HAWAII, 1851, 5c Blue (2). Type I, full margins, deep shade and clear impression, few small and negligible tears, but free of any repairs or serious faults, tied by bold 7-bar grid, red "Honolulu*Hawaiian-Islands*Oct. 4" circular datestamp on folded cover to John Caminels, in care of Lemuel Gooding, Portland, Maine, red Lahaina forwarder's handstamp "FORWARDED Via S. FRANCISCO/By G. D. GILMAN./LAHAINA." in three lines within truncated frame, surrounded by large outer frame of handstamping device, black "San Francisco Cal. 1 Nov." circular datestamp, "12" due handstamp (10c U.S. rate plus 2c ship captain's fee), a few ink smears have been lightened

ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE EIGHT AVAILABLE COVERS BEARING A SINGLE 5-CENT MISSIONARY STAMP AND ONE OF TWO RECORDED MISSIONARY COVERS WITH A HANDSTAMPED FORWARDER'S MARKING.

Ten 5c Missionary covers are recorded in our census (see Honolulu Advertiser sale, November 7-11, 1995, Appendix I). Included in this total are the 2c and 5c Missionary cover and the 5c cover acquired by the National Postal Museum in the Advertiser sale, which leaves eight 5c covers for collectors. Of the 29 recorded Missionary covers, only two were handstamped by forwarders in Hawaii: the Porter & Ogden cover (Advertiser sale, lot 2) and this Gilman cover.

This letter was carried on the Mary A. Jones from Honolulu on October 5, 1852, and arrived in San Francisco on October 26. The same voyage carried the famous 2c Missionary cover and a 13c Missionary cover (Census No. 3-I-COV-142). This letter was stamped for prepayment of Hawaiian postage only, leaving the addressee to pay 12c for U.S. postage and the ship captain's fee. It was marked "12" due in San Francisco and postmarked on November 1, the usual first-of-month sailing day for mails bound via Panama.

Census No. 2-I-COV-70. Ex Worthington, Frank Godden (trade), Krug, Harris, Meroni and Collector C. With 1994 P.F. certificate

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