::: Honolulu Foreign Mail Postmarks to 1886 :::
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This cover is the earliest recorded use of the Honolulu straight-line postmark, type 201. It was placed aboard the schooner Penelope for San Francisco
and then aboard the steamer Oregon, departing San Francisco on December 1 for Panama City. The practice in San Francisco was to postmark letters on the
date of the steamer sailing. At San Francisco, the cover was rated "42" to indicate the 40¢ steamship rate to New York plus the 2¢ ship fee. A mute charge
of 10¢ was paid in Honolulu to place the letter aboard ship in Honolulu Harbor. Total postage was 52¢, of which 42¢ was paid by the recipient upon delivery.
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STRAIGHTLINE
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MH #201; Straight-line postmark from printer's type; blue (top image) before
December 21, 1850 and black (bottom image) from December 21.
Usage: November 2, 1850 to June 14, 1851.
Scarcity 2, 34 recorded examples, of which eight are blue strikes (rarity 1RRR).
See Log of Covers for the Inaugural Treaty Period.
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HONOLULU
HAWAIIAN-ISLANDS
March 11, 1852
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December 3, 1852
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December 25, 1854
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MH# 236.11 (I); 28mm, red, boxwood base; used for mail with U.S. postage collect
but also seen on some covers believed to have been prepaid. Usage: December, 1851
(?) to March 19, 1855.
Scarcity 2, 72 recorded strikes on cover.
(Please E-mail (scott312@earthlink.net) me if you can identify a pre-March 11, 1852 strike.)
Jim Shaffer has proven postmarks in this style were made by three different but similar
devices (see numbers 4 and 7, below). A fourth device in the same style is known, but
only on a domestic cover in 1865. See the characteristics of Type I below. A break in
the rim below the first "A" of "HAWAIIAN" happened in December, 1852.
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HONOLULU
U. S. Postage Paid
February 25, 1852
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March 31, 1852
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May 11, 1852
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August 16, 1853
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November 9, 1854
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July 28, 1855
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MH# 236.05 (I); 28mm, red, boxwood base; used for mail with U. S. postage
prepaid.
Usage: February 10, 1852 to August 30, 1855.
Scarcity 3, 132 strikes on cover. Jim Shaffer has proven postmarks in this style also were made by three
different but similar devices (see numbers 5 and 6, below). See the characteristics of
Type I below. A break in the rim beneath the "S" happened in April, 1854 and another
break above the "UL" happened in November, 1854. Still another break beneath the "ge"
happened in December, 1854.
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HONOLULU
HAWAIIAN-ISLANDS.
April 23, 1855
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May 17, 1855
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June 5, 1855
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MH# 236.11 (II); 28mm, red, boxwood base; used for collect mail but also seen on
some prepaid covers.
Usage: April 6, 1855 to April 14, 1856.
Scarcity 2, 42 strikes on cover are known. See the characteristics
of Type II below. A break in the rim between the "D" and "S" of "ISLANDS" happened in
mid-June, 1855 and another break in the rim below "-IS" happened in March, 1856.
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HONOLULU
U. S. Postage Paid
November 3, 1855
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March 5, 1856
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MH# 236.05 (II); 28mm, red, boxwood base; used for mail with U. S. postage
prepaid.
Usage: September 14, 1855 to May 1, 1856.
Rarity 1R, 28 strikes known on cover. See the characteristics of Type II below. The month letters are large,
January through May, 1856.
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HONOLULU
U. S. Postage Paid
July 26, 1856
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December 6, 1856
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December 17, 1856
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June 27, 1857
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MH# 236.05 (III); 28mm, red, boxwood base; used for mail with U. S. postage
prepaid.
Usage: May 24, 1856 to June 27, 1857.
Scarcity 2, 59 strikes recorded on cover.
See the characteristics of Type III below. A break in the rim beneath the "e" shows on
most strikes. At some point before June, 1857, a break appeared above the second "O."
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HONOLULU
HAWAIIAN-ISLANDS.
December 8, 1856
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April 8, 1857
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MH# 236.11 (III); 28mm, red, boxwood base, used for collect mail.
Usage: June 6, 1856 to May 21, 1857.
Rarity 1RR, 16 recorded covers. See the characteristics
of Type III below.
