HAWAII, 1851, 2c Blue (1) and 5c Blue (2). Both Type II--the righthand position in each setting of two--the Missionary stamps are free of any repairs and are essentially in Very Fine condition; the 2c has mostly ample to large margins with framelines complete all around except for a small nick in the upper left corner, where a tiny part of the line has been filled in on the lettersheet; the 5c has three mostly ample margins and is just barely in along frameline at left, there is a short closed tear at bottom and a small part of the frameline has been filled in at bottom right; each Missionary stamp is tied by the Honolulu 7-bar grid cancel on a bluish folded cover addressed in the hand of William C. Dawson to “Miss Eliza A. Dawson, Care Jacob H. Dawson, 273 Cherry Street, New York” with notation on back “Give my love to all”; to the left of the stamps is a clearly struck red “Honolulu * U.S. Postage Paid * Oct. 4” (1852) circular datestamp; the Hawaiian Missionaries are used in combination with a horizontal pair of United States 1851 3c Brownish Carmine (11A), Positions 41-42L2L, 1852 printing from Plate 2 Late, ample margins to just slightly in at bottom left, tied by “San Francisco Cal. 27 Oct.” circular datestamp with “Cal.” in upper and lower case letters

THE ONLY KNOWN COVER BEARING THE HAWAIIAN 2-CENT MISSIONARY AND THE ONLY INTACT COVER WITH TWO DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS OF HAWAIIAN MISSIONARY STAMPS. THE RAREST AND MOST FAMOUS OF ALL HAWAIIAN AND UNITED STATES COVERS, AND UNIVERSALLY RANKED AMONG THE WORLD’S MOST IMPORTANT PHILATELIC ITEMS.

Exhibited among “The Aristocrats of Philately” at Anphilex 1971 (New York City), Interphil 1976 (Philadelphia) and Anphilex 1996 (New York City). Shown by invitation in the Courts of Honor of 15 international philatelic exhibitions (last displayed at Washington 2006) and illustrated in the exhibition catalogues for London 1980 and World Stamp Expo 1989. Displayed in the “Gems of Hawaii: The Persis Collection” exhibit at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in celebration of the museum’s first anniversary. Pictured on the United States Postal Service 2002 souvenir sheet designed by Richard Sheaff (Scott 3694).

Illustrated in Rare Stamps, L. N. and M. Williams; Encyclopedia of Rare and Famous Stamps, L. N. Williams; described and illustrated in Meyer-Harris Hawaii, Its Stamps and Postal History, and Gregory Hawaii Foreign Mails to 1870 (Figure 15-28 and pictured on the front cover of Volume I); featured in Life magazine’s “The World's Greatest Stamps” (May 3, 1954) and on the cover of Esquire magazine (October 1956).

Ex George H. Worthington (pencil “3/11/05 New Eng. S. Co. ISSS SS”), Alfred F. Lichtenstein, Alfred H. Caspary, Benjamin D. Phillips, Alfred J. Ostheimer III, Honolulu Advertiser (Thurston Twigg-Smith/Persis Corporation) and Guido Craveri/Tito Giamporcaro.

Siegel Census No. 1-II-COV-15. Gregory Census No. 2c-1 and 5c-2. With 1995 Philatelic Foundation certificate stating “it is genuine.”

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

For additional description and information about the correspondence and voyage: http://siegelauctions.com/2013/1045/Dawson.pdf

Image Magnifier / Download