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Quick Navigation by Category  The Richard Malmgren Collection of Hawaii (278)   |  United States (24)   | 
 

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Schuyler J. Rumsey Philatelic Auctions Sale - 131

The Richard Malmgren Collection of Hawaii

Forwarder Usages
LotNo. Symbol CatNo. Lot Description
1       imageHawaii, Forwarded by, Waldo & Co., Maui. Sharp bold strike of red truncated box handstamp on green folded letter Middle Island N.Y., datelined "Port of Lahaina Mowee Sandwich Islands September 5th 1845", entered the U.S. mails with partial red "Boston Mass. Feb 8" cds and matching "Ship" & "7" rating handstamps for 5¢ inland postage plus 2¢ ship fee, interesting contents from a crew member on the whaler "Nile" to a friend…"…shall go to New Zealand after we go in to Port. the whaling is pretty well broke up on the North West nearly all the ships that we have seen or heard of not got as much oil as we have there is so much fog here that we could not do anything a good deal of the time. we struck 13 whales & saved 6 of them and picked up one dead one we have got 85bls of sperm oil…the Oregon question is settled and that there is war between Mexico and the United States"; slight edge wear and soiling, Very Fine, ex-Advertiser & Peters.
Estimate; $4,000 - 6,000.

ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE WALDO & CO. MAUI FORWARDERS HANDSTAMP, THIS BEING ONE OF TWO STRIKES IN RED.

Giles Waldo arrived at Hawaii in 1845 and was appointed United States Vice-Consul for Lahaina. Waldo established a ship chandlery business but left for the California gold fields in 1849 and died there. This marking indicates Waldo forwarded the letter in his commercial capacity, as distinct from his official capacity.

This letter was carried by the American bark "Angola" from Honolulu Oct. 3rd 1846 to Boston arriving Feb. 3rd 1847 via Pernambuco, Brazil Jan. 3rd.

The three recorded strikes of the Waldo & Co. Maui handstamp:
1. 1846 May 11, black strike, Chang stock.
2. 1846 Sep. 5, red strike, Lahaina to Middle Island N.Y., ex-Advertiser, the cover offered here.
3. 1847 Apr. 1, red strike, Lahaina to New Bedford, ex-Advertiser, currently in the Fred Gregory collection. (Image1)

Get Market Data for [United States Possessions (Hawaii) Collection] View Visual Pricing Guide Make Sample Census

Est. $4,000-6,000
Selling for...$2,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
2       imageHawaii, Forwarded By, G.B. Post & Co., San Francisco. Two strikes of oval handstamp on inbound 1852 folded cover addressed to "R.C. Janion Esq., Honolulu", with senders manuscript directive "Per Baltimore" at top, carried outside of the government mails in the private letter bag managed by G.B. Post in San Francisco, with his black oval handstamp applied twice., Very Fine and choice, exceptionally well struck example of G.B. Post's oval forwarder mark, with a second, inverted lighter strike at lower left, ex-Krug, Baker, Rush, Pietsch & Gross, with 1958 P.F. certificate.
Estimate; $2,000 - 3,000.

EARLIEST OF THREE RECORDED G.B. POST & CO. OVAL HANDSTAMPS.

Gabriel B. Post was a California pioneer, arriving at Monterey, Alta California in 1847, at the age of 27, as an agent for the Boston firm of S.H. Williams & Co. He moved to San Francisco in 1849 and was soon elected as one of the first two State senators. He established a successful merchant and forwarding business, G.B. Post & Co., in 1850. The business would eventually act as the shipping agent for a number of vessels, advertising themselves as the Regular Despatch Line in late 1853. G.B. Post & Co. was also selected as the resident agent in San Francisco for the Honolulu post office, a result of Mr. Post building good relations with Honolulu postmaster Henry Whitney.---The G.B. Post oval handstamp is recorded on three separate covers, two outbound, and this sole incoming example. By April, 1853, G.B. Post began using the more familiar octagonal handstamp, with 58 recorded examples, split roughly equally between incoming (31) and outgoing (27) covers.

