::: AUXILIARY MARKS - Hawaii Forwarder Agent Marks :::

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This forwarding mark of the Pacific Navigation Company, styled AUXFWDR-PACNAV in this study, was applied on this UPSS9 (Scott No. U-4) envelope about June 17, 1886. The cover was mailed from the mission station at Ponape, Micronesia, and arrived at Honolulu on June 17 by the Haw. schooner Gen'l Siegel. It was then carried to San Francisco on the sailing ship Kate Davenport, leaving Honolulu on June 19, 1886. Two strikes of this mark are recorded. Among other things, this cover illustrates use of Hawaiian postal stationery on mail originating at the Micronesian mission stations.

Private forwarders using marks to record their participation in handling mail were facilitating letters in and out of Hawaii from the early 1840's until sometime in the 1900's. Forwarders were more common in the 1840's-1850's than in the later years after the official postal system had gained respect and was well organized.

Thirty-two forwarder marks are listed here [including one unconfirmed], up from the ten listed by Davey [Davey's overall count was twelve, including two express marks but I address express marks separately (See Honolulu Express Company Marks) and thus exclude them from Davey's total for forwarder marks]. Kenneth Rowe listed twenty-one forwarder marks (excluding express marks) as a part of his worldwide study of forwarder marks (Rowe, The Postal History And Markings of the Forwarding Agents, 1996, p. 122-123), but three of the marks he listed (with question marks) are too doubtful for me to include in my own study (Miller & Co., Mitchell & Co. and Mitchell & Hutchins – all but Miller & Co. were agents for express companies that had their own marks) so Rowe's list is really eighteen in my opinion. The editors of the American Stampless Cover Catalogue (American Stampless Cover Catalogue, 4th edition, 1987, Vol. 2, p. 121-122) showed only eleven Hawaiian forwarder marks. Finally, Jim Shaffer also tackled the forwarder marks and produced an unpublished list. Despite these efforts by more recent compilers, their lists were incomplete – as the one on these pages will prove to be in due course.

The earliest marks were manuscripts by Von Pfister & Co. (1842) and C. Brewer & Co. (1844-1846) on mail transiting Hawaii en route from abroad to another place abroad. Rev. S. C. Damon inscribed a forwarder note on a whaling cover sent from Hawaii in 1845, the first use of a forwarder mark on mail originating in Hawaii. Waldo & Co. used the first handstamp forwarder mark in September, 1845. Most forwarding agents were located in Honolulu, but some were in Lahaina. I present them together in alphabetical order.

Marks placed on letters as instructions by the sender to forward a letter to a particular forwarding agent, while interesting, are not forwarder marks. For example, a folded letter addressed from New England to California instructs: "Please forward to B. F. Bolles & Co/Lahaina S. Islands." This notation gives us a glimpse of how mail was handled in the 1850's, but to be a forwarder mark, it must have been placed by the forwarding agent. Bolles & Co. made no mark on the cover to show they in fact handled the letter. The instruction thus fails the test of a forwarder mark.

Rarity

Rarity ratings for these marks are fairly reliable. Undoubtedly more covers remain to be added but forwarder marks receive considerable attention in auction catalogues and published articles so these marks have had a higher profile. Where another compiler gives us a longer usage period than I show, it raises a question about whether that compiler made a date error or had access to information about additional strikes.

Rowe is the only other compiler who attempts a rarity rating, giving ratings from 1 to 10 with 10 being rarest. However, his rarity analysis confuses value with rarity. Rarity may generate value but a rarity rating should address only the supply side. Value is a function of both supply and demand. My rarity factor is based strictly on supply so it often differs markedly from Rowe's analysis. For example, Rowe gives a rarity factor of 4 to the Brewer and Von Pfister manuscripts, his lowest rating for Hawaii forwarder marks. However, only four examples are recorded of the Brewer mark and the Von Pfister mark is unique. A review of Rowe's rarity analysis at page 35 of his book reveals he finds manuscript marks less attractive so he drops the rarity factor to lower the value. Staying with a strict supply analysis, both of these marks deserve the highest rarity of 1RRRR according to the rarity scale set out at Describing Postal Markings. As will be seen, many marks in this group are unique – only one example is recorded.

