Lot
13 
Forwarded by H.T. Fitch, Honolulu, bold strike of red octagonal handstamp on buff cover to John R. Thornton, New Bedford Mass., receipt docketing "Chs. Nichols, Navigator, 7/12. 55, Recd. 1/56" at lower left, carried privately to Honolulu where red forwarders handstamp applied by Fitch and matching "BARK FRANCIS PALMER" straightline handstamp (missing "n" in "Francis"), carried on that vessel which departed Honolulu Dec. 1st 1855 to San Francisco arriving Dec. 14th, reverse with "Forwarded by G. B. Post & Co., San Francisco" forwarders backstamp, entered U.S. mails with "San Francisco Cal. 20 Dec." cds with matching "SHIP" and "12" rating handstamps for the 10¢ rate for over 3,000 miles plus 2¢ ship fee, Very Fine. Estimate $10,000 - 15,000.
A PHENOMENAL COVER FROM SAMOA (NAVIGATOR ISLANDS) TO MASSACHUSETTS VIA HAWAII, WITH BOTH THE H.T. FITCH OF HONOLULU AND G.B. POST & CO. OF SAN FRANCISCO FORWARDER MARKINGS.
ONE OF ONLY FIVE RECORDED STRIKES OF THE H.T. FITCH & CO. FORWARDER HANDSTAMP.
Samoa was called "Navigator Islands" by European explorers before the 20th century because of the Samoans' seafaring skills. The sender of this cover, Capt. Charles Nichols was master of the whale ship "Sea Gull" of New Bedford and the addressee, J.R. Thornton, was the ship's owner. The ship left New Bedford on June 9th 1853 and returned Aug. 26th 1857.
This cover, along with the July 18th cover (census #4) from Capt. Fuller of the whale ship "Ocean" that was also in the vicinity of Navigator Island, were probably carried by the American bark "Sky Lark" from Tahiti to Honolulu arriving Nov. 12th. These two covers, along with two others (census #2 and #5), were all taken by Fitch directly to the "Francis Palmer" in the G.B. Post letter bag bypassing the Honolulu post office. After arriving in San Francisco on Dec. 14th, this cover was carried on the PMSC "Sonora" departing San Francisco Dec. 20th to Panama arriving Jan. 3rd. After crossing the isthmus it was carried on the USMSC "George Law" (renamed "Central America" in 1857) from Aspinwall Jan. 15th to New York arriving Jan. 24th.
References: Illustrated and discussed in Fred Gregory's Hawaii Foreign Mail to 1870 on proof. II 398-400, fig. 20-10.
The five recorded strikes of the H.T. Fitch forwarders handstamps:
1. 1854 Oct. 28, blue strike, Honolulu, Hawaii by "Restless" to San Francisco Cal., Fred Gregory collection.
2. 1855 May 12., red strike, French Rock (Pacific Ocean) via Honolulu Dec. 1st by "Francis Palmer" to New Bedford Mass., ex- Advertiser, currently Robert Hill collection.
3. 1855 Jul. 12, red strike, Navigator Islands (Samoa) via Honolulu Dec. 1st by "Francis Palmer" to New Bedford Mass., ex-Pietsch, the cover offered here.
4. 1855 Jul. 18, red strike, Navigator Islands (Samoa) via Honolulu Dec. 1st by "Francis Palmer" to New Bedford Mass., ex-Knapp, J. David Baker, Kramer and Walske.
5. 1855 Nov. 29, red strike, Honolulu, Hawaii Dec. 1st by "Francisco Palmer" to San Francisco Cal., Fred Gregory collection.
Realized: $11,500