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The three prepaid postmarks, type 236.05, compared:
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Type I
a) letters of "HONOLULU" are 3mm tall
b) "e" and "P" are separated by 1.5mm
c) no period after "Paid"
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Type II
a) letters of "HONOLULU" are 3.5mm tall
b) no space between "e" and "P"
c) no period after "Paid"
d) "S" seems upside down
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Type III
a) letters of "HONOLULU" are 3.5mm tall
b) narrow space between "e" and "P"
c) period after "Paid"
d) second "O" is larger
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The three collect postmarks, type 236.11, compared:
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Type I
a) right star is midway between "U" and "S"
b) first "O" of "Honolulu" is midway between "H" and "N"
c) no period after "Islands"
d) last "U" of "Honolulu" points at "W" in "Hawaiian"
e) second "O" is smaller than in other types
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Type II
a) right star is close to "U"
b) first "O" of "HONOLULU" is close to "N"
c) period after "ISLANDS"
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Type III
a) right star is midway between "U" and "S"
b) first "O" is rounder than in other types
c) period after "ISLANDS"
d) "H" of "HAWAIIAN" is even with "S"
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HONOLULU
HAWAIIAN-ISLANDS
January 12, 1859
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November 15, 1862
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February 20, 1869
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June 22, 1870
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MH# 243.03; 35mm, red (to March 28, 1863) or black (from April 18, 1863), steel
base; initially used for collect mail. Starting in 1859, the device also was used to cancel
Numeral Stamps on domestic mail. From October, 1868 to June, 1870, it was the only
device used for both foreign and domestic mail. By mid-1870, the mark was showing
distinct signs of wear. Starting July 1, 1870, it was used mostly for domestic mail
but also was used as a backstamp postmark of origin on mail sent through the United
States to other countries.
Usage: August 1, 1857 to November, 1877.
Estimated 8, between 2,000 and 3,000 estimated strikes.
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HONOLULU
U. S. Postage Paid
December 15, 1866
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MH# 242.03; 34mm, red, steel base; used on mail with U.S. postage prepaid.
Usage: August 1, 1857 to October 5, 1868; also in September, 1869.
Scarcity 5, 431 known strikes.
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General Post Office
Honolulu
December 13, 1869
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MH#212; 30mm x 25mm oval, blue
Usage: December 13, 1869
Rarity 1RRRR, one known strike; other strikes are known on post office letterhead stationery
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HONOLULU FOREIGN MAIL
POSTMARKS OF THE CONVENTION PERIOD
The Convention included directions for postmarks, specifying that they be placed in the upper right corner of an envelope and that they contain the name Honolulu and the words "PAID ALL." Postal clerks in Honolulu were inconsistent in where they placed the postmark but usually they avoided striking the stamps. There was no direction about where to place stamps so the postmark might be struck anywhere to avoid hitting the stamp – not always with success. Because of the practice in placing postmarks, off-cover strikes of these postmarks are few.
During the Convention Period contemporary postmarks used for domestic mail are found, usually as backstamps, on envelopes addressed to foreign destinations outside the United States. In mid-1875, the procedure of substituting a foreign mail postmark with a local or interisland postmark stamped on the back became routine. Domestic mail postmarks are also seen on the two newspaper wrappers to surface thus far from the Convention Period. If other wrappers are discovered, they likely will bear a domestic mail postmark as well. Importantly, the rarity rating for domestic mail postmarks in the tables below are for their use on foreign mail in the Convention Period. As postmarks on domestic mail none are rare by the standard set out in Describing Postal Markings.
At the date of this update, the census for the Convention Period numbers 666 covers or pieces with sufficient information to yield postal marking data. Mixed franking covers have been given more attention by auction houses so the count of those covers is probably more accurate than for ordinary letters addressed to the United States because, until recent years, those covers often ended up in large lots. Future opportunities to examine Convention Period covers will add to the number of postmarks presently counted.
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G. P. O. HONOLULU/PAID ALL
Single lined outer circle, no year date
July 22, 1870
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August 25, 1870
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MH# 245.02, 37 mm, orange-red.
Usage: July 22, 1870 to September 5, 1870.
Rarity 1R, 21 strikes recorded, including 14 covers, one large piece and 6 off cover stamps
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G. P. O. HONOLULU/PAID ALL
Single lined outer and inner circles, no year date
October 25, 1873
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MH# 277.12, 32mm, orange-red.
