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AUCTION PREVIEW

SIEGEL AUCTION GALLERIES Golden_Cover.qxd 2/17/11 8:59 AM Page 2

Folded letter dated at , May 14, 1820, from Maria Loomis to William Williams. Carried from Honolulu in the first letter bag sent following the arrival of the First Company of Missionaries. Only two letters from this “first mail” from Hawaii are recorded — this May 14 letter and one dated May 13 from Reverend Hiram Bingham. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:00 AM Page 1

HE STAMPS AND POSTAL HISTORY OF HAWAII ARE rich territory for collectors. Major philatelists in the 20th century have dedicated themselves to its fertile study. Despite the relatively narrow time frame and geographic isolation of the Kingdom of Hawaii’s postal system, there is a tremendous abundance of rare and fascinating philatelic material. So much, in fact, that David Golden was able to fill sixty Godden-manufactured albums with Hawaiian stamps and covers. This treasure trove is one of the few remaining collections formed by the generation of philatelists active as far back as 1950. In May 2011 the David Golden collection of Hawaii will be offered to the market by Siegel Auction Galleries. Its staggering dimensions are matched by its extraordinary “time-capsule” character. Many important rarities to be sold in May have not been on the auction market since the 1948 sale of the Ferrars H. Tows collection. Some were acquired privately and have never made an auction appearance. The pages that follow provide a glimpse of the Golden collection, one of the greatest Hawaii collections ever formed.

DAVID GOLDEN (1915-2007) Mr. Golden started collecting fine art as a young man and had been active in philatelic pursuits for 60 years. His greatest passion of study and collecting was Hawaiian postal history. He also formed extensive collections of , U.S. Carriers and Locals, U.S. specialties, Worldwide Airposts, U.S. Possessions, Confederate States, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Mr. Golden was a longtime member of the Collectors Club of New York, American Philatelic Society, Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic Society International, U.S. Philatelic Classics Society and The Royal Philatelic Society of . Mr. Golden and his brother, Stephen Gould, were co-founders of Stephen Gould Paper Co. Inc., a world- wide packaging design and manufacturing company. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:00 AM Page 2

Hawaiian postal history is not just about stamps. The postal routes and arrangements that facilitated written communication date back to the early 1800’s and are reflected in the postmarked letters.

Examples of mail between Hawaii and the United States, carried via Mexico. This area of Hawaiian postal history was of special interest to Mr. Golden, who collected both Hawaii and Mexico. The collection contains the largest holding of trans- Mexico mail ever formed. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 3

The first postal marking used after the formation of the Hawaiian post office is the “Honolulu, Hawaiian Is.” straightline with date below, shown here on a folded letter to England via . The straightline was replaced with circular datestamps, shown above on covers to England and (the latter signed by Robert Crichton Wyllie, Foreign Minister in Hawaii). Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 4

Above: “Honolulu U.S. Postage Paid” datestamp on cover to Addafar, Russia (now Estonia) via San Francisco and Bremen. Below: Same datestamp on cover postmarked in Tahiti, sent to France via San Francisco and New York. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 5

The 1853 5¢ and 13¢ Kamehameha III stamps are the first of the “Boston Engraved” issues, printed in Boston from engraved plates. This part of the Golden collection is arguably its strongest, featuring multiples and rare covers, many of which have not been available for more than 50 years.

Blocks of twelve and eight of the 1853 13¢ Kamehameha III Issue, the largest recorded multiples of this stamp, which originally formed a sheet. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 6

Above: 1853 5¢ Kamehameha III on cover to San Francisco, rated “Ship 6”due on arrival. Below: Same issue on cover to Indianapolis with “Ship 12”due (10¢ plus 2¢ ship captain’s fee). Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 7

Different 5¢ Kamehameha III combinations for Hawaiian and U.S. postage, including the only recorded mixed franking with the 10¢ Green Nesbitt envelope (top) and a cover with the San Francisco “Overland” directional marking, applied to indicate that the letter would be sent by overland stage rather than via Panama steamer (the same cover has a forwarder’s red oval handstamp). Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 8

The 13¢ Kamehameha III stamp was a composite denomination, including 5¢ for Hawaiian postage, 6¢ for U.S. postage and 2¢ for the ship captain’s fee. It was created specifically to prepay these rates and bears the wording “Hawaiian 5 Cts”and “United States 8 Cts”. When the U.S. transcontinental rate was raised from 6¢ to 10¢, effective April 1, 1855, the 13¢ stamp no longer fulfilled its original purpose. Thereafter, it is found on covers used to pay part of the total postage. The cover at top shows the 13¢ used for its stated purpose (13¢ prepaid, including 8¢ for the U.S., represented by the “Paid/8/Ship” marking). The 5¢ and 13¢ combination (above) prepays 12¢ U.S. and 5¢ Hawaiian postage. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 9

The 13¢ Kamehameha III stamp was affixed by the sender, but the 17¢ total postage (including 5¢ Hawaiian) was presumably made up in cash, because the Honolulu post office marked the letter “U.S. Postage Paid” and the 12¢ U.S. stamp was affixed to keep accounts balanced. The cover below is a very late use of the 13¢ in 1861. It was applied by the sender along with the two 5¢ Kamehameha III and U.S. 10¢ stamps, paying the double rate (10¢ Hawaiian, 20¢ U.S. plus 2¢ ship captain’s fee). The 12¢ stamp was applied to keep accounts balanced. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 10

One can imagine the confusion caused by this cover when presented to the postal clerk in Marlboro, Massachussetts, by a member of the prominent Goodale family. The stamp reads “United States 8 Cts” and, based on the tying cancellation and absence of due markings, it was accepted for U.S. postage.

The change in U.S. rates that rendered the 13¢ stamp obsolete also gave rise to the provisional “5” handwritten surcharge, which altered the value to 5¢. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 11

Two extremely rare mixed frankings from the Ogden correspondence. The cover at top was prepaid 5¢ Hawaiian postage, using the surcharged stamp, and 10¢ U.S. postage (the 2¢ ship captain’s fee was paid in cash). The cover above was prepaid 5¢ Hawaiian (surcharged stamp) and 10¢ U.S. postage, plus the 2¢ ship captain’s fee.

5¢ on 13¢ surcharged stamp used with U.S. 12¢ 1851 Issue on mixed-franking cover to Titus Munson Coan at Yale. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 12

Prepaid mail between the United States and Hawaii was facilitated by the availability of U.S. stamps in Hawaii and, in rare cases, by private express companies such as Wells Fargo & Co. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:01 AM Page 13

The Numerals were issued to post offices in July 1859 after the privy council authorized the first postage charges on local and inter-island mail, which previously was carried free by schooners plying the waters between islands.

Examples of the 1859 Numerals printed in Blue, including the only recorded cover with two 2¢ Blue stamps. Golden_pp01_16.qxd 2/17/11 9:02 AM Page 14

The Numerals were printed on a small hand-operated Ruggles card press, first at the offices of the Paci