The Stamps and Postal History of Nineteenth Century Samoa

23 September 2004

Robert P. Odenweller

A small selection of covers is given at the foot of the page

Samoa's strategic location in the south Pacific gave it an importance in the nineteenth century that grew from the calm presence of missionaries to a political tinder-box that involved three world powers, Great Britain, the United States and Germany. Four philatelic periods are defined:

The Missionary Period: 1836-1877
The Express Post Office: 1877-1881
The Municipal Post Office: 1882-1886
The Davis Post Office: 1886-1900

My interest in Samoa began over 35 years ago, when I obtained a copy of Volume V of The Postage Stamps of New Zealand. That volume deals with New Zealand's island dependencies and although it has 122 pages devoted to nineteenth century Samoa, it was clear that some gaps in the coverage had left room for a great deal of study.

Particularly notable is that Volume V contained only two pages of postal history of the Palm Trees issues. This could be excused simply on the basis that nobody had up to that time conducted a systematic search for all the covers with a hope to tease out the information they held. With the help of many of the major Samoa collectors of the time, including Ken McNaught, Dick Burge, John Powell, Jack Hughes, and Floyd Fitzpatrick, I was able to assemble a list of 273 covers, a little more than 1/4 of what we know today. These were sufficient to conduct an early analysis, and that became part of a four year serial in the Collectors Club Philatelist, with the cover list appearing in March 1978.

The analysis in that serial in turn raised questions. Some collectors believed that all U.S. stamps were added and canceled in San Francisco, where my findings indicated that the stamps were added either in Samoa or San Francisco, depending on certain conditions. More on that later.

My remarks today will be limited to what we thought we knew about Samoa, what questions were unanswered, and what we know now.

Samoa and Pacific Maps

Why Samoa? What made it so special that a "Samoa only" exhibition would be held in New York in 1901? It might have been a fascination with stamps from an "exotic island paradise," but I think the real attraction developed because of its strategic location in the middle of the South Pacific.

The Missionary Period

1. Inter-Island letter

Starting in the first half of the nineteenth century, foreign interest in Samoa was basically limited to the missionaries. Mail was carried using any available ships that may have called, and was usually routed via Sydney. Some mail was carried to various towns by inter-island boats, as with this cover sent in 1858 from Rev. Henry Nisbet to his daughter at Safotulafai. Naturally, there are no post marks or rate, as it was carried by courier.

2. Earliest entire known outside Missionary archives

As was true with so much mail that was sent from half-way around the world, it took a very long time and cost the recipient a substantial amount to receive it. The missionary societies were obligated to accept these letters, since they often had instructions for payments to accounts that were held in London. Most of the known letters from Samoa are in missionary archives. The earliest known outside those archives is this cover, sent June 1836 and arriving a year later.

3. Only double rate letter with stamps (2 x 6d NSW) during the pre-stamp era.

On occasion, the missionaries or the ship captains may have had a small supply of New South Wales stamps to be used to apply postage in advance, or were simply given the money to purchase stamps in Sydney. Only one example of a double 6d rate is known, this letter that passed through Sydney in October 1868 and reached London two months later.

These three covers, along with most of the items on display today, have been selected from the international gold medal exhibit of Jan Berg, of Stockholm. Jan's help in all phases of the book was truly exceptional.

The next phase could be labeled "The Great Powers Discover Samoa." Early in the second half of the nineteenth century, Apia was discovered to be a natural harbour that was ideal for a coaling station for warships and other vessels. Its central location in the Pacific gave it strategic value. As a result, Great Britain, Germany, and the United States all set up consulates, established a municipal building, and set up a supreme court to adjudicate land disputes.

With this growing interest, the proprietors of the Fiji Times, who had founded a newspaper and mail service in 1870 in Fiji, established The Samoa Times on the same model in 1877. Each created stamps, primarily to carry the newspaper, but also offered them to the general public for mail service to other countries. A small literate population in Samoa made the level of use the post office very low, and mail depended on ships that averaged only two per month. Ultimately the venture was not successful and ceased operation in August 1881.