Usage: September 24, 1870 to October 24, 1874.
Scarcity 4, 162 recorded covers
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G. P. O./HAWN.ISLDS PAID ALL, with B in 5th line
November 17, 1874
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MH# 233.04, 25mm, orange-red.
Usage: November 16, 1874 to November 26, 1874.
Scarcity 1RRR, 7 recorded strikes
The letter “B” in the 5th line is deformed and has also been reported as a “K.”
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G. P. O./HAWN.ISLDS PAID ALL, with C in 5th line
(Courtesy of Alan Furukawa)
November 17, 1874
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MH# 233.22, 25mm, orange-red.
Usage: December 12, 1874 to December 30, 1874.
Scarcity 1RRRR, 3 recorded strikes
The letter “C” in the 5th line has also been reported as an “O.”
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G. P. O./HAWN.ISLDS PAID ALL, blank 5th line
January 20, 1875
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MH# 233.14, 25mm, orange-red.
Usage: January 20, 1875.
Scarcity 1RRRR, 2 recorded strikes
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G. P. O./HAWN.ISLDS PAID ALL, with A in 5th line
May 31, 1876
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MH# 233.24, 25mm, orange-red.
Usage: February 1, 1875 to March 1, 1877.
Scarcity 3, 78 recorded covers
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HONOLULU. H.I./PAID ALL (Rimless)
October 9, 1877
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MH# 221.02, 22mm, orange-red, purple.
Usage: February 27, 1877 to May 12, 1879 [an unconfirmed June, 1879 date is reported].
Scarcity 2, 66 recorded covers and 3 off cover strikes. Purple strikes are late usage.
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HONOLULU. H.I./PAID ALL
October 25, 1879
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MH# 237.12, 29mm, purple.
Usage: August 4, 1879 to June 22, 1881
Scarcity 3, 80 recorded covers.
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HONOLULU. H.I./PAID ALL
June 14, 1881
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MH# 235.32, 27mm, magenta, purple, red.
Usage: March 15, 1881 to December 19, 1881.
Scarcity 2, 65 recorded covers. Purple is early use, red is in the middle and magenta is late use.
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LOCAL AND INTERISLAND MARKS USED ON FOREIGN MAIL IN THE CONVENTION PERIOD
The first three postmarks shown below were used for local and inter-island mail (“domestic mail”) during the Convention Period but in the limited circumstance listed below they also were used on foreign mail. The last of the four postmarks was used interchangeably in 1884-1886 on foreign and domestic mail but in the Convention Period this postmark was used on foreign mail in the same limited instance as the first three. The one consistent application of these four postmarks to foreign mail in the Convention Period was:
On letters addressed for delivery outside the United States after mid-1875. On these letters, one of the four postmarks shown below was struck as a backstamp in place of a foreign mail mark;
Stray uses of one of the four postmarks shown below might suggest patterns, but too few examples exist. These uses are:
a) Two newspaper wrappers are recorded in the census of covers sent in the Convention Period. Both were addressed to the United States in 1879 and one was struck with the MH#234.62 postmark instead of a foreign mail postmark; the other wrapper was sent without a Honolulu postmark. Discerning any pattern from these two wrappers is impossible;
b) One cover sent in 1870 to New South Wales was struck on the address side with MH# 243.03, instead of a foreign mail postmark. Before mid-1875 all other recorded covers sent for delivery outside the United States were marked with a foreign mail postmark. This lone exception seems to be a clerical choice;
c) One cover sent in 1873 addressed to the United States was struck on the address panel with a domestic mark and a foreign mark. This cover originated at Hilo on the Big Island and was postmarked on arrival at the Honolulu post office with MH# 243.03 and on departure for San Francisco with MH# 277.12. Normally letters were not postmarked at the Honolulu post office on arrival from an outer island. Being a departure from the normal routine, this examples seems to be clerical error.
Please note: the rarity factors listed below apply only for the use of these four postmarks on foreign mail in the Convention Period. Used on domestic mail, these marks are much more common. For a discussion of these marks on domestic mail, go to Honolulu Local and Inter-Island Mail Postmarks to 1886. Also, the number of strikes recorded for these postmarks on Convention Period foreign mail is expected to rise as more information is collected about the reverse side of known covers and as more covers are recorded.