Carried on the Hawaiian brig Baltimore (dep. SF Jan. 18; arr. Honolulu Feb. 9), with receipt docketing indicating contents dated Jan.15, 1852. At Honolulu, this letter would have been received by one of G.B. Post & Co.'s merchant/agents, most likely A.P. Everett. (Image1)

Est. $2,000-3,000
Selling for...$1,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
3       imageHawaii, Per General Pierce. The unique example of the straightline handstamp on 1854 cover sent via San Francisco and Panama to West Acton, Mass. on the American schooner General Pierce part of the Regular Despatch Line of ships, with red "Honolulu, Hawaiian-Islands, Dec 29" cds (MH-236.11, type II, R2) indicating unpaid U.S. postage, "San Francisco, Cal., 10, Feb 1" integral rate cds (Gregory type SF10 CAL) corrected by overstriking it with a "12" rate handstamp, matching "Ship" straightline handstamp, bold black "Forwarded By, G.B. Post & Co., San Francisco" octagonal handstamp; some soiling and wear, F.-V.F., ex-Risvold.
Estimate; $10,000 - 15,000.

THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE 'PER GENERAL PIERCE' REGULAR DESPATCH LINE MARKING USED BY G.B. POST---ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED HAWAII REGULAR DESPATCH LINE COVERS TO RECEIVE THE G.B. POST OCTAGON AND CARRIED IN THE OFFICIAL MAIL BAG FROM HONOLULU.

An unusual cover, not withstanding the only known strike of the RDL's directive 'Per General Pierce'. This is one of two known covers carried in the official mail bag of Honolulu (as seen by the red Honolulu cds) that also received the G.B. Post forwarding octagon and the vessel name marking. Postmarked Feb. 1, 1855 in San Francisco for the departure of the PMSC steamer "John L. Stephens", it arrived at Panama City on Feb. 15, was taken across the isthmus by rail, and then put on the USMSC steamer George Law for New York (departed Feb. 16; arr. NY Feb. 25).

References: Illustrated and discussed in Fred Gregory's "Hawaii Foreign Mail to 1870", pg. II-416, Fig. 20-33. (Image1)

Est. $10,000-15,000
Selling for...$5,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
4       imageHawaii, Forwarded By Thomas Spencer, Ship Chandler, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. Framed octagonal handstamp on cover to New Bedford, Mass., red "Honolulu, U.S. Postage Paid, Jan 21" cds and matching "Paid 12" handstamp, carried on the American bark Fanny Major leaving Honolulu on January 21, clear "San Francisco, Cal., Feb 20" cds and March 11, 1857 receiving docket; cover with partial backflap and slightly reduced at top, still Very Fine and attractive.
Estimate; $3,000 - 4,000.

ONE OF ONLY FOUR RECORDED COVERS WITH THE THOMAS SPENCER FORWARDERS HANDSTAMP.

Capt. Thomas Spencer operated a ship chandlery in Honolulu from 1851 until 1861 when he moved to Hilo. B.F. Bolles moved into the site from Lahaina when Spencer vacated it.

The four recorded Thomas Spencer covers are:
1. 1855-11-30, Honolulu to Messrs. Lawrence & Co. in New London Conn. by Am. bark "Frances Palmer", ex-Golden, currently in Richard Malmgren Collection
2. 1855-12-28, Honolulu to New Bedford Mass. by Am. bark "Yankee", ex-Advertiser
3. 1856-03-05, Honolulu to Charles P. Williams at Stonington Conn. by Am. bark "Yankee".
4. 1857-01-21, Honolulu to New Bedford Mass. by Am. bark "Fanny Major", ex-Advertiser, the cover offered here. (Image1)

Get Market Data for [United States Possessions (Hawaii) Collection] View Visual Pricing Guide Make Sample Census

Est. $3,000-4,000
Selling for...$1,500.00
Will close during Public Auction
5       imageHawaii, Forwarded Via Panama, By Bush & Co., Lahaina. Red truncated box handstamp on backflap of 1850 cover to Harrisburg, Pa., entered the U.S. mails with orange "San Francisco, Cal., Aug 17" cds and matching "40" rate, forwarded to New Haven, Ct. with "40" rate crossed out, blue "Harrisburg, Pa., Oct 8" cds and boxed "Paid 5" rate handstamp; minor edge toning, Very Fine, ex-Ishikawa.
Estimate; $4,000 - 6,000.

