HAWAII, 1852, 13c Blue, “H.I. & U.S. Postage” (4). Type II--the righthand position in the setting of two, showing missing period after “U”--large margins except barely in along part of upper left frameline, small repair at top right, uncancelled, red “Honolulu * U.S. Postage Paid * Nov. 29” (1854) circular datestamp, at the Honolulu post office the 13c Missionary stamp was covered by a horizontal pair of United States 1851 3c Rose Red (11A), large margin at top to slightly in, top right corner repaired, tied by “San Francisco 1 Jan.” (1855) circular datestamp on blue cover to Fidelia Fiske in “Oroomiah, Persia” (Urmi, in modern-day Iran), addressed to “Oroomiah, Persia, Care of Missionary House, 33 Pemberton Square, Boston, Mass. U.S.A.”, prepaid to Boston, sent outside the mails to Persia, receipt docketing “Mrs. Rowell Oct. 20-Nov. 15 54. Ans. Sept. 20 55”, the stamps have been lifted and reaffixed with the 13c Missionary moved below the paste-over pair

A SPECTACULAR HAWAIIAN MISSIONARY COVER ADDRESSED TO FIDELIA FISKE, WHO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MISSIONARIES TO WORK AMONG THE NESTORIANS IN PERSIA. APART FROM THE UNIQUE DAWSON COVER, THIS MIXED-FRANKING COVER TO PERSIA IS ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT HAWAIIAN MISSIONARY COVER EXTANT. IT IS THE ONLY MIXED-FRANKING MISSIONARY COVER ADDRESSED TO A COUNTRY OTHER THAN THE UNITED STATES OR HAWAII. ONLY ONE OTHER MISSIONARY COVER TO PERSIA IS RECORDED, AND IT HAS NO UNITED STATES STAMPS.

The postage rate that applied to this November 1854 letter was 5c Hawaiian, 6c U.S. postage and 2c ship letter fee. The Missionaries had been superseded by the Kamehameha III issue, but the two issues were used concurrently. The short-lived practice of applying U.S. stamps (6c postage) over the 13c Hawaiian stamp was likely intended to avoid confusion over whether or not U.S. postage had been prepaid. The postmaster in Honolulu affixed the U.S. stamps to cover up the Hawaiian postage, and the letter was postmarked in San Francisco without applying a “Ship” or rate mark. The 2c ship fee was credited to San Francisco in the regular accounting. Fred Gregory records eight paste-over frankings: two with the 1853 Kamehameha III Issue and two with 13c Missionary stamps.

This letter was part of a group discovered in May 1938 in a sea chest in the basement of a library in Shelburne, Massachusetts, which was sold to Spencer Anderson.

Ex Adm. Frederic R. Harris, Maurice Burrus, Hon. J. William Middendorf II, Philip G. Rust, Leonard Kapiloff, Stanley M. Piller and Guido Craveri/Tito Giamporcaro.

Siegel Census No. 4-II-COV-197. Gregory Census No. 13c '52-9 (Figure 15-65). With 1963 and 1993 Philatelic Foundation certificates.

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

For additional information about the voyage of this cover: http://siegelauctions.com/2013/1045/Persia.pdf

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