1853, 13c Dark Red, Thick White Wove (6). Full to large margins, tiny scissors-cut at lower right, uncancelled at Honolulu where horizontal pair of United States 1851 3c Dull Red, Ty. II (11A) was affixed over the 13c stamp, left uncancelled in Hawaii, red “Honolulu * U.S. Postage Paid * Jul. 11” (1854) circular datestamp on buff cover to William Moore at Reed’s Ferry, Merrimack, New Hampshire, 3c pair has ample margins to slightly in a top, lifted to reveal 13c stamp and hinged in place, edgewear and a few small tears in cover, but the stamps are unaffected and sound

VERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING AND VERY RARE “PASTE-OVER” MIXED FRANKING WITH THE 13-CENT KAMEHAMEHA III ISSUE PREPAYING POSTAGE AND THE 3-CENT 1851 ISSUE PAIR APPLIED BY THE HONOLULU POST OFFICE TO CREDIT THE UNITED STATES FOR ITS SHARE OF POSTAGE.

This cover was carried on the American schooner Restless, which cleared Honolulu on July 13, 1854, and arrived in San Francisco on August 9. From there it was carried by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company’s Oregon, departing on August 16 and arriving at Panama City on August 31 after a stop at Acapulco. The mail was carried across the isthmus to Aspinwall, and from there it was carried by U.S. Mail Steamship Company’s Empire City, departing on September 2 and arriving in New York on September 12.

The 13c stamp prepaid the 5c Hawaiian postage, 2c ship captain’s fee and 6c transcontinental rate. The short-lived practice of applying United States stamps (6c postage) over the 13c Hawaiian stamp was likely intended to avoid confusion over whether or not U.S. postage had been prepaid. The postmaster in Honolulu affixed the U.S. stamps to cover up the Hawaiian postage, and the letter was postmarked in San Francisco without applying a “Ship” or rate mark. The 2c ship captain’s fee was paid by the Honolulu post office.

Fred Gregory records eight such paste-over frankings (plus one earlier Missionary cover). There are two other covers from the Moore correspondence, one with a similar paste-up (Honolulu July 29) and the other with a 13c stamp (Honolulu July 12) and “Ship 22” double-rate due marking applied at San Francisco. All three were carried on the same vessels from San Francisco to New York via Panama.

Ex West, Admiral Harris, Rust and Pietsch. Illustrated in Meyer-Harris book (page 39). With 1988 P.F. certificate

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