The Steven C. Walske Collection of Hawaiian Postal History continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. A REMARKABLY ATTRACTIVE AND RARE COVER SHOWING THE APPROPRIATE SINGLE USE OF THE 1853 5-CENT KAMEHAMEHA III FIRST PRINTING CANCELLED IN RED.

This was carried on the Vaquero, which departed Honolulu Feb. 13, 1855, and arrived in San Francisco March 4. From there it was carried on the PMSC Sonora, which departed San Francisco March 16 and arrived in Panama March 29. It was then carried by the USMSC El Dorado, which departed Aspinwall March 30 and arrived in New York April 7.

The 5c First Printing stamp paid the Hawaiian postage, while U.S. postage at the pre-April 1855 rate was collected from the addressee. Of the 41 5c First Printing covers recorded by Gregory, 17 are single uses (including two fronts).

Gregory Census No. 5-6. Ex Spencer, Atherton, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu Advertiser and Twigg-Smith. With 2007 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE COVER SHOWING THE APPROPRIATE SINGLE USE OF THE 1853 5-CENT KAMEHAMEHA III ISSUE ON A COVER SENT LESS THAN 3,000 MILES. A GREAT POSTAL HISTORY RARITY.

The 5c First Printing stamp paid the Hawaiian postage, while U.S. postage was collected from the addressee (5c collect for under-3,000 mile rate, ship letter fee not indicated). This was carried on the Fanny Major, which departed Honolulu April 12, 1855, and arrived in San Francisco May 2. It was then sent south to San Pedro for the next overland Chorpenning stagecoach departure via San Diego. In July 1854, Chorpenning renewed his monthly mail contract between California and Utah, but moved to a Salt Lake City-San Diego route. This Old Spanish Trail” route connected with San Francisco by steamships via San Pedro.

The addressee, Adam Speirs, was a prominent member of the Mormon community in Salt Lake City. According to Orson F. Whitney’s History of Utah, Speirs was a teenage boy when his family arrived with the last company of Mormons in October 1848. Speirs worked as a blacksmith and served as an officer in the militia, participating in campaigns against Indians in 1853 and 1857. In later life Speirs served as an Alderman and Bishop of the Tenth Ward.

Gregory Census No. 5-8. With 2005 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE SINGLE FRANKING OF THE 13-CENT 1853 ISSUE. ONLY SIX COVERS ARE RECORDED WITH THE 1853 13-CENT KAMEHAMEHA III STAMP USED BY ITSELF PRIOR TO APRIL 1855, PAYING THE SHORT-LIVED RATE FOR WHICH IT WAS CREATED. ONLY TWO OF THESE COVERS HAVE STAMPS TIED BY CANCELS.

This cover was carried on the Peytona, which departed Honolulu on September 7, 1854, and arrived in San Francisco on September 25. From there it was sent to Panama on the PMSC Sonora, which departed September 30 and arrived on October 14. After crossing the isthmus, it was carried on the USMSC George Law (renamed Central America in 1857), which departed Aspinwall October 17 and arrived in New York on October 27.

The Gregory census contains just six examples of the 13c Kamehameha III stamp used by itself--without any secondary franking--on covers dated prior to the United States April 1855 rate change. This rate change effectively increased the Hawaiian rate to the U.S. East Coast from 13c to 17c, thereby destroying the purpose for which this stamp was originally created, which was to pay the 5c Hawaiian postage, 2c ship letter fee and 6c United States postage. During the period from May 1853 until April 1855, the practice of affixing United States stamps to Hawaiian mail became more regular.

Gregory Census No. 13-7. Ex Adm. Harris, Van Dyke, Haas, Honolulu Advertiser and Twigg-Smith. With 1962 and 2007 P.F. certificates. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED COVERS FROM HILO TO THIS ADDRESSEE, MAILED IN SEQUENCE WITH MIXED FRANKINGS, DEMONSTRATING THE IMPROVISED USE OF THE 1853 13-CENT KAMEHAMEHA III ISSUE AFTER THE APRIL 1855 RATE CHANGE.

This letter was carried on the bark Yankee, which departed Honolulu on Jan. 3, 1856, and arrived in San Francisco on Jan. 17. From there it was carried to Panama on the PMSC John L. Stephens, which departed on Jan. 21 and arrived on Feb. 5. It was then carried on the USMSC St. Louis, which departed Aspinwall Feb. 5 and arrived in New York Feb. 14.

Based on the content of the three letters from this correspondence, we know that the Hilo postmaster, Benjamin Pitman, mailed three sequential letters to the same addressee-- William R. Post--each containing installment bills of exchange for proceeds from the ship Ontario. This Dec. 7, 1855, folded letter, the subsequent Dec. 13 folded letter (Golden sale, lot 254) and the Dec. 23 folded letter (Honolulu Advertiser sale, lot 90) comprise the three letters. In addition, Pitman also wrote from Hilo to Mrs. Sally Pitman (his mother) in Boston on May 13, 1856 (lot 26 in this sale).

The three December letters were forwarded from Hilo to Honolulu over a two-week period, but they remained at the Honolulu office until the Yankee was cleared for departure on Jan. 3, 1856, arriving in San Francisco on Jan. 17. On this and the Dec. 13 letter, the 13c Kamehameha III stamps were used (presumably with cash) to prepay the 17c rate. For the final letter (Dec. 23), the postmaster had a 5c Kamehameha III stamp and used it with the 13c. We can be certain that the U.S. 12c stamps were affixed in Honolulu, because the last cover is a paste-over franking, and the red Honolulu datestamp ties the 12c together with the Hawaiian stamps. The addressee, William R. Post, was a resident of Southampton, and the three letters were forwarded from the port of Sag Harbor on the same day, February 18, postage due 3c each. William R. Post (1811-1889) was town supervisor of Southampton from 1852 to 1855 (and again from 1865 to 1876). His mansion still stands in the village.

The correspondence was preserved and sold intact to one of the earliest American cover collectors, John F. Seybold. After the Seybold collection was dispersed, the covers went separate ways into the collections of Tows (Dec. 7), Knapp (Dec. 13) and West (Dec. 23). Two of the three (Dec. 13 and 23) were reunited in the Honolulu Advertiser collection. The Dec. 7 cover is offered here, as is the Sally Pitman letter.

Gregory Census No. 13-16 (Fig. 16-15). Ex John F. Seybold, Ferrars H. Tows, Philip G. Rust and Charles Pietsch. With 1987 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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