2c Hawaiian Missionary single

This 2-cent Hawaiian Missionary stamp, type I, received a red circular datestamp "Honolulu U.S. Postage Paid," indicating prepaid use to the United States. In 1851 the Kingdom of Hawaii authorized the printing of postage stamps to prepay the rates on outbound mail. The 2-cent rate paid for newspapers to the United States. Henry M. Whitney, Hawaii's first postmaster, printed the blue stamps on a hand-operated press in the Honolulu office of the government newspaper. 197 examples of the Missionaries have been recorded to date.

Museum ID: 1995.2098.4