3694 HAWAIIAN MISSIONARIES SHEET 37 CENT

     By the 1840's, many American missionaries had settled in the Kingdom of Hawaii. At that time, sending a letter to the U.S. meant asking a ship captain to mail the letter once he reached a U.S. port. The captain was paid 2 cents for his service.
     As mail increased, a better system was needed. On June 18,1851, the Kingdom of Hawaii authorized the printing of postage stamps. Used almost exclusively by missionaries, the first Hawaiian stamps became known as "Missionaries". The stamps went on sale October 1, 1851.
     A 2 cent stamp paid postage to the U.S. for newspapers and printed circulars. A 5 cent stamp transported a letter from the Honolulu post office to a ship at harbor. The 13 cent stamp paid the 5 cent Hawaiian postage to the ship, the 2 cent captain fee, plus 6 cents for U.S, postage from San Francisco to the east.