Sale 1172 — United States Stamps and Hawaii
Sale Date — Tuesday, 19 December, 2017
Category — 1860-69 Kamehameha IV Issues (Scott 27-23)
HAWAII, 1860, 1c-3c Die Essays on Thin Pale Buff Card. 1c Dull Purple, 2c Blue, 3c Dull Purple, first two with large margins, 3c with huge margins, fresh and Very Fine-Extremely Fine, in November 1860, the Postmaster General, Alvah K. Clark, wrote to John S. Marsh in Boston to order a new supply of 5c Kamehameha III stamps and inquired at the same time about the possibility of obtaining 1c and 2c stamps for inter-island use (to replace the Numerals), dies in three denominations were prepared and trial proofs were struck from the dies, but for some reason the stamps were rejected, one year later the lithographed Kamehameha IV stamp was issued
HAWAII, 1860, 1c-3c Die Essays on Thin Pale Buff Card. 1c Orange, 2c Green, 3c Dull Purple, each with large margins, Orange slightly oxidized, 3c with small shallow margin thin, still Very Fine
HAWAII, 1860, 1c-3c Die Essays on Thin Pale Buff Card. Four, including 1c in Dull Purple, 2c in Blue, 3c in Blue and Dull Brown, first three cut close, last with large margins, Very Fine
HAWAII, 1860, 1c, 3c Die Essays on Thin Pale Buff Card. Five, including two 1c in Carmine and Dull Purple and three 3c in Carmine, Green and Blue, the latter two with ample margins, three are cut close, a few with slight thin spots, appear Fine-Very Fine
HAWAII, 1861, 2c Black, Trial Color Plate Proof on Medium Wove (27TC). Margins touched to slightly in, Fine, very scarce, ex Honolulu Advertiser
HAWAII, 1861, 2c Pale Rose, Horizontally Laid, 2c Carmine Rose, Vertically Laid (27, 28a). Each on cut-down portion of a cover front, first tied by square grid with portion of black Honolulu circular datestamp, stamp with diagonal crease, appears Very Fine, second tied by red square grid with large part of matching Honolulu circular datestamp, Very Fine, Scott Retail as used off-cover (full covers priced at $3,000.00)
HAWAII, 1861, 2c Pale Rose, Horizontally Laid (27). Margins to just in, tied by square grid cancel and with additional manuscript cancel on cover to Oahu, manuscript "with a package" at bottom and pencil Apr. 1864 notation at top, stamp with small crease at upper right caused by the cancelling device, cover slightly reduced at left and with small nick, Very Fine appearance, with 2006 P.F. certificate
HAWAII, 1863, 2c Carmine Rose, Horizontally Laid (27a). Unused (no gum), full margins to clear, bright color, Fine example of this scarce shade, purple manuscript on back, Scott Retail as original gum
HAWAII, 1863, 2c Carmine Rose, Horizontally Laid (27a). Unused (no gum), margins to touched but framelines evident all around, bright color, Fine example of this scarce shade, tiny purple handstamp on back, Scott Retail as original gum
HAWAII, 1861, 2c Pale Rose, Vertically Laid (28). Four margins, vertical crease at left, tied by square grid cancel with matching "Honolulu Hawaiian-Islands Nov. 16" (1864) circular datestamp on buff cover to F.S. Lyman at Clover Ranch, Kauai, 1864 docketing at left, appears Very Fine
HAWAII, 1863, 2c Carmine Rose, Vertically Laid (28a). Large margins to just in at bottom, cancelled with abbreviated manuscript "Mppo 14/11/64" postmark and just tied by pencil docketing on yellow cover to San Francisco, "Honolulu Hawaiian-Islands Nov. 23" circular datestamp, "San Francisco Cal. Dec. 7, 1864" double-circle receiving datestamp and duplex cogwheel cancel, bold "SHIP 6" straightline handstamp applied in San Francisco, back with partial "San Francisco Cal. Advertised Dec. 14" circular datestamp, stamp with two tiny tears, cover with repaired tear at bottom left and some expert restoration at bottom including "San" and "F" of "Francisco," back and flap reattachedFINE APPEARANCE. A RARE SINGLE USE OF THE 1863 2-CENT KAMEHAMEHA IV ISSUE ON A COLLECT COVER TO SAN FRANCISCO DURING THE FOURTH SUB-PERIOD OF THE LATE TREATY PERIOD.
Confusion over which rates applied to mail from Hawaii started in 1864 in what Gregory classifies as the "Error Rate Sub-Periods" of the Late Treaty Period (go to www.hawaiianstamps.com/latetreatyerror.html for an in-depth explanation of events and covers). According to Gregory, this cover is one of three known from the mail that left Honolulu on November 23, 1864. Gregory states: "Only one mail shipment, by the A. A. Eldridge, was sent before Honolulu learned the 10¢ rate was rescinded for Hawaiian mail. Three covers are reported from that sailing of the A. A. Eldridge. One is shown above, bearing 10¢ United States postage. Another was sent collect (see Advertiser lot 3056 [the cover offered here]). By the time the A. A. Eldridge reached San Francisco, that office had reverted to the 1863 rate, so the collect cover was unaffected by the error. The third cover was sent through the United States to Europe (illustrated at Tows, lot 58; Siegel auction #397, lot 505; and Letters of Gold, p. 144)."
The unusual manuscript postmark on the 2c stamp, which presumably was applied to pay the inter-island rate, is probably an abbreviation for "Makawao Plantation Post Office." Makawao was an early plantation town on Maui, site of the East Maui Plantation. Although markings are not recorded this early, the office was in operation, and in March 1864 the Honolulu office sent out $10.00 worth of the 2c Boston Lithographs, but only $1.00 of 5c stamps (Numerals) and $1.00 of U.S. stamps.
Ex Honolulu Advertiser and Twigg-Smith. With 2007 P.F. certificate
HAWAII, 1863, 2c Carmine Rose, Vertically Laid (28a). Rich color, large margins to slightly in at bottom, tied by two different square grids, one large and other small, on cover to Hattie F. Coan in Punahou, ms. "Sep. 16" date, Very Fine, the grids were probably applied at Hilo (small) and Honolulu (large), ex Tows, Honolulu Advertiser and Twigg-Smith, with 1976 P.F. certificate
HAWAII, 1869, 2c Red, Re-Issue (29). Complete sheet of 15, original gum, most stamps Mint N.H., rich color, light creases in sheet margin only, Very Fine appearance, Scott Retail as two blocks of four and singles