Usage Dates

Dating forwarder marks can be tricky. The early marks are on folded letters and most of them have datelines making the exercise simple, so long as the writer recorded the correct date (not always true based on events described in the contents). Once envelopes came into use in Hawaii starting in 1849, we lose the enclosed dated letters for most covers and are left with only postal date stamps. However, most date stamps show only the month and day but not the year. Thus, years must be established by other means. I have developed a complete sailing list of vessels operating out of Honolulu to San Francisco or other ports during the years 1836-1886. With this tool, I have been able to establish years on almost all covers by comparing the postmarks with the sailing table. Honolulu usually dated letters on the day a vessel chosen to carry the mail was scheduled to leave. San Francisco usually dated letters on the day mail was scheduled to leave that city for the East or for an inland town. The match therefore is never perfect, but the postmarks almost always confine a cover to one or two years and differences in postal markings and rates shown confine a cover to just one year in nearly every case. For this reason, usage dates reflected here can be considered more reliable than earlier reports – unless of course an earlier report was based on a strike I have not taken into account.

Bolles & Co.

Benjamin F. Bolles entered business in Lahaina in 1848. He joined with Gorham Gilman in 1851 and together they operated a ship chandlery and general merchandise store. In the early 1850's Bolles and Gilman were agents for Gregory's Express. Bolles moved to Honolulu in 1861.

1.

AUXFWDR-BOLLES Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 6 30mm x 23mm truncated box red ACSS rendering and image from Zimmerman Auction #31 (March 6, 1974) lot 321

Rowe ASCC Unlisted by Davey or Shaffer

Forwarded by/ BOLLES & CO./ Lahaina, Maui Usage: November 24, 1860 Rowe: 1860 ASCC: 1860 One strike of this mark is recorded.

C. Brewer & Co.

Formed in 1844 with Honolulu roots back to 1817, C. Brewer & Co. was a powerhouse among mercantile firms in Honolulu and grew to be one of the "Big Five" firms in Hawaii. James Hunnewell, who founded the firm, first set up a ship's store in Honolulu in 1817. He returned to Boston but came back to Honolulu to establish business on a permanent basis in 1826. Henry Pierce joined the firm in 1828 and Hunnewell returned to Massachusetts in 1830. Pierce bought out Hunnewell in 1833 and set up partnership with Thomas D. Hinckley who died in 1834. Capt. Charles Brewer joined the firm in 1836 and Pierce & Brewer was formed. Pierce left the firm in 1844 and Brewer carried on the business under his own name. Hunnewell and Pierce independently maintained close trade relationships with Hawaii from their homes in Massachusetts. Pierce returned as American Minister to Hawaii from 1869-1877.

Bush & Co.

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.

4.

AUXFWDR-BUSH(fwd by) Rarity 1RRRR truncated box red 1850 Siegel Auction #333, lot 1269 (Courtesy Siegel Auction Galleries)

Unlisted by Davey, Rowe, ASCC and Shaffer

FORWARDED BY/ BUSH & CO./ LAHAINA Usage: 1850 One strike of this mark is recorded on the back of an inward cover to Honolulu via Lahaina.

R. Coady & Co.

Richard Coady was a Honolulu agent for the Regular Despatch Line. Coady and others started what was called the Regular Packet Line in 1852 to provide more regularity in shipping between Honolulu and San Francisco. This effort failed after a few weeks but was revived in January, 1855 as the Regular Despatch Line ("RDL"). Coady and H. T. Fitch were agents on the Honolulu side and G. B. Post was agent on the San Francisco side.

7.

AUXFWDR-COADY Rarity 1RRRR circle circa April 11, 1855 Siegel Auctions #375, lot 937 and #397, lot 441 (Courtesy Siegel Auction Galleries)

Unlisted by Davey, Rowe, ASCC and Shaffer

R. COADY & Co./ COMMISSION/ MERCHANTS,/ HONOLULU,/ H. I. Usage: 1855 One strike of this mark is recorded. The mark appears with a G. B. Post SF forwarder mark and a straightline BARK "FANNY MAJOR" indicating the cover was carried by the RDL, so despite the absence of the word "forwarded" in the mark Coady & Co. probably did act as a forwarding agent in this case. The cover is part of a well known whaling correspondence.

S. C. Damon

Rev. Samuel Damon arrived in Honolulu in 1842 to become chaplain of the Bethel Church, a post he held for forty-two years. In 1843, he began the monthly newspaper/magazine The Friend, that continued in publication into the 20th Century.

8.

AUXFWDR-DAMON(ms) Rarity 1RRRR pen April 29, 1845 Advertiser Sale, lot 2096 (Courtesy Siegel Auction Galleries)

Unlisted by Davey, Rowe, ASCC and Shaffer

forwarded/ S. C. Damon/ Honolulu Usage: April 29, 1845 One strike of this manuscript mark is recorded.

