The Thurston Twigg-Smith Collection of Hawaiian Stamps and Postal History

EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THE FINEST-APPEARING EXAMPLES OF THE 1851 2-CENT MISSIONARY. ONLY FIFTEEN EXAMPLES OF THIS WORLD-RENOWNED RARITY ARE RECORDED, OF WHICH TEN ARE AVAILABLE OUTSIDE MUSEUMS

The fifteen examples of the 2c Missionary in our census (see catalogue for Honolulu Advertiser sale, Siegel Sale 769, Appendix I) include five stamps now held by museums and only two sound copies, one of which is unused. Both sound stamps were offered in the Honolulu Advertiser sale, and the used copy was acquired by the National Postal Museum. The stamp offered here has the widest margins of any recorded 2c Missionary and is essentially intact, without any paper restoration or painting in of the design. The light cancel and large margins all around make it one of the most beautiful 2c Missionary stamps extant and certainly one of the finest used copies available to collectors, all of which have faults or repairs to a degree.

This 2c Missionary was in an old leather notebook brought to Ezra Cole in New York City, circa 1935. His account of the discovery states: "This stamp was found by a lawyer friend of my father's in Brooklyn. It was in a small old red leather notebook. There were several other inexpensive stamps with it and this 2c Missionary was actually in two pieces...I took the notebook and the stamp up to my friend, Percy Doane, in the Tribune Building and inquired as to the genuineness of the stamp for I had never seen one. He told me that it was genuine and valuable and it could be sold even in its present condition. At some time later on, I sold it to Burger Brothers for $4,500. They, in turn, sold it to A. H. Caspary. I never did learn how much Caspary paid for it." In the Caspary sale, the stamp realized $5,250. It was subsequently acquired by Alfred J. Ostheimer III, whose collection helped form the basis of the Honolulu Advertiser collection.

Census No. 1-II-CAN-9. Ex Caspary, Ostheimer and Honolulu Advertiser. With 1995 P.F. certificate. Scott value is for a repaired example. (Image)

A FINE-APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE LEGENDARY HAWAIIAN 1851 2-CENT MISSIONARY, ONE OF PHILATELY'S RAREST STAMPS. THIS 2-CENT MISSIONARY IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE FIFTEEN KNOWN EXAMPLES BEARING THE RARE CROSSED-BARS CANCEL.

Fifteen 2c Missionary stamps are recorded, including the unique unused stamp and the unique cover. Of the thirteen used copies, five are in museums, leaving eight used off-cover stamps available to collectors (including one on piece). None of the eight available used copies is entirely sound. This example, with its relatively minor repairs, is one of the finer-appearing examples of this rare stamp. It is the only 2c Missionary with the Crossed Bars cancel, which is also known on three 5c and two 13c (Scott 3) Missionaries.

This 2c Missionary is first recorded as having been owned by dealer William P. Brown, who sold it to Count Philippe de la Renotiere von Ferrary in 1872 for $25. At the fourth Ferrary sale in 1922 the stamp was purchased by Arthur Hind for the equivalent of $8,750. Hind also acquired the unique British Guiana 1c Magenta stamp at the Ferrary sales. After passing to Admiral Harris and Maurice Burrus, this stamp was acquired by Thurston Twigg-Smith, who sold it privately to Christian Aall, then bought it back when the Aall collection was sold by the Siegel firm in 1998 (Sale 805).

Census No. 2-I-CAN-6. Ex Brown, Ferrary, Hind, Wilson, Adm. Harris, Burrus, Middendorf, Ostheimer, Twigg-Smith (previous) and Aall. With 1998 P.F. certificate. Scott value is for a repaired example. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. ONLY THREE OF THE 40 RECORDED USED EXAMPLES OF THE HAWAIIAN 1851 5-CENT MISSIONARY HAVE THE RARE CROSSED BARS CANCELLATION.

