The Hawaiian Missionaries stamps-1851

The Hawaiian Missionaries stamps-1851

The first Hawaiian stamps appeared in 1851. These designs are now referred to as the “Hawaiian Missionaries” because they were frequently used by American missionaries on the islands to send letters back to the continental United States. The new stamps were released in Honolulu in three denominations (2 cent, 5 cent, and 13 cent). Because the first “Hawaiian Missionaries” were crudely engraved and printed on thin and poor quality paper, very few of these stamps have survived and are considered to be extreme rarities.

The lowest denomination, the 1851 two cent version, is the rarest of the set, with only 16 copies known to exit  today. An unused 2 cent missionary is valued at about $760000, while the same stamp is a used condition can be sold $225000.