AN EXTREMELY RARE LAHAINA FORWARDER MARKING WITH ONLY THREE EXAMPLES RECORDED.

According to Gregory's Post Office in Paradise, Bush & Co. was formed by Alfred W. Bush and Charles P. Robinson in 1850 but dissolved in 1851 after Bush died in October of that year. Bush had first joined with James Makee and Jules Anthon while they were in Lahaina. Bush & Co. were commission merchants and ship chandlers. The "Via Panama" within the company handstamp meant it was sent to San Francisco where it was put into the United States mail to go to the East Coast via Panama.

Sent aboard the American bark "Montgomery" from Lahaina on July 24th and arriving in San Francisco on Aug 15th. (Image1)

Est. $4,000-6,000
Selling for...$2,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
Incoming Mail to Hawaii
LotNo. Symbol CatNo. Lot Description
6       imageHawaii, 1822 Boston, Mass. to "Owhyhee". Two page letter datelined "Boston, Dec 13, 1822" from L.A. Hill addressed to Elizabeth Bishop with "Care of Rev. Mr. Bishop or Mr. L. Chamberlain, Sandwich Isl." endorsement at bottom left, carried outside the mails and sent less than one month after the Bishops departure for Hawaii which is inferred in the first line of the letter…The winds & the waves are bearing you away to the Islands of the seas.; file folds, Very Fine, with 1977 P.F. certificate.
Estimate; $1,500 - 2,000.

ONE OF THE EARLIEST INCOMING LETTERS ADDRESSED TO HAWAII. (Image1)

Est. $1,500-2,000
Selling for...$750.00
Will close during Public Auction
7       imageHawaii, 1840 Tolland, Ct. to Koloa, Kauai. Neat blue "Tolland, Ct., Sept. 30" manuscript postmark in blue on folded cover to "Charles Burnham, Koloa, Island of Kauai, Sandwich Islands", endorsed "Care of Secretaries of the A.B.C.F.M. Missionary Rooms, 28 Cornhill Boston", further endorsed on reverse, "After arriving at the Islands to the Care of Messrs. Brinsmade, Ladd & Hooper", docketed "Rec'd March 9, 1841", with lengthy letter; two light file folds, Very Fine.
Estimate; $300 - 400.

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. They acted as forwarders for mail all across the globe.

Ladd & Co. was the owner of the Koloa Sugar Plantation and Charles Burnham was the plantation manager. (Image1)

Est. $300-400
Selling for...$150.00
Will close during Public Auction
8       imageHawaii, 1841 Tolland, Ct. to Koloa, Kauai. Neat blue "Tolland, Ct., Oct 11" manuscript postmark on folded cover to "Charles Burnham, Koloa, Island of Kauai, Sandwich Islands, Care of Messrs Ladd & Co, Oahu", further endorsed "Per A.B.C.F.M. Missionary Rooms, Boston Mass will please forward", Very Fine.
Estimate; $300 - 400.

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. They acted as forwarders for mail all across the globe.

Ladd & Co. was the owner of the Koloa Sugar Plantation and Charles Burnham was the plantation manager. (Image1)

Est. $300-400
Selling for...$150.00
Will close during Public Auction
9       imageHawaii, 1841 Providence, R.I. to "Oregon Mission" (Honolulu). "Providence, R.I. June 17th 1841" dateline on folded letter addressed to the "Mr Henry B Brewer, Oregon Mission", entered the mails with "Warren, R.I., Jun 24" cds, matching "Paid" handstamp and manuscript "18¾" rating to New York, in care of Gabriel P. Disoway, a New York merchant, who likely added the directive in pencil at bottom "For the Ship Lausanne", receipt docketing at top "May 13, 1842. Rev. W. Livesey", ex-Risvold.
Estimate; $1,000 - 1,500.

