Stampless Transpacific cover

1852

Envelope of letter posted at Honolulu on May 11, 1852, addressed to Lexington, Kentucky. This letter was paid 5 cents Hawaii postage and 8 cents US postage, neither of which was marked on the envelope in Honolulu. The mark indicates only that the US postage was paid. The letter was placed on board schooner “Maria,” which departed for Lahaina and San Francisco on May 12. “Maria” arrived at San Francisco about June 5. Here the letter was marked with the red handstamp “PAID” and the numeral '8' in a circle to indicate that the proper 8-cent rate for a ship letter from San Francisco to the East via Panama had been paid in Hawaii. The San Francisco postmark of June 18 shows the date that the mail left on the Pacific Mail Steamship Company steamer “California,” arriving at Panama City on 4 July. The California’s mail was carried across the Isthmus and put on board the United States Mail Steamship Company steamer “Illinois,” departing Aspinwall on July 7 and arriving at New York on July 15, 1852. The letter would have arrived at Lexington a few days later. The year of this cover was determined by the dates of use of the various markings on the cover and the sailing data of shipping to and from San Francisco.