The Express Post Office

4. Sheet of 1d State I from the Royal Philatelic Collection

The Express stamps were lithographed in Sydney, initially in four rows of five of each of three denominations, 1d, 3d, and 6d. This reconstruction of the 1d State I is from the Royal Philatelic Collection, which graciously provided illustrations of each position for the book.

Full reconstructions of all states of the Express stamps are rare. The Royal Philatelic Collection is the only one that is complete of all 190 positions. Two other reconstructions that have been worked on for many decades still lack a few of the first or second state. I should point out that Mr. Berg's progress is quite remarkable considering the relatively short time he has devoted to pursuit of these elusive stamps.

The best reference in the past has been Yardley's set of autotype plates in his 1916 book. These were taken from the Luff collection, which had been purchased by King George V. A more recent update in Volume V of The Postage Stamps of New Zealand corrected some of the positions, but gave the plating marks only as a verbal description. In my book, two of the three reconstructions are used: that from the Royal Philatelic Collection and another that I assembled over a period of years, in a new approach to showing the plating.

5. Page from book showing 3d State II

For various reasons, it was necessary to conduct a new plating study for my book. An analysis of every position appears on each page, with primary marks shown in bold print. These are enclosed in circles or ovals on the second reconstruction, with the Royal Philatelic Collection's reconstruction left unmarked for comparison. This permits examination for transient marks that may have been ephemeral during the use of the stone. Some of you may know where this method for showing two examples with plating remarks might have been used before, but I'm not aware of any, let alone with examples from so few possible sources.

The pairs of illustrations of each sheet are tied to a two page "decision tree," whereby a person with a single stamp can tell with confidence whether it is a reprint, forgery, or one of the genuine issues. The final step is to compare the stamp with the actual positions. A quick trip through these states might be interesting. Full details are in the book.

6. Single 1d, to show characteristics of State I

State I of the Express stamps appeared in October 1877, and is identified by the relatively unbroken line over the "X" of "Express," along with fine dots over "Samoa" and a short serif on the "M" of "Samoa." Each of these deteriorated with successive states.

7. Single 3d, to show pen cancellation and 1d with Oct 26, 1878 CDS

Copies of State I are the only ones that were pen canceled, and that only until March 1878, after which all were canceled with a CDS. Supplies lasted until early 1879, but copies of the 3d are known used as late as August 1879.

8. Sheet of 2/- State II

State II appeared starting in May 1878. Besides the original 1d, 3d, and 6d, three very high denominations were added: the 1/- 2/- and 5/-. All were in sheets of 10, in two rows of five.

9. Single 2/-, to show State II characteristics and Fiji sunburst cancellation.

The line above the "X" developed a bit of colour and the dots at the top were not as fine as before. The serif developed a bit of a tail and a dot to the right. The 2/- shown has a Fiji sunburst cancellation, one of the few non-Samoan cancellations found on the Express stamps.

One of the problems with State II is that there are so few copies and almost no multiples of some denominations that it is difficult to assign individual copies to specific positions. In earlier studies, the three central positions were assigned arbitrarily, only because they were different. The end positions, of course, had a straight edge on left or right in addition to a top or bottom straight edge.

10. 6d proofs showing new arrangement of State II positions

In our study of the proofs, Jan and I looked at some of the extremely rare proof multiples, and he was the first to come to the understanding that the horizontal strip of three was from the middle of the bottom row, while the vertical pair matched the position to the left, or the #2 positions in the plate. That rearranged the order of copies of the 6d in State II, leaving only the #3 and #4 of the top row to be given a positive assignment.

The six central positions of the 5/-, the rarest of all Express stamps, are still arbitrary and may never be known.