A VERY SCARCE COVER TO THE EARLY OREGON MISSION VIA HAWAII.

The sender of this letter, Rev. William Livesey, was the Methodist pastor in Wilbraham, Mass. This was the hometown of the letter's recipient, Henry Bridgman Brewer, who had left Wilbraham in late 1839 with his new bride, Laura Giddings Brewer, for missionary work on the Columbia River. The couple arrived there on the Lausanne's first voyage, leaving New York Oct. 10, 1839, stopping briefly in Valparaiso (Feb. 21, 1840) after 'rounding the Horn', and spending nearly 3 weeks in Honolulu (arr. Apr. 10; dep. Apr. 18) before finally arriving at the Methodist's Oregon mission compound May 21, 1840.

The "Lausanne" left New York on June 30 for Valparaiso, Chile, arriving there Oct. 29. Mail was transhipped there to the American brig Chabuco, arriving at Honolulu Feb.5, 1842. (Image1)

Est. $1,000-1,500
Selling for...$500.00
Will close during Public Auction
10       imageHawaii, 1845 Fall River, Mass. to Lahaina, Island of Maui. Folded letter datelined "Fall River (Mass) July 31, 1845" addressed to Rev. Dwight Baldwin, manuscript "By politeness of Mr. Blanchard of Ship Sol. Saltus" endorsement at lower left, letter carried by private whaling ship to Lahaina, reverse with rec'd "Oct 23d, 1846" docketing on reverse, Very Fine, a privately carried letter around the horn of South America and delivered privately avoiding any U.S. or Hawaii postal charges.
Estimate; $300 - 400. (Image1)

Est. $300-400
Selling for...$150.00
Will close during Public Auction
11       imageHawaii, 1845 Princeton, Ill. to Waimea, Sandwich Islands, Hawaii. Folded letter with red "Princeton, Ill., Jul 4" cds with matching straight line "Paid" and manuscript "10" rate, addressed in care on Missionary House in Boston (crossed out at bottom left), manuscript docketing "Received Jun 4th /46", Very Fine.
Estimate; $300 - 400. (Image1)

Est. $300-400
Selling for...$150.00
Will close during Public Auction
12       imageHawaii, 1853 Ponape, Micronesia to Oahu via San Francisco. Folded packet wrapper addressed to Rev. P.J. (Peter Johnson) Gulick from his son Luther Halsey Gulick, a medical missionary who was stationed on the island of Ponape (now known as Pohnpei, one of the four Federated States of Micronesia), with "San Francisco, Cal., Jun 3" cds and matching clamshell "Ship 6" handstamp, rated as single-weight, red crayon "16" applied upon arrival at Honolulu post office to reflect a double-weight letter (2x 5¢ Hawaiian rate + 6¢ San Francisco charge), docketing in pencil "Rec'd June 25, 1853", likely arriving on the American brig Boston (dep. SF June 5; arr. Honolulu June 19), with manuscript note at top regarding the contents "From H. respecting Kaikaula"; some light edge as would be expected with a wrapper, Very Fine, ex-Golden.
Estimate; $1,500 - 2,000.

A GREAT RARITY AS THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED WRAPPER FROM MICRONESIA TO HAWAII.

