::: POSTAL STATIONERY :::

Hawaii introduced postal stamped envelopes - postal stationery - in 1884. All Hawaiian stamped envelopes were made by the American Bank Note Company. They were produced in five values, 1¢, 2¢, 4¢, 5¢ and 10¢. These values paid the following rates: 1¢ for the domestic drop letter rate for delivery at the post office where mailed; 2¢ for the regular domestic rate on a single weight first class letter; 4¢ for a double weight domestic letter; 5¢ for a single weight first class letter to North America; 10¢ for a single weight letter to Europe and other distant destinations or a double rate to North America.

The five values of stamped envelopes used in Hawaii:

Scott Catalogue's listing for Hawaiian postal stationery does little justice to the array of stamped envelopes used in Hawaii. In the first order for postal stationery (1883), envelopes were specified in three sizes and three thicknesses, making twenty-four varieties scattered among the five values. In the 1889 and later orders, the envelopes were made in a different "knife" (referring to the cut of the envelope, best seen in the shape of the back flap), thus adding additional varieties. Scott Catalogue has never revamped its listing since the days when collectors were interested primarily in cut squares. Thus, Scott Catalogue ignores differences in size, knife or thickness and concentrates only on color and denomination.

Students of Hawaiian postal stationery usually prefer the detailed listing set out by the United Postal Stationery Society (UPSS), identified in the bibliography at the end of this page. The UPSS lists 42 distinct types (even without including separate numbers for paper thickness variations), compared to only 25 Scott Catalogue types. For example, there are five UPSS numbers for the 1¢ value (unoverprinted) and only three Scott Numbers.

THE 1883 ORDER
SEPTEMBER 6, 1883, AMENDED DECEMBER 15, 1883

Henry Whitney (Postmaster of Honolulu in the early 1850's when he had the Missionary Issue printed) returned to government service as Postmaster General in 1882. He decided upon having stamped envelopes made for domestic and international use, although there was no UPU mandate to do so.

Design

Whitney's first order, dated September 6, 1883, was sent to the American Bank Note Company together with a sketch of Honolulu Harbor made by Whitney in the 1850's and used in the masthead of one of Honolulu's leading newspapers, The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. He included detailed instructions for altering the sketch in order to update it to the present appearance of Honolulu from a ship rounding Diamond Head.

Order Details

Whitney's first order, as amended December 15, 1883, was for 400,000 envelopes, broken down as follows (in quality, X=thin, XX=medium and XXX=thick) [the knife type added to the following table was chosen by the ABNCo. rather than being part of Whitney's instructions; also, the UPSS and Scott #s are added]:

• Whitney instructed the ABNCo. to make some of the envelopes with a blue tinted inside. He specified blue insides envelopes for the following values: 2¢ (UPSS 12/Scott U6), 4¢ (UPSS 13/Scott U7), 5¢ (UPSS 14/Scott U8) and 10¢ (UPSS 15/Scott U14). These envelopes all were size 6 printed on XX (medium thickness) quality.



• In the 2¢ value, 100,000 were printed with dotted address lines (UPSS 4a), comprising the entire order for X and XX quality in the 2¢ size 5, leaving the order for 50,000 of XXX quality 2¢ size 5 envelopes without address lines. The 2¢ envelopes with address lines were intended for use by "natives." Although Whitney specified "pink" for the 2¢ envelopes, the stamps on the printed envelopes were of a rose shade.



• For the 4¢ value, Whitney included an example of Scott No. 31 to use as a guide for the color he desired.



• The December 15 amendment added items already included in the foregoing descriptions and also requested "specimens of each variety of envelopes and denomination of stamps when possible sent by mail."

Production

Woodblocks were engraved separately for each value and die proofs made from the woodblocks were sent to Honolulu for approval. Final design approval is said to have been given by the ABNCo. on January 31, 1884, but this date apparently is too late as samples of stamped envelopes were received in Honolulu in January. Electrotypes were made from each die to form the base for typography printing.

Delivery

Precisely when stamped envelopes went on sale is somewhat uncertain, because the first order was shipped in stages. "Samples" were sent for experimental use and must have arrived in January, 1884, but the quantity is unknown. Some of these "samples" were sold to Wells Fargo and Company for imprinting with its private label and used examples of the blue-black Wells Fargo imprint on the 5¢ and 10¢ are recorded in February, 1884. The earliest known usage of a 5¢ envelope without a Wells Fargo imprint also is in February, 1884. A tentative EKU on a UPSS 4a cover is a usage from the Big Island, apparently dated January 28, 1884.