A. P. Everett

Abijah P. Everett arrived in Honolulu in 1846. He was a commission merchant in Honolulu from 1847 to 1853, when he also acted as a forwarding agent. Everett joined with W. B. Rice to form Rice & Co. in January, 1853, but left that firm in January, 1854, when Everett was appointed Honolulu agent for Adams & Co. Express. That association lasted until Adams failed in 1855. Everett and others formed Pacific Express Co. In 1857, he became agent for Freeman & Co. and held it until his departure from the islands in 1861.

9.

AUXFWDR-EVERETT Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 7 38mm x 28mm single lined oval red, orange August 14, 1852 Advertiser Sale, lot 2097 (Courtesy Siegel Auction Galleries)

Davey 651 Rowe ASCC Shaffer 8-1

Forwarded by/ A. P. Everett/ Honolulu, H. I. Usage: August 14, 1852 Rowe: 1852-1857 ASCC: 1852-1857 One strike of this mark is recorded. Shaffer notes Davey inaccurately described non-italicized, all capitalized letters.

H. T. Fitch

H. T. Fitch was another Honolulu agent for the Regular Despatch Line. These marks are seen with ship marks for the Schooner Restless (the blue strike) and the Bark Francis Palmer.

10.

AUXFWDR-FITCH Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 7 40mm x 22mm octagon red, blue circa 1854 December 20, 1855 (Courtesy of Albert Chang)

Davey 652 Rowe ASCC Shaffer 8-3

FORWARDED BY/ H. T. FITCH./ HONOLULU. Usage: 1854-1855 Rowe: 1853-1855 ASCC: 1853-1855 Five covers are known with this mark, one in blue and four in red. Shaffer notes Davey inaccurately describes lower case letters where the mark has only upper case letters. Dating this mark is tricky so the 1853 date used by Rowe and the ASCC is suspect pending further information.

G. D. Gilman

Gorham Gilman had a long association with Hawaii. He arrived in 1841, set up in business in Honolulu and was in partnership with Bolles in Lahaina. In 1848, he went to California and returned to Lahaina in 1849 where he was a merchant. In 1862, he returned to Boston and was the Hawaiian consul at Boston through the 1890's.

11.

AUXFWDR-GILMAN(via S. Francisco) Rarity 1RRRR 50mm x 19mm truncated box; the outer rectangle probably is the border of the handstamp plate red October 4, 1852 (Courtesy of Matthew Bennett, Inc.)

Davey 653 Shaffer 8-5 Unlisted by Rowe or ASCC

FORWARDED via S. FRANCISCO/ by G. D. GILMAN/ LAHAINA Usage: 1852 One strike of this mark is recorded. Shaffer notes Davey inaccurately described all capitalized letters for "via" and failed to note the box is truncated.

H. Hackfeld & Co.

Henry Hackfeld was born in Germany and opened shop in Honolulu in 1849. The firm name as H. Hackfeld & Co. was adopted in 1853. This firm was supported by Bremen capital and became a substantial sugar agent and shipper. Hackfeld himself returned to Germany in 1863, but the firm continued under his name and developed into one to the largest companies in Hawaii.

15.

AUXFWDR-HACKFELD Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 7 38mm x 16mm double lined oval black October 19, 1868 (Courtesy of Albert Chang)

Davey 655 Rowe ASCC Shaffer 8-9

FORWARDED BY/ H. HACKFELD & CO. HONOLULU H. I. Usage: 1863-1887 Rowe: 1864-1867 ASCC: 1864-1867 Five strikes of this mark are recorded (July 9, 1864, October 19, 1866, September 25, 1867, October 5, 1867 and March 16, 1887). Shaffer notes Davey inaccurately described the mark as a single lined oval.

Wm. G. Irwin & Co.

As a clerk in the post office in the 1860's, Wm. G. Irwin was responsible for the first perforated portrait stamps, the Bank Note Issues. He formed Wm. G. Irwin & Co. in the 1870's and became one of the principals in the Spreckels sugar interests in 1881. In the 1880's he was a prominent sugar planter, banker and sugar agent.

16.

AUXFWDR-IRWIN Rarity 1R Rowe: 4 58mm x 36mm double lined oval red, purple July 31, 1881

Rowe Shaffer 8-26 Unlisted by Davey or ASCC

FORWARDED BY/ WM. G. IRWIN & CO. SHIPPING AND COMMISSION MERCHANTS HONOLULU H. I. Usage: 1881-1900 Rowe: 1900 This mark always was placed on the back of the cover.

Makee Anthon & Co.

