Lot
1 
Hawaii, Forwarded by, Waldo & Co., Maui, sharp bold strike of red truncated box handstamp on green folded letter Middle Island N.Y., datelined "Port of Lahaina Mowee Sandwich Islands September 5th 1845", entered the U.S. mails with partial red "Boston Mass. Feb 8" cds and matching "Ship" & "7" rating handstamps for 5¢ inland postage plus 2¢ ship fee, interesting contents from a crew member on the whaler "Nile" to a friend…"…shall go to New Zealand after we go in to Port. the whaling is pretty well broke up on the North West nearly all the ships that we have seen or heard of not got as much oil as we have there is so much fog here that we could not do anything a good deal of the time. we struck 13 whales & saved 6 of them and picked up one dead one we have got 85bls of sperm oil…the Oregon question is settled and that there is war between Mexico and the United States"; slight edge wear and soiling, Very Fine, ex-Advertiser & Peters.Estimate $4,000 - 6,000.
ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE WALDO & CO. MAUI FORWARDERS HANDSTAMP, THIS BEING ONE OF TWO STRIKES IN RED.
Giles Waldo arrived at Hawaii in 1845 and was appointed United States Vice-Consul for Lahaina. Waldo established a ship chandlery business but left for the California gold fields in 1849 and died there. This marking indicates Waldo forwarded the letter in his commercial capacity, as distinct from his official capacity.
This letter was carried by the American bark "Angola" from Honolulu Oct. 3rd 1846 to Boston arriving Feb. 3rd 1847 via Pernambuco, Brazil Jan. 3rd.
The three recorded strikes of the Waldo & Co. Maui handstamp:
1. 1846 May 11, black strike, Chang stock.
2. 1846 Sep. 5, red strike, Lahaina to Middle Island N.Y., ex-Advertiser, the cover offered here.
3. 1847 Apr. 1, red strike, Lahaina to New Bedford, ex-Advertiser, currently in the Fred Gregory collection.
Realized: $7,000
Lot
2
Hawaii, Forwarded By, G.B. Post & Co., San Francisco, two strikes of oval handstamp on inbound 1852 folded cover addressed to "R.C. Janion Esq., Honolulu", with senders manuscript directive "Per Baltimore" at top, carried outside of the government mails in the private letter bag managed by G.B. Post in San Francisco, with his black oval handstamp applied twice., Very Fine and choice, exceptionally well struck example of G.B. Post's oval forwarder mark, with a second, inverted lighter strike at lower left, ex-Krug, Baker, Rush, Pietsch & Gross; with 1958 P.F. certificate.Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
EARLIEST OF THREE RECORDED G.B. POST & CO. OVAL HANDSTAMPS.
Gabriel B. Post was a California pioneer, arriving at Monterey, Alta California in 1847, at the age of 27, as an agent for the Boston firm of S.H. Williams & Co. He moved to San Francisco in 1849 and was soon elected as one of the first two State senators. He established a successful merchant and forwarding business, G.B. Post & Co., in 1850. The business would eventually act as the shipping agent for a number of vessels, advertising themselves as the Regular Despatch Line in late 1853. G.B. Post & Co. was also selected as the resident agent in San Francisco for the Honolulu post office, a result of Mr. Post building good relations with Honolulu postmaster Henry Whitney.---The G.B. Post oval handstamp is recorded on three separate covers, two outbound, and this sole incoming example. By April, 1853, G.B. Post began using the more familiar octagonal handstamp, with 58 recorded examples, split roughly equally between incoming (31) and outgoing (27) covers.
Carried on the Hawaiian brig Baltimore (dep. SF Jan. 18; arr. Honolulu Feb. 9), with receipt docketing indicating contents dated Jan.15, 1852. At Honolulu, this letter would have been received by one of G.B. Post & Co.'s merchant/agents, most likely A.P. Everett.