Whitney was in no obvious hurry to put the envelopes on sale. Rather than incur freight charges to have the envelopes sent direct to San Francisco by railroad (a two to three week trip, depending upon the number of layover days in San Francisco), he directed a partial shipment be sent via Panama (a two month trip) with the balance sent by Cape Horn (a six month trip). All of the envelopes were shipped by the ABNCo. on March 27, 1884. The shipment sent via Panama was received on June 9, 1884 and included some portion of all types ordered, including all of the blue inside envelopes. Thus, sometime in June, all types of the envelopes presumably were available to the public. The remainder coming via Cape Horn was shipped on the bark Oregon and was finally received on October 4.

No further orders ever were placed for the 4¢, 5¢ or 10¢ values. Additional orders were placed for the 1¢ and 2¢ values.

1885 1¢ ORDER

An order for 20,000 more 1¢ envelopes was sent in 1885. These envelopes were received April 4, 1885, and were made in size 6, knife P-10, medium thickness (B). Part of these envelopes were printed on a cream colored paper with a distinctly darker shade of green in the stamp. The balance of the envelopes were printed in a light green on white paper. The light green shade is designated UPSS 2 (Scott U1) and the darker green shade is UPSS 2a (Scott U1a). Both envelopes are scarce but the dark green is scarcer.

Click here for a comparison of the size 5 and size 6 envelopes.

Light green UPSS 2 (left) and dark green UPSS 2a (right) compared. Please E-mail (scott31@hawaiianstamps.com) if you know of darker shades of the 1¢ size 6, knife P-10 envelope.

JANUARY 14, 1889 1¢ AND 2¢ ORDER

An order for small quantities of the 1¢ and 2¢ values was dated January 14, 1889, and delivered April 11, 1889. Only 5,000 of each value was ordered and they are distinct. The 1¢ value was on size 6, in a dark green shade, medium paper (B). For this order, the ABNCo., used a different knife than was used for the 1885 size 6 envelopes. The new knife is designated "P-11." The bottom ornament in the stamp of the 1¢ envelopes sent in fulfillment of this order appears as it did on earlier envelopes. Envelopes of the 1¢ value printed after June, 1889, show a flaw in the bottom ornament. The "no-flaw knife P-11" envelope is UPSS 3 (Scott U1b). This envelope is quite scarce. Used examples are unknown.

Click here for a comparison of knives P-10 and P-11.

The January 1889 envelopes printed for the 2¢ value were in a pale pink shade, size 6 with glazed paper, knife P-11, medium thickness (B). The pale pink shade is scarce, more so unused than used.

JUNE 4, 1889 1¢ AND 2¢ ORDER AND SUBSEQUENT ORDERS

Orders for additional envelopes of the 1¢ and 2¢ values were placed beginning June 4, 1889.

• For the 1¢ value, orders of 25,000 each were dated June 4, 1889, July 30, 1891, April 27, 1892 and November 17, 1892, for a total of 100,000 envelopes. All were printed in the pale green shade, medium thickness (B), knife P-11, with the flaw at the bottom of the ornament (UPSS 3a/Scott U1).



• Of the 2¢ value, orders were dated June 4, 1889 (25,000), May 3, 1890 (25,000), April 27, 1892 (50,000) and November 17, 1892 (50,000), for a total additional 150,000 envelopes. The 2¢ envelopes were all printed in shades ranging from rose to red to carmine, size 6, thickness (B), knife P-11 (UPSS 6a/Scott U2a - the UPSS does not list the red shade separately but includes it in the carmine listing; neither notes the rose shade in the knife P-11 envelope).

Click here for a comparison of the shades of 2¢ envelopes 1884-1892.

WELLS FARGO IMPRINTS

Stamped envelopes were sold to Wells Fargo and Company and were imprinted with the special label designed by Wells Fargo for its Honolulu office. A proof of the Wells Fargo imprint is in the files of the California Historical Society in San Francisco. Electrotype printing was the printing process used for the labels. The Wells Fargo imprints are usually seen in brown, but gray-brown and dark blue-black are also known. Wells Fargo used only the 5¢ and 10¢ values, having no need for envelopes paying the domestic rate.