Luther Halsey Gulick was born in Honolulu shortly after the arrival of his parents, Rev. Peter and Fanny Gulick, who arrived with the 3rd Company of American missionaries on Mar. 30, 1828. The young Gulick was sent back East at the age of 12 to be schooled, returning to Hawaii in early 1852 with a medical degree from NYU and his newly married wife, Louisa. As a second generation missionary, Luther H. and Louisa, along with other missionaries, both white and Hawaiian, promptly left for a mission to Micronesia. They first arrived at Kusaie (now known as Kosrae, in the Caroline Islands archipelago), then moved on to Ponape where they would remain until late 1858, moving to the Marshall Islands briefly before returning to Honolulu and then the United States. They returned to Hawaii in 1864 and Halsey, as his daughter Frances and others would call him, worked briefly with Henry Whitney, Hawaii's first postmaster general, as the editor of Whitney's recently established Hawaiian language paper Ka Nupepa Ku'oko'a. (Image1)

Est. $1,500-2,000
Selling for...$950.00
Will close during Public Auction
13       imageHawaii, 1856 Salt Lake City, Utah to Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. Blue "Salt Lake City, Utah T., Jan 1" cds on U.S. 1855, 6¢ Nesbitt entire (U14) addressed to "Orson K. Whitney, Care of John T. Caine, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands", the 6¢ entire paid the double-weight prepaid rate to San Francisco, with the recipient charged 10¢ (double the 5¢ rate) on delivery in Hawaii, docketing at left indicates receipt on March 2, 1856 and the sender was John Whitney, Orson's brother, John T. Caine was a Mormon Elder stationed on Oahu from mid-1854 to Aug. 1856; top flap missing, hinge reinforcements on backside, F.-V.F.
Estimate; $500 - 750.

Orson Whitney was a member of the first company of Mormon missionaries to arrive in Hawaii in 1855.

Carried on the Chorpening Contract route from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles/San Pedro (dep. SLC Jan. 1,1856; arr. Los Angeles Jan. 28). This cover's journey west to Hawaii from San Francisco was likely on the American ship Helena (dep. SF Feb. 15, 1856; arr. Honolulu Feb. 29). (Image1)

Est. $500-750
Selling for...$250.00
Will close during Public Auction
14       imageHawaii, 1857 Bangor, Me. to Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. Cover franked with U.S. 1855, 10¢ green, type III, horizontal strip of three (15) clear to mostly large margins, tied by light Bangor, Me. cds, manuscript "June 9th-'57" docketing; few small cover edge nicks at upper right, still Very Fine, signed Ashbrook, with 1991 P.F. certificate.
Estimate; $2,000 - 3,000.

A VERY RARE TRIPLE RATE COVER TO HAWAII PAID WITH THE 1851 10¢ GREEN STRIP OF 3. (Image1)

Est. $2,000-3,000
Selling for...$1,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
15       imageHawaii, 1857 Valparaiso, Chile to Honolulu, Hawaii. Folded letter datelined "Valpaiso Februar 14, 1857" addressed to San Francisco for to Messrs. Krull & Moll in Honolulu, reverse with "Valparaiso, Feb 16, 1857" British P.O. cds, front with red crayon "1/" rating and red "Paid To, Panama" two-line handstamp and "20" due handstamp, Very Fine, a scarce British mail usage from Valparaiso via San Francisco.
Estimate; $500 - 750. (Image1)

Est. $500-750
Selling for...$250.00
Will close during Public Auction
16 ()      imageHawaii, 1855 New York, N.Y. to Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. U.S. 1853, 3¢ Nesbitt rebacked front uprated with clear to ample margin U.S. 1851, 1¢ blue, type IV + 3¢ dull red, horizontal pair (9, position 44L1L double transfer, 11A) tied by "New York, Oct 29" cds, 3¢ pair then canceled with additional "New York, Nov 5" ocean mail grid cds, Very Fine appearance, quite unusual, ex-Walske, with 1980 & 2012 P.F. certificates.
Estimate; $200 - 300.

UNUSUAL USAGE OF 3¢ 1853 STAMPED ENVELOPE TO MAKE UP THE U.S. POSTAGE OF 10¢.

The addressee, Titus Munson Coan, was the son of missionary Titus Coan, who arrived in Hawaii with the Seventh Company of American missionaries in 1835 with his recently married wife Fidelia Church. Titus Munson Coan would finish his schooling at Oahu College and then serve as a physician during the Civil War.---The cover is discussed and illustrated in Gregory's Hawaii Foreign Mail, Vol. II, pg. 126, Fig. 16-108.