The Crossed Bars cancel is found with and without the surrounding circle on one 2c, three 5c and two 13c (Scott 3) Missionaries. One additional cancelled stamp has been added to our census published in the Honolulu Advertiser sale, bringing the total number of 5c Missionaries to 62 (including 40 used off cover or on piece).

Census No. 2-II-CAN-48. Ex Crocker, Ishikawa and Collector C. Scott value is for a repaired example. (Image)

EXCEPTIONALLY FINE CONDITION FOR A HAWAIIAN MISSIONARY STAMP AND A CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT TYPE II SHOWING THE SMALL-SIZE "N" IN "CENTS"

Of the 62 5c Missionaries recorded in our updated census (see Honolulu Advertiser catalogue, Siegel Sale 769, Appendix I), only thirteen off-cover stamps are available to collectors without repairs or serious defects, including ten used examples. This stamp shows the distinctive small "n" in "Cents", a font characteristic of all genuine Type II 5c Missionary stamps, which indicates this value was the first setting of the Missionary printings (the other values show the "n" in the correct size).

Census No. 2-II-CAN-57. Ex Ostheimer and Honolulu Advertiser. With 1995 P.F. certificate. Scott value is for a repaired example. (Image)

AN ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THE RARE HAWAIIAN 1851 5-CENT MISSIONARY.

Census No. 2-I-CAN-53. With 1998 P.F. certificate. Scott value is for a repaired example. (Image)

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLES OF THE 1851 13-CENT "HAWAIIAN POSTAGE" MISSIONARY BY VIRTUE OF THE NEAT RED HONOLULU DATESTAMP CANCELLATION.

Our updated census of 13c "Hawaiian Postage" Missionaries (Scott 3) contains a total of 72 examples on or off cover. There are now 53 cancelled off-cover stamps, including the two genuine stamps from the Grinnell family's "Card of 10." Ten examples of Scott 3 are cancelled by the red Honolulu datestamp ("Hawaiian-Islands" or "U.S. Postage Paid").

Census No. 3-I-CAN-110. Ex Ayer, Ishikawa and Pietsch. Scott value is for a repaired example. (Image)

VERY FINE AND THE FINER OF THE TWO RECORDED SOUND USED 1852 13-CENT "H.I. & U.S. POSTAGE" MISSIONARY STAMPS OFF COVER

There are 52 examples of the 13c "H.I. & U.S. Postage" Missionary in our updated census (see Honolulu Advertiser catalogue, Siegel Sale 769, Appendix I). Only 35 used stamps are recorded off cover or on piece, and about two-thirds of these are repaired or in museum collections. Of those unrepaired copies that remain in private hands, only two sound examples are recorded: the stamp offered here and the cut-in, slightly toned example, ex Potts, Moody and Krug (Census No. 4-II-CAN-176). Thus, for the collector of sound used classics, this is a rarity among rarities.

Census No. 4-I-CAN-177. Ex Wilcox and Honolulu Advertiser. With 1995 P.F. certificate. Scott value is for a repaired example. (Image)

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXCEPTIONALLY CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE 1852 13-CENT "H.I. & U.S. POSTAGE" MISSIONARY.

Census No. 4-II-CAN-163. Ex Ferrary, Tows, Ishikawa and Collector C. With 1994 P.F. certificate. Scott value is for a repaired example. (Image)

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THE FINEST-APPEARING 1852 13-CENT "H.I & U.S. POSTAGE" MISSIONARIES KNOWN ON COVER. ONLY SEVEN COVERS ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS.

Our census records nine covers bearing Scott No. 4. Of these, two are in museums. Of the seven covers available to collectors, only the cover to Persia and one other (to Boston, currently in a European collection) are free from defects or repairs. The example offered here, with its small expert repair, ranks as one of the finest-appearing covers.

Census No. 4-II-COV-189. Ex Emerson, Powers, Adm. Harris and Aall. Illustrated in Meyer-Harris on page 27. With 1998 P.F. certificate. Scott value for a repaired example on cover is $75,000.00 (Image)