James Makee arrived in Lahaina in 1843 and set up business with Eli Jones under the name Jones & Makee. Jones left in 1847 and Makee formed a partnership with Julius Anthon who had joined Jones & Makee in 1846. The name changed quickly to Bush, Makee & Co. when Bush joined the firm in 1847. In 1848, Charles Brewer 2d (a nephew of Charles Brewer) joined the firm and in 1850, Bush left the firm. In 1849, the firm opened in Honolulu under the name Makee Anthon & Co. Makee later became one of the most prominent sugar planters on Maui.

17.

AUXFWDR-MAKANTH Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 8 41mm x 24mm single lined oval red December 30, 1849

Davey 658 Rowe ASCC Shaffer 8-14

FORWARDED BY/ SANDWICH ISLANDS/ MAKEE ANTHON & CO. Usage: 1849-1850 Rowe: 1849-1851 ASCC: 1849-1850 Three strikes of this mark are recorded.

J. B. McClurg & Co.

This firm is mentioned in correspondence written by Thomas O. Larkin as a firm of merchants located in Hawaii. Larkin, a resident of Monterey, California and former U. S. Consul there prior to Mexico's surrender of California to the United States was constantly engaged in commerce with Hawaii and McClurg was a frequent source of information for Larkin. Apart from Larkin's references, I have no information about the firm.

G. W. McFarlane & Co.

George W. McFarlane (sometimes spelled MacFarlane) was born in Honolulu in 1849. He got a job with Theo Davies in 1868 and stayed with the firm until 1876. McFarlane became a prominent attendant to King Kalakaua and merchant in Honolulu during the 1870's-1880's. He was closely affiliated with the Spreckels sugar interests until he fell out by siding with Kalakaua in a dispute and Wm. G. Irwin replaced him.

19.

AUXFWDR-MCFAR Rarity 1RRRR single lined outer and inner ovals Davey rendering

Davey 656 Shaffer 8-12 Unlisted by Rowe or ASCC

G. W. MCFARLANE & CO./ HONOLULU, H. I. Usage: 1880's Shaffer reserved his type 8-12 for this mark but had not seen it. Ed Burns noted a use in October, 1885. I suspect this may be a merchant mark rather than a forwarder mark.

Melchers & Co.

Gustav C. Melchers and Gustav Reiners, both from Germany, formed Melchers & Co. in 1852. Melchers was doing business in Honolulu by himself at least by 1850. It appears Melchers returned to Germany in the mid-1850's. Reiners returned to Germany in 1861, leaving the business in the hands of F. A. Schaefer, who bought out the other partners in 1867.

20.

AUXFWDR-MELCHERS Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 6 43mm x 33mm single lined oval black August 30, 1855

Rowe Shaffer 8-27 Unlisted by Davey or ASCC

Forwarded by/ Melchers & Co./ Honolulu Usage: 1855-1860 Rowe: 1860 Two strikes of this mark are recorded, one on a newspaper wrapper sent to Bremen and one on domestic mail.

J. M. Oat, Jr. & Co.

Joseph Oat, Jr. arrived in Honolulu as a child of seven in 1855. During the 1870's, he was employed in the post office as a clerk. Later, he ran a stationery and newspaper store. In the days following the revolution of 1893, Oat was appointed Postmaster General to replace the ailing Walter Hill. Under Oat's tenure as PMG, the portrait stamps were overprinted and the issues of 1894 and 1899 were issued. He continued as Honolulu postmaster under the Territory of Hawaii.

21.

AUXFWDR-JMOAT Rarity 1RRRR four lines, unbordered pink, purple March 13, 1883

Unlisted by Davey, Rowe ASCC or Shaffer

FORWARDED BY J. M. OAT, JR. & CO. STATIONERS & NEWS DEALERS HONOLULU, H. I. Usage: 1883-1884 Two strikes of this mark are recorded as backstamps.

Pacific Navigation Company

Pacific Navigation Company incorporated in 1883 and declared bankruptcy in 1887. During its short life, it operated sailing ships between Hawaii and various Pacific islands as well as some inter-island trade and entered the steamship business in 1886 with two inter-island steamers.

22.

AUXFWDR-PACNAV Rarity 1RRRR 25mm double lined circle red circa May, 1886

Unlisted by Davey, Rowe ASCC or Shaffer

FORWARDED/ BY THE/ PACIFIC/ NAVIGATION CO./ (LIMITED)/ HONOLULU, H. I. Usage: May, 1886 to September, 1886 Two strikes of this mark are recorded.

Porter & Ogden

No information about this firm has been uncovered beyond the existence of its forwarding mark.

23.