11. Sheet of 3d State III

State III first appeared in April 1879, in sheets of 10, except for the 1d, which again was in sheets of 20, with the larger sheet size returning almost certainly for the higher demand of newspaper use. The 1/- remained State II, but was perforated with the State III stocks. These were first perforated 12 ½, and then 11.8, first clean, then rough cut. The rough perf examples were largely remaindered, often in sheets, and few used copies are known. This was probably due to the difficulty of separating them compared with the earlier supply. In some cases the rough perfs were applied numerous times, failing to break the paper. Some may think of these as double and treble, or more, but to most of us they are merely defective examples that show how poorly the work was done.

12. Single of 3d to show State III characteristics

By time the stones were prepared for State III, the break over the "X" had grown larger and the serif on the "M" was retouched even more. The dots above "Samoa" were also a good bit stronger than before.

13. 9d State IV

Although the basic rate to Great Britain was 9d right from the beginning, that denomination was not provided originally, with a combination of the 3d and 6d usually added to make the proper postage. Indeed, no cover is known with the 9d, although a piece with a pair may be seen in the display, probably coming from a double weight cover. It is the only known example of the 9d actually used.

The 9d was introduced in April 1880, in sheets of 10, and is the only issued stamp with State IV characteristics. In State IV, we see a much larger break over the "X" and strengthened dots over "Samoa" with a strong downward pointing serif and extra dots to the right of the "M." All copies have rough perfs, while the later productions of remainders and reprints do not.

14. Cover to Hannover.

Only 11 covers and nine examples on piece have ever been recorded with the Express stamps, almost all in conjunction with the stamps of other countries. The final use came after the post office had officially closed in August 1881, but the Municipal Board requested that services be continued until the end of the year. This cover is the only known example that was used during those four months following the official closing of the Express post office.

15. Remainder sheet of 2d State IV

The Express post office was a private operation, primarily to circulate newspapers, but the owners were aware of the philatelic interest in the stamps. Records are very sketchy or nonexistent, compared with what might have been likely for the case with a government post office. Whatever the case, new supplies in the final State IV were ordered in sheets of 12 or 21, depending on denomination, and presumably were delivered after the post office closed. They were never placed in use. These are called "remainders" and are quite scarce, particularly in full sheets. A new 2d denomination was prepared among these, but is a denomination that was never issued.

16. Reprint sheet of 2/- State IV

The album weeds are in the reprints. All were in sheets of 40, State IV, and usually cleanly perforated. The lithographic transfers were taken from full settings of the remainder sheets and besides State IV characteristics, are often less primitive looking than the originals. Any stamp perforated on all sides is very likely to be a reprint.

17. Comparison of Three Forgeries with Genuine

The other obvious album weeds are the forgeries. These are not very challenging, and should not fool anyone who has seen any of the genuine stamps or reprints.

Two marks distinguish the first, in the "S" and in the lower right triangle, but the shape of the letters is all wrong as well. The other two, one of which is the Fournier forgery, have arabesques that are either too thick or too thin. These and all the other known forgeries are illustrated in the book, with the most common ones as part of the "decision tree" pages.

The final discovery of note with the Express stamps was made by Mr. Berg. Although few copies bear the CDS of 1881, he found that the year slug 1880 had been altered by shaving off the right half of the final zero, making an "1881" of sorts. This is not difficult to understand if the continued operation of the service, which terminated eight months into 1881, did not want to add the cost of purchase an extra year date slug.

Municipal Post Office

With the closing of the Express post office, the consuls took steps to provide a municipal post office, which was previously referred to by some as the "Interim Period" for lack of a better name. Until recently, very little was known of this service, with only nine covers covering a period of five years. The list now stands at 24, thanks to Mr. Berg's efforts, and we have a much clearer picture of what happened. Research in Australia also turned up transcripts of documents that showed how the consuls established the service.

18. Municipal post office cover to Bishop of Dunedin

By contract, the municipal postmaster was permitted to collect 3d per 1/2 ounce, along with the necessary postage that would carry it to its destination. The earliest postmaster did not have the CDS from the Express post office, so we have no way of knowing how he showed payment. Ultimately, the postmaster obtained the old Express CDS, and signified the payment by applying the CDS to the cover. He then gave the letter to ship captains, who would pass them to the postmaster in Fiji, Auckland, or Sydney, where by common procedure of the time the proper postage was affixed and the Samoa account debited.