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HONOLULU
HAWAIIAN - ISLANDS
August 26, 1870
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August 23, 1875
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MH# 243.03, 35mm, black.
Usage in this Period on foreign mail: August 26, 1870 to November 6, 1877.
Rarity: 1RRR seven covers recorded on foreign mail in the Convention Period. Use on local or interisland mail is rated as scarcity 4 (see Honolulu Local and Inter-Island Mail Postmarks to 1886).
The postmark shows significant signs of wear, having been in use since 1859.
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GEN'L POST OFFICE
HONOLULU. H.I.
(Rimless)
December 4, 1876
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MH# 222.02, 22mm, black.
Usage in this Period on foreign mail: December 4, 1876 to May 14, 1878.
Rarity: 1RRRR five covers recorded on foreign mail in the Convention Period. Use on local or interisland mail is rated as scarcity 3 (see Honolulu Local and Inter-Island Mail Postmarks to 1886).
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POST OFFICE
HONOLULU. H.I.
(Diamond side ornaments, Rimless)
April 9, 1879
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MH# 223.029, 24mm, black.
Usage in this Period on foreign mail: June 19, 1878 to July 7, 1879.
Rarity: 1RRR six covers recorded on foreign mail in the Convention Period. Use on local or interisland mail is rated as scarcity 3 (see Honolulu Local and Inter-Island Mail Postmarks to 1886).
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HONOLULU
H. I.
May 9, 1881
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MH# 234.62, 26mm, black.
Usage in this Period on foreign mail: February 17, 1879 to July 4, 1881.
Rarity: 1R 23 covers recorded on foreign mail in the Convention Period. Use on local or interisland mail or on foreign mail in the UPU Period is estimated as 7 (see Honolulu Postmarks 1884 to 1900).
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HONOLULU FOREIGN MAIL
POSTMARKS OF THE UPU PERIOD TO 1886
Excepting type 243.03, the ubiquitous postmark used for a record twenty years on both
foreign and domestic mail, and also excepting the domestic mail postmark usage on
foreign mail in the Convention Period just described, postmarks used on foreign mail
were different devices than those used on domestic mail until 1884. Starting in January, 1884, the Honolulu Post
Office began using the type 235.12 postmark on domestic mail, but used the device with black ink for domestic mail
and red ink for foreign mail until July, 1884. The process of cleaning the marker must have been tedious and
starting in July, 1884, the type 235.12 postmark was used in black ink for all mail. Use of type 235.12 was discontinued in August, 1886. From
July, 1884, to the end of Hawaii's independent postal system, there is no distinction
between the postmarks used on foreign and domestic mail, excepting a hybrid type,
described below, for use on Australasian mail during a short time period.
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HONOLULU/HAWAII
January 15, 1882
magenta
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April 12, 1882
purple
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MH# 235.12, 27mm, magenta, purple, red, black.
Note cross-stroke in the "N" is intact.
Usage: January 15, 1882 to August 15, 1886.
Scarcity 5
magenta: January, 1882
purple: February, 1882 - April, 1882
red-purple: May, 1882 - July 2, 1882
red: July, 1882 - June, 1884
black: January, 1884 - August, 1886
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May 23, 1882
magenta
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December 1, 1883
red
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The cross-stroke in the "N" dropped out between May 8, 1882 and May 23, 1882. All strikes from May 23, 1882 show
the "N" as two parallel lines without a cross-stroke. By December, 1883, the outer circle broke above the second
"O" of "HONOLULU". During 1884, breaks in the outer line appear beneath "HAWAII", first to the right of the "W"
but spreading leftward as the marker continued to wear.
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April 1, 1884
red
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August 14, 1886
black
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Note some months have serifed letters and others are in non-serif type. Serifed type
letters are noted in February, 1884, June, 1885, June, 1886 to August, 1886 and March,
1885. All other months noted so far are non-serifed.
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HONOLULU/PAID ALL
June 12, 1886
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UNLISTED HYBRID MH# 235.32 (tentative 235.33), 27mm, black.
The old type 235.32 postmark device was used to show "PAID ALL" on mail to Australasia
between April 1, 1886, when the mail subsidy for the Australasian mail expired, and
September 30, 1886, when the mail subsidy was renewed. However, the year was omitted
from the date and the month and day were borrowed from type 235.12.
Rarity: 1RRRR; one strike is identified so far, dated June 12, 1886.
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