POST OFFICE IN PARADISE - Covers Bearing Hawaiian Stamps in the Middle Treaty Period

This page last updated: 10 July 2000

::: Covers Bearing Hawaiian Stamps in the Middle Treaty Period :::

Hawaii's foreign mail stamps during this Period were from the Boston Engraved Issue. When the United States prepaid mail rate increased, the 13¢ value of the Boston Engraved Issue (Scott No. 6) became useless but there was continued demand for the 5¢ value to pay the Hawaiian foreign mail rate. The Honolulu Post Office (now under Honolulu Postmaster Joseph Jackson) was slow to re-order a fresh supply of the 5¢ stamps and was forced to use the 13¢ stamps as 5¢ stamps. The full list of Scott No. 6 covers may be seen in the Early Treaty Period. A few of the 13¢ stamps were used as 5¢ without surcharge but the idea of surcharging the 13¢ stamps with a "5" soon struck Jackson or his clerk Alvah Clark. They sat down and wrote a "5" in pen across the face of the 13¢ stamps, thus preventing anyone from redeeming them for 13¢. In this way, Scott No. 7 was created. Later in the Middle Treaty Period, the old 13¢ stamps were again sold, this time as 12¢ stamps because the supply of United States 12¢ stamps was exhausted.

Postmarked June 27 at Honolulu and July 20, 1857 at San Francisco and carried to San Francisco by the American schooner Vaquero, departing Honolulu June 30, 1857 and arriving San Francisco July 16. There are 19 recorded covers bearing Scott No. 7. Click here for a list of the Scott No. 7 covers. Cover number 7 in the list may be a duplicate. Please E-mail (scott312@earthlink.net) me with information about cover number 7 or any unlisted covers. The first cover is dated January 21, 1857 and the last on July 3, 1858.

Postmarked August 31 at Honolulu and October 5, 1857 at San Francisco and carried to San Francisco on the American bark Fanny Major, departing Honolulu August 31, 1857 and arriving San Francisco September 24. Notice the change in the postmark device used at Honolulu from type 236.05 (III) to type 242.03 for prepaid mail. The earliest date of type 242.03 is August 1, 1857 and the last date for type 235.05 (III) is June 27, 1857.

Honolulu exhausted its supply of the first printing 5¢ stamps (Scott No. 5) by early 1857 and received the stamps of the second printing (Scott No. 8) in mid-1857. Some of the old 5¢ stamps were still in the hands of patrons so Scott No. 5 covers continue to appear in the record of surviving covers until January, 1859 (the Staples Ranch cover illustrated on the main page for the Middle Treaty Period is the latest recorded date). The list of Scott No. 5 covers is set out in the Early Treaty Period page.

Postmarked November 9 at Honolulu and November 28, 1861 at San Francisco and carried to San Francisco by the American clipper ship Speedwell, departing Honolulu November 9 and arriving San Francisco November 27. By that time, mail was being carried overland by the Daily Mail. There are 75 recorded Scott No. 8 covers, beginning with one postmarked June 27, 1857 and ending with one on April 18, 1863.

In time, the supply of Scott No. 8 covers was diminished and a third order was placed for more 5¢ stamps. These stamps are designated Scott No. 9. There are 40 recorded Scott No. 9 covers, starting with one postmarked in early September, 1861 and the last postmarked on May 23, 1867. Most Scott No. 9 covers were used during the Late Treaty Period. Ten Scott No. 9 covers were used during the Middle Treaty Period. I illustrate examples in the Late Treaty Period.

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