Lot
3
Hawaii, Per General Pierce, the unique example of the straightline handstamp on 1854 cover sent via San Francisco and Panama to West Acton, Mass. on the American schooner General Pierce part of the Regular Despatch Line of ships, with red "Honolulu, Hawaiian-Islands, Dec 29" cds (MH-236.11, type II, R2) indicating unpaid U.S. postage, "San Francisco, Cal., 10, Feb 1" integral rate cds (Gregory type SF10 CAL) corrected by overstriking it with a "12" rate handstamp, matching "Ship" straightline handstamp, bold black "Forwarded By, G.B. Post & Co., San Francisco" octagonal handstamp; some soiling and wear, F.-V.F., ex-Risvold.Estimate $10,000 - 15,000.
THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE 'PER GENERAL PIERCE' REGULAR DESPATCH LINE MARKING USED BY G.B. POST---ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED HAWAII REGULAR DESPATCH LINE COVERS TO RECEIVE THE G.B. POST OCTAGON AND CARRIED IN THE OFFICIAL MAIL BAG FROM HONOLULU.
An unusual cover, not withstanding the only known strike of the RDL's directive 'Per General Pierce'. This is one of two known covers carried in the official mail bag of Honolulu (as seen by the red Honolulu cds) that also received the G.B. Post forwarding octagon and the vessel name marking. Postmarked Feb. 1, 1855 in San Francisco for the departure of the PMSC steamer "John L. Stephens", it arrived at Panama City on Feb. 15, was taken across the isthmus by rail, and then put on the USMSC steamer George Law for New York (departed Feb. 16; arr. NY Feb. 25).
References: Illustrated and discussed in Fred Gregory's "Hawaii Foreign Mail to 1870", pg. II-416, Fig. 20-33.
Realized: $10,000
Lot
4
Hawaii, Forwarded By Thomas Spencer, Ship Chandler, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, framed octagonal handstamp on cover to New Bedford, Mass., red "Honolulu, U.S. Postage Paid, Jan 21" cds and matching "Paid 12" handstamp, carried on the American bark Fanny Major leaving Honolulu on January 21, clear "San Francisco, Cal., Feb 20" cds and March 11, 1857 receiving docket; cover with partial backflap and slightly reduced at top, still Very Fine and attractive.Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
ONE OF ONLY FOUR RECORDED COVERS WITH THE THOMAS SPENCER FORWARDERS HANDSTAMP.
Capt. Thomas Spencer operated a ship chandlery in Honolulu from 1851 until 1861 when he moved to Hilo. B.F. Bolles moved into the site from Lahaina when Spencer vacated it.
The four recorded Thomas Spencer covers are:
1. 1855-11-30, Honolulu to Messrs. Lawrence & Co. in New London Conn. by Am. bark "Frances Palmer", ex-Golden, currently in Richard Malmgren Collection
2. 1855-12-28, Honolulu to New Bedford Mass. by Am. bark "Yankee", ex-Advertiser
3. 1856-03-05, Honolulu to Charles P. Williams at Stonington Conn. by Am. bark "Yankee".
4. 1857-01-21, Honolulu to New Bedford Mass. by Am. bark "Fanny Major", ex-Advertiser, the cover offered here.
Realized: $5,500
Lot
5
Hawaii, Forwarded Via Panama, By Bush & Co., Lahaina., red truncated box handstamp on backflap of 1850 cover to Harrisburg, Pa., entered the U.S. mails with orange "San Francisco, Cal., Aug 17" cds and matching "40" rate, forwarded to New Haven, Ct. with "40" rate crossed out, blue "Harrisburg, Pa., Oct 8" cds and boxed "Paid 5" rate handstamp; minor edge toning, Very Fine, ex-Ishikawa.Estimate $4,000 - 6,000.
AN EXTREMELY RARE LAHAINA FORWARDER MARKING WITH ONLY THREE EXAMPLES RECORDED.
According to Gregory's Post Office in Paradise, Bush & Co. was formed by Alfred W. Bush and Charles P. Robinson in 1850 but dissolved in 1851 after Bush died in October of that year. Bush had first joined with James Makee and Jules Anthon while they were in Lahaina. Bush & Co. were commission merchants and ship chandlers. The "Via Panama" within the company handstamp meant it was sent to San Francisco where it was put into the United States mail to go to the East Coast via Panama.
Sent aboard the American bark "Montgomery" from Lahaina on July 24th and arriving in San Francisco on Aug 15th.
Realized: $5,750