Departed on the USMSC steamer "George Law" for Aspinwall (arrived Nov. 15). Mail crossed the isthmus for the Nov. 17 departure of the PMSC steamer "Golden Gate" for San Francisco, arriving there Nov. 30. The recipient, T(itus) Munson Coan was charged 5¢ for Hawaii postage on delivery. (Image1)

Est. $200-300
Selling for...$130.00
Will close during Public Auction
17       imageHawaii, 1862 Boston, Mass. to Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. Oversized cover franked with U.S. 1861, 90¢ blue (72) deep rich color and wide margins, tied by black "Paid" in oval, with red "Boston, Ms., Oct 28" cds alongside, addressed to "Hon. Elisha H. Allen, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands" with "Via San Francisco" manuscript directive at upper left, and "For Mrs. Allen" at lower left, Very Fine, ex-Adm. Harris, Meyers & Grassi, with 1980 & 2004 P.F. certificates.
Estimate; $30,000 - 40,000.

ONLY RECORDED USE OF US 90¢ 1861 ISSUE ON COVER TO HAWAII AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COVERS OF THE ENTIRE 1861 ISSUE.

Elisha Allen was the Chief Justice of the Hawaiian Supreme Court at the time this was mailed, either in 1861 or 1862. Since the 90¢ stamp was not issued until August of 1861, it is likely an 1862 usage. The cover would have been sent overland by rail to St. Louis, Missouri and then put on the Butterfield stage route to San Francisco via El Paso and Los Angeles. For an 1861 usage, this cover would have likely made the Nov. 24 sailing of the clipper ship "Carrington" assuming a 27-day transit time from Boston to San Francisco, arriving in Honolulu on Dec. 19. For a more likely 1862 usage, a 26-day rail/stage transit time to S.F. would have enabled a Nov. 22 departure sailing from San Francisco on the barque "Young Hector", which arrived in Honolulu Dec. 8, 1862 with a month's accumulation of both Eastern and California mails.

This cover is prepaid at nine-times the 10¢ rate per ½ ounce for a letter weighing between 4 and 4½ ounces. It was the subject of analysis by Richard B. Graham in P.F. Opinions, 1983. According to Graham, the use of a 90¢ stamp on a relatively small envelope indicates that the content must have been a small pamphlet or daguerreotype. (Image1)

Get Market Data for [United States Possessions (Hawaii) Collection] View Visual Pricing Guide Make Sample Census

Est. $30,000-40,000
Selling for...$24,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
18       imageHawaii, 1863 New London, Ct. to Honolulu. Cover addressed to "Capt. William Benjamin, Ship Genl Williams, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands", franked with U.S. 1861, 3¢ rose (65) tied by crossroads handstamp, matching "New London, Conn., Jul 16, 1863" cds, the recipient, Capt. Benjamin, would have been charged the 2¢ ship fee plus the Hawaii 5¢ foreign rate, for a total of 7¢; small cover nick at top, Very Fine.
Estimate; $200 - 300.

The whaling bark "Gen'l Williams" had left New London, Conn. on Oct. 4, 1862 to begin a planned 3-year voyage. She would eventually arrive in San Francisco during the month of November, 1863 for re-provisioning, and then headed west to Hawaii, bringing mail from San Francisco to Honolulu, arriving on Dec. 18, 1863, where Capt. Benjamin would have likely received this letter. After one more re-provisioning at Honolulu in November, 1864, she would head north to the Arctic, where she would end up being captured and burned by the Confederate ship Shenandoah on June 25, 1865. Captain Benjamin and his crew were taken as prisoners, along with the crews of 12 other whaling ships (a total of 252 men), and put on the captured ships "Milo" and "General Pike", bonded for a total of $76,000, and sent to San Francisco. (Image1)