AUXFWDR-PORTEROGD Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 7 33mm x 18mm single lined oval red Advertiser, lots 2 and 2110 (Courtesy Siegel Auction Galleries)

Davey 657 Rowe ASCC Shaffer 8-13

Forwarded by/ Porter & Ogden Honolulu Usage: 1852 Rowe: 1851-1852 ASCC: 1850-1852 Two strikes of this mark are recorded.

Rice & Co.

W. B. Rice and A. P. Everett formed Rice & Co. in January, 1853, as a commission merchant and auction firm. Everett left the firm a year later but the firm continued under Rice.

F. A. Schaeffer & Co.

Frederick August Schaefer was born in Bremen, Germany in 1836 and came to Hawaii in 1857, to work for Melchers & Co. in Honolulu. He became a partner in the firm in 1861 and bought out his partners in 1867, continuing the business as F. A. Schaefer & Co. on the same premises. His house in Nuuanu Valley was the former residence of R. C. Wyllie (foreign minister in the 1850's-1860's).

J. C. Spalding

Little is recorded about J. C. Spalding. An advertisement in 1858 listed him as a commission merchant and importer.

26.

AUXFWDR-SPALDING Rarity 1RRRR 36mm x 27mm single lined oval orange April 5, 1853 Advertiser Sale, lot 2114 (Courtesy Siegel Auction Galleries)

Shaffer 8-21 Unlisted by Davey, Rowe or ASCC

Forwarded by/ HONOLULU/ J. C. Spalding Usage: April 5, 1853 One strike of this mark is recorded.

Thomas Spencer

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 when Spencer vacated it and Bolles moved from Lahaina.

27.

AUXFWDR-SPENCER(oval) Rarity 1RRRR 36mm x 26mm double lined oval orange November 2, 1852

Davey 659 Unlisted by Rowe, ASCC or Shaffer

Forwarded by HONOLULU/ Thomas Spencer Usage: November 2, 1852 One strike of this mark is recorded.

Starkey Janion & Co.

The firm Starkey Janion & Co. was formed in 1845 by James Starkey and Robert Janion. They were Englishmen by birth and England was unpopular with Hawaiians (because England occupied Hawaii for five months in 1843) and with Americans (who seethed over England's failure to settle the Oregon border dispute - finally settled in 1846). Starkey was in Honolulu before the British occupation and returned to England soon after. In England, he met Janion and they formed Starkey Janion & Co. in 1845. Janion moved to Honolulu that year to run the business. The Starkey Janion partnership dissolved in 1851 and Janion formed Janion, Green & Co. Janion returned to England in 1856 and found Theo. H. Davies to take his place. Davies arrived in 1857. Eventually, Davies took over and formed the giant Theo. H. Davies & Co.

29.

AUXFWDR-STARKJAN Rarity 1RRR Rowe: 8 40mm x 23mm single lined oval orange August 10, 1849

Davey 660 Rowe ASCC Shaffer 8-17

Forwarded by/ Starkey Janion & Co. Honolulu, Oahu Usage: 1848-1850 Rowe: 1849 ASCC: 1849-1850 Six strikes of this mark are recorded. Shaffer notes Davey incorrectly describes all capitalized letters, non-italicized. Many misread the second name as Tanun.

U. S. Consul

The manuscript mark was applied at Lahaina by United States vice-consul Giles Waldo.

30.

AUXFWDR-USCONS(ms) Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 10 red pen April 15, 1846 Advertiser Sale, lot 2119 (Courtesy Siegel Auction Galleries)

Rowe Unlisted by Davey, ASCC or Shaffer

Forwarded by U.S. Consul,/ Sandwich Islands Usage: April 15, 1846 Rowe: 1846 One strike of this manuscript mark is recorded. This mark is the only official forwarder mark.

Von Pfister & Co.

John R. Von Pfister operated a mercantile store for ships at Lahaina from at least as early as 1841 until 1845.

Waldo & Co.

Giles Waldo was the United States vice-consul at Lahaina where he operated a ship chandlery from 1845 to 1849, when he left for California.

32.

AUXFWDR-WALDO Rarity 1RRRR Rowe: 7 36mm x 18mm truncated box red April 1, 1847

Davey 661 Rowe ASCC Shaffer 8-18

FORWARDED BY/ WALDO & CO./ MAUI Usage: 1845-1847 Rowe: 1846-1851 ASCC: 1846-1847 Two strikes of this mark are recorded. See Advertiser Sale lots 2121 and 2122. Somebody attempted to change the 1847 date to 1851, accounting for Rowe's usage report.

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