Hawaiian Missionaries (stamps)

A small island kingdom joined the world's mail from its own print shop. Hawaii's first stamps went on sale on October 1, 1851, printed in blue on a hand-operated press at the Honolulu office of the government newspaper, The Polynesian. Collectors call them Missionaries because so many survivors came from letters sent by Christian missionaries; the name never appears on the stamps. The thin, fragile paper explains the rarity. Only about 40 used copies of the 5 cent are known, and the 2 cent is rarer still, with around 15 recorded. The Dawson cover, the only envelope known to carry a 2 cent, is the set's crown jewel.