written en route to Hawaii aboard the American ship Esther May, which left from Boston on November 14, 1851, and sailed around Cape Horn. Upon arrival at Honolulu, Reverend Wilcox stamped and mailed the cover. It was carried to San Francisco on the American brig Noble, which departed on April 27, 1852, and arrived on May 15 in San Francisco. From there it was carried on the PMSC Oregon, which departed on May 16 and arrived in Panama on June 1. After crossing the isthmus, it was carried from Aspinwall on the USMSC Illinois, which departed on June 4 and arrived in New York on June 12. Another cover from this mail is offered in lot 16.

Illustrated shortly after its discovery and for the first time in Covers (June 1951). Ex Floyd W. Fitzpatrick, Honolulu Advertiser and George J. Kramer.

Siegel Census No. 3-I-COV-140. Gregory Census No. 13c '51-4 (Figure 15-25). With 1995 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

For an introduction to the Hawaiian Missionaries: http://siegelauctions.com/2013/1045/Missionaries.pdf

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