Because dated covers in the blue-black color of the imprint are earlier than the receipt of the first shipment of envelopes on June 9, 1884, it is supposed the earliest imprinted envelopes were made from the "samples" Whitney received by mail in January, 1884. Indeed, Whitney designated Wells Fargo to receive the shipment and conceivably authorized its San Francisco office to open the package and take from it the number of envelopes ordered before shipping the balance to Honolulu.

The Wells Fargo 5¢ value is found only on size 6 envelopes (UPSS 9a) but the 10¢ value is seen on both the size 6 (UPSS 10a) and size 10 (UPSS 11a) envelopes. Both values in size 6 are known with blue inside (5¢ blue inside is UPSS 14a and 10¢ blue inside is UPSS 15a) as well as white inside. The Wells Fargo imprint is also seen on stamped envelopes issued by the United States Post Office Department and on blank envelopes to which postage stamps were affixed. Wells Fargo imprints on unused United States postal stationery must be viewed with suspicion because quantities were printed in 1890 for sale to collectors well after there was any commercial need for them. Both values in size 6 are known with blue inside (5¢ blue inside is UPSS 14a and 10¢ blue inside is UPSS 15a) as well as white inside. Go to Advertising Covers for an example of usage.

PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OVERPRINTS

A decision to overprint the stamped envelopes was made on August 15, 1893. The overprinting was done in red ink by the Press Publishing Company in Honolulu. Missing were any envelopes of the 4¢ value, all of which were sold out before the overprinting was done. Of the blue inside envelopes, only the 10¢ value was overprinted. The overprinted stamps were placed on sale August 28, 1893.

Click here for examples of the double overprints.

None of the varieties is common and of the doubles, the 1¢ is particularly rare. Triple overprints are also rare. Send me an E-mail (scott31@hawaiianstamps.com) with information about examples of double or triple overprints.

As overprinted, the envelopes are designated as follows by UPSS and Scott Catalogue:

I am unable to confirm the no-flaw, knife P-11 envelope (UPSS 16) with overprint. Send me an E-mail (scott31@hawaiianstamps.com) if you know of examples.

SPECIAL DELIVERY ESSAY

Whitney expected to institute a special delivery service and anticipating approval in 1885, he ordered 2,000 of the 10¢ size 6 envelopes imprinted with the Special Despatch Letter frank. The special delivery service was never adopted so these envelopes were stored in a vault until in late 1893, they were sold as "curios" to J. T. Waterhouse of Honolulu. Some of these essays are known canceled. The envelopes are listed as UPSS SDE 1 and as Scott UE1.

POSTAL STATIONERY BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Bruns, James H., "Hawaii's First Stamped Envelopes", The United States Specialist, Vol. 59, No. 1, front cover and p. 9-18, Jan., 1988. Describes the artifacts housed at the National Philatelic Collection and details of the orders given by PMG Whitney.



• Schwalm, Albert J., editor, The Postal Stationery of Hawaii, Hawaii Postal Stationery Study Group, United Postal Stationery Society, Redlands, Ca., 1982 (errata [page laid in); correction noted by editor at Mitchell's Hawaiian Philatelist, Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 2, 1983. Key reference treatise, but see corrections and additions listed below.



• Schwalm, Albert J., "Thru Thick and Thin", Mitchell's Hawaiian Philatelist, Vol. 4, No. 4, p. 45, 1982; correction at Vol. 4, No. 5, p. 51, 1982; reprinted (as corrected) at Po'Oleka O Hawaii, No. 32, p. 17, July, 1983. Gives detail measurements of envelope thickness.



• Schwalm, Albert J., "Additions To The Postal Stationery Of Hawaii", Postal Stationery, Vol. 26, No. 4, [221], p. 90-106, July-August, 1984. Corrects the 1982 UPSS edition based upon new evidence obtained from PMG orders; essential for anyone using the UPSS catalogue.



• Schwalm, Albert J., "Shipping Data on Hawaii's Envelopes", Postal Stationery, Vol. 27, No. 2, [231], p.  47-50, March-April, 1985; reprinted at Po'Oleka O Hawaii, No. 40, p. 10-15, July, 1985; Possessions, Vol.  12, No. 3, p. 8-10, Third Quarter, 1989. Sailing data pertaining to the first shipment of stamped envelopes.



• Schwalm, Albert J., "Corrections To The Postal Stationery Of Hawaii", Postal Stationery, Vol. 28, No. 2, [237], p. 37-39, March-April, 1986. Additional corrections to the UPSS 1982 edition; essential for anyone using that catalogue.

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