Hawaii #U12, used entire, Honolulu to Germany in 1894

Item Specifics

Country

United States - Hawaii

Catalog Number

U12

Stamp Type

Postal Stationery

Condition

Used

Stamp Format

Single

Year of Issue

1893

Item Description

The item in this listing is a postally used example of Hawai`i Scott #U4, a 5-cent postal stationery envelope originally issued without overprint by the Hawaiian post office starting in 1884, and reissued with the red "Provisional Government" overprint in 1893.

This one was mailed from Honolulu on November 15, 1894, to Ulm an der Donau in Bavaria, Germany. The Honolulu postmark is applied very clearly to the left of the indicia, and appears to be Honolulu 231.72, which is a very common rarity "10" on the Meyer-Harris rarity scale.

On the reverse are a San Francisco transit mark, dated November 22, and a New York machine transit cancel , dated November 27. The arrival cancel on the front is dated 7 December and was applied at Ulm's train station ("Bahnhof") as per the inscription in the cancel.

Additionally, this envelope seems to be the thin paper version noted in literature.

The cover is in excellent condition for a cover that is around 130 years old. It has no obvious stains or foxing, and no marks other than a pencil "U12" on the reverse.

Please see scan for details.

The history of the stamp is as follows:

The unoverprinted envelope, Scott #U4, has the common design for all postal stationery envelopes, namely a view of Honolulu Harbor from the sea in 1884. The image was created by an artist who must have been working from an image of some sort, as there are a number of details that do not quite match how the Harbor area actually looks. (Le`ahi, a.k.a. "Diamond Head" is too tall and misshapen, for instance.) All denominations of these envelopes used the same image in different colors and with different inscriptions.

Scott U12 was created by overprinting the words "Provisional Government: / 1893" to existing stocks of Scott U4 following the legally questionable overthrow of the Hawaiian government by the United States on 17 January 1893. When it became apparent that the sought-after annexation to the US was not going to happen right away, the "Provisional Government" overprinted existing stocks of Hawaiian stamps and postal stationery to make them more politically correct.

The 5-cent value was issued to pay the basic letter rate to all members of the U.P.U. in 1893.

Most extant examples of all Hawaiian postal stationery are mint. Ones that were used, and for their intended purpose, are must harder to obtain.

Terms of Sale:

Please note that your bid constitutes your acceptance of all the terms listed below. If anything is unclear, please e-mail for clarification or do not bid.

Shipping:

All stamps shipped by US Mail. US Orders $2.00 without insurance, international rates vary according to country of destination (please e-mail.) Optional insurance at USPS rates. 10 cents additional for each item, more of a discount for purchases of more than six items. Insurance will be required for shipments sold for $20 or more in total. Please e-mail for quotes on shipping if purchasing more than six items! Uninsured shipments sent at buyer's risk. This means that if you choose to forgo insurance, you agree to release me from any future claim via paypal if it should be lost in the mail.

Payment Options:

Paypal, Money Orders, and Checks payable in the US are accepted. Credit cards accepted through paypal only. Checks must be drawn on a US bank, or I cannot cash them! (I can no longer accept Canadian Postal Money Orders, even those in US dollars-sorry!)

Return Policy:

14 day, money back guarantee, provided the item(s) are sent back in original condition. The 14-day period is defined as follows:

US Bidders: 14 days from the 3rd day after the item is sent.

International: 14 days from the 7th day after the item is sent.

If there is a problem with an item (i.e. a problem with the item itself, it didn't get there, etc.), please e-mail me within this time frame and I will be happy to work with you! Sales will be considered final after that point if no contact is made. If any item is returned for any reason, shipping charges will not be refunded.

Seller Information

Seller

sugi891 (3974)

Registered Since

06/07/2005

Feedback

99.9%

Store

Po`oleka Hawai`i--Hawaiian stamps and more

• Offers
• Sales

Item Location

Virginia, United States

Ships To

Worldwide

Returns Accepted

Yes

Returns Policy

Must be returned within 14 days in original condition. Money back, less shipping, no questions asked. Buyer pays return shipping.