Sale 1045 — The Steven C. Walske Collection of Hawaiian Postal History
Sale Date — Tuesday, 25 June, 2013
Category — First and Second Treaty Period: Honolulu Straightline Markings
HAWAII, Honolulu, Hawaiian Is./Jan. 11, 1851. Mostly clear strike of two-line datestamp on folded letter datelined “Honolulu, Oahu, Sandwich Islands, January 4th 1851” to London, England, via San Francisco, Panama and New York, from Owen Beardmore to his brother, orange-red “San Francisco Cal. 15 Feb.” (1851) circular datestamp with matching “Paid” handstamp, magenta manuscript “Paid to Liverpool 74cts-” applied at Honolulu, red “19” credit handstamp applied in New York, London Apr. 6 receiving datestamp, letter discusses writer’s leaving the service of the Hudson Bay Company, light horizontal file fold at topVERY FINE. ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE HONOLULU STRAIGHTLINE HANDSTAMP USED ON A COVER TO A FOREIGN DESTINATION AND THE EARLIEST RECORDED PREPAID LETTER FROM HAWAII. WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING AND SIGNIFICANT HAWAIIAN POSTAL HISTORY ARTIFACTS, PARTICULARLY AMONG THOSE WITHOUT ADHESIVE STAMPS.
This letter was carried from Honolulu on the British bark Duchess of Clarence, which departed on January 11, 1851, and arrived in San Francisco on February 7. It was then carried to Panama by the PMSC Oregon, which departed on February 16 and arrived on March 5. It crossed the isthmus to Chagres by mulepack and riverboat, and from there it was carried to Havana on the USMSC Falcon, which departed on March 12 and arrived on March 16. The letter travelled to New York on the USMSC Ohio, which departed Havana on March 17 and arrived on March 22. From there it was carried on the Cunarder Asia, which departed New York on March 26 and arrived in Liverpool on April 5.
The prepaid 74c rate was based (incorrectly) on the following: 10c Hawaiian postage, 40c U.S. transcontinental postage via Panama and 24c U.S.-G.B. treaty rate from New York to England. The correct rate was 10c Hawaiian plus 59c to England from the West Coast and the 2c ship fee, for a total of 71c. The other recorded use of the Honolulu straightline on a letter to a foreign destination is also addressed to England and is offered as lot 9 in this sale.
Gregory Census No. 12 (Fig. 14-4). Ex Golden.