Est. $200-300
Selling for...$120.00
Will close during Public Auction
19       imageHawaii, 1864 Mystic River, Ct. to Honolulu. Incoming cover with "Mystic River, Ct., Aug 10" cds, franked with U.S. 1861, 3¢ rose (65) canceled by fancy negative star handstamp, handstamped at San Francisco post office with "Due 7", erroneously applied during the 1864 error rate period when San Francisco mistakenly believed the 10¢ blanket rate on foreign mail (incoming or outgoing) applied to Hawaii, red crayon manuscript "14¢" applied at Honolulu for 5¢ Hawaiian postage, 2¢ ship fee plus the 7¢ due, addressed to "Capt. William Benjamin, Ship Gen. Williams, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands"., Very Fine, ex-Wagshal.
Estimate; $750 - 1,000.

ONE OF ONLY FOUR INCOMING COVERS SHOWING THE ERRONEOUS "DUE 7" MARKING APPLIED AT SAN FRANCISCO DURING THE 1864 ERROR RATE PERIOD.

At the time this letter arrived In Honolulu, probably by mid- to late-September, the whale ship General Williams was returning to Honolulu from the Pacific hunting grounds. She would arrive on Nov. 14, 1864 to re-provision and receive the mail that had collected at the Honolulu post office during her absence. She then left for the Arctic whaling grounds, and on June 25, 1865, the General Williams would be captured in the Being Strait and burned by the Confederate ship Shenandoah, this being 2 days before the Shenandoah's captain would learn of President Davis' capture and the surrender of Confederate general Robert E. Lee at Appomattox. (Image1)

Est. $750-1,000
Selling for...$375.00
Will close during Public Auction
20       imageHawaii, 1865 Nuku Hiva (Marquesas Islands) to Lahaina, Maui. Folded letter datelined "Nukuhiva Nov. 26 1865" written in Hawaiian, sent collect by Rev. James Kekela from Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands (part of French Polynesia) to Rev. Dwight Baldwin at Lahaina, Maui via Papeete, Tahiti and San Francisco, this letter was first carried southwest to Papeete, Tahiti (a distance of about 760 nautical miles) to connect with the bimonthly (every other month) packet boat from San Francisco, receiving a lightly struck "Papeete, Dec 23, 65" cds on the reverse just missing the December packet, letter was put on the Tahitian schooner Eugenie (dep. Papeete Feb. 22, 1866; arr. S.F. Mar. 12) receiving a well-struck "San Francisco, Cal., Mar 14" cds and "Ship 6" straightline handstamp, then connecting with the American bark Helen Angier (dep. S.F. Mar. 19; arr. Honolulu Apr. 8, 1866), receiving a red crayon "13¢" due marking in Honolulu, Very Fine, illustrated and discussed in Gregory's "Hawaii Foreign Mail to 1870", pg. II-303; Fig. 17-162., ex-Golden & Walske.
Estimate; $3,000 - 4,000.

THE EARLIEST LETTER FROM THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS TO HAWAII.

The 6¢ charged by the San Francisco post office appears to be in error for this time period, when the collect drop letter rate was 2¢ plus 2¢ ship fee. Thus, a 4¢ charge would have been due, but only for local delivery. The 6¢ charge is consistent with earlier through covers to Hawaii originating in the South Pacific, albeit when the San Francisco port of entry delivery rate was 6¢ at the time. The recipient was obliged to pay 13¢ which included the 6c charged by San Francisco to the Honolulu post office account, plus the 5¢ Hawaii foreign rate and 2¢ ship fee for carriage from San Francisco to Honolulu.---The sender, Rev. James Hunnewell Kekela, was ordained as the first Native Hawaiian Protestant minister in 1849. He and his wife traveled to the Marquesas mission in 1853, working there until 1899, when he retired and moved back to Honolulu. President Lincoln awarded him an engraved gold Cartier pocket watch in 1864 for "…Rescuing an American Citizen from Death…" referring to his intervention to save an American sailor who had been captured by cannibals on the nearby island of Hiva Oa. (Image1)

Est. $3,000-4,000
Selling for...$1,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

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