HAWAII, 1852, 13c Blue, “H.I. & U.S. Postage” (4). Type I--the lefthand position in the setting of two--three huge margins and full at right, beautiful Extremely Fine appearance, tied by bold strike of red “Honolulu * U.S. Postage Paid * Apr. 23” (1852) circular datestamp, repeated to the left on buff cover to Oscar Culver in Troy, New York, 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), before the stamp was cancelled in Honolulu a wedge-shaped piece was missing from the bottom margin into the design, this pre-use fault has been invisibly repaired so as to be virtually undetectable, a photograph of the cover in its original condition appears in the Adm. Harris sale (Part II, lot 78), most of top backflap removed

A SPECTACULAR EXAMPLE OF THE 13-CENT “H.I. & U.S. POSTAGE” MISSIONARY STAMP TIED BY THE RED HONOLULU DATESTAMP AND POSTMARKED IN RED AT SAN FRANCISCO. ONE OF THE MOST VISUALLY APPEALING OF THE 28 RECORDED INTACT HAWAIIAN MISSIONARY COVERS. THIS IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED USE OF THE “H.I. & U.S. POSTAGE” MISSIONARY, OF WHICH NINE COVERS ARE RECORDED, INCLUDING TWO HELD IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS.

This cover 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 14.

There are nine covers with the 13c “H.I. & U.S. Postage” Missionary stamp, including one in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum (4-II-COV-193, ex Honolulu Advertiser) and another in the Reichspost Museum, leaving seven in collectors’ hands. Four of the nine recorded covers have stamps tied by the red Honolulu datestamp, including one to Persia (4-I-COV-191, ex Honolulu Advertiser) and one that was illustrated in Life magazine in 1954, but has not been seen in decades (4-I-COV-192). The two remaining covers with the 13c “H.I. & U.S. Postage” Missionary stamp tied by a red datestamp are the cover to Warren Goodale (4-II-COV-189, ex Aall and Twigg-Smith, Siegel Sale 931, lot 4009) and the cover offered here. The stamps on both of these covers have been repaired with pieces added.

Ex Adm. Frederic R. Harris, Marc Haas and George J. Kramer.

Siegel Census No. 4-I-COV-190. Gregory Census No. 13c '53-1 (Figure 15-31). With 2003 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

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

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