19. Municipal post office cover with 5¢ canceled with CDS

For mail to and beyond the United States, the municipal postmaster would take the letters to the U.S. consul, who had a supply of stamps, usually only the 5¢ and 10¢ for single and double international rate, which were applied and canceled with a cork. This is one of two of the known covers where the stamp had been applied before being presented to the municipal postmaster, and the CDS served double duty, both showing payment of the postmaster's fee and canceling the stamp.

This handling is very significant, as it carried over into the next and final period, and helps to provide an answer to the question of where the U.S. stamps were applied on the Palm Trees issues. Berg noticed a pattern on the covers where the CDS was applied, and how the day and month had been inserted in the upper and lower of the three available slots of the CDS. Dates show that these coincided with the time Davis was postmaster, and that his predecessor used a different pattern, allowing some tentative year dating.

The Davis Post Office

Palm Trees

Which leads us to the final "Palm Trees" period, also called the Davis Post Office. In September 1886, the commencement of the German Postal Steamship Agency ended the tripartite support for a Municipal mail system. The British and U.S. consuls objected to mail being handled by the German service, and John Davis, then the municipal postmaster, moved to have stamps prepared by the New Zealand Government Printer for a separate service. By profession, Davis was primarily a photographer, and he furnished a picture of palm trees to Bock and Cousins, who designed the stamps and incorporated the image into the dies.

20. The Palm Trees stamps and variants

In December 1886, King Malietoa issued a decree, bearing two of the Palm Trees stamps, appointing John Davis as Postmaster for the Kingdom of Samoa. His post office continued as the official post office until Samoa was partitioned in 1900.

Some of the questions raised in Volume V about various stamp issues remained without an adequate explanation until very recently. To understand these problems, a little background information should help.

The six stamps in the top row of the slide are the original issue of 1886, perf 12 ½ and on paper with horizontal mesh and a 6mm space between the NZ and the star. Only 104 sheets of 120 of each denomination were printed. This particular paper was being retired from use in New Zealand, and saw only brief service on two further small printings in 1887, but both of those were perf 12 x 11 ½. With very few copies of these additional printings from which to make decisions, McNaught and Burge had assigned the printings to different perfs and papers. That confusion has now been resolved.

Few of either printing saw much use, and supplies lasted three years, until May 1890, when another printing was ordered, but this time two new papers were used. The New Zealand Government Printer first used up supplies of vertical mesh paper with 4mm watermark, printing sheets of each denomination, and then finished the order with roughly equal amounts on vertical mesh paper with a 7mm watermark. The watermark of the last paper became the standard for the remainder of the Palm Trees printings, even though paper quality changed in some of the later issues.

All this leads to the rarest of the Palm Trees, and a source of major confusion at the time of Volume V. The 6d denomination, which was not in the original issue, had been known in a very few copies perf 12 ½, and had no explanation. The only printing of the 6d before 1890 was definitely perf 12 x 11 ½. The conclusion was that they were proofs. Some time after that book was published, however, Burge and others of us started looking at the 6d perf 12 ½ stamps and found that they all had vertical mesh paper with a 7mm watermark. Since this paper was used later than the perf 12 ½ machine, another answer seemed indicated. We all then inspected our holdings of the original issue perf 12 ½ stamps and found a small number of some other denominations that were also printed on that paper. The puzzle grew more interesting, since almost all of them had a later postmark than that usually found on the original issue.

21. Small printing Palm Trees

Ever since Volume V we have known about a recorded "Small Printing," made in March 1891. Only 600 copies were printed of the ½d, 1d, and 2d, and decreasing numbers down to only 120 of the 2/6. The conclusion in Volume V was that it "would not have been a special printing, but... probably comprised stamps from damaged sheets of the earlier May 1890 printing."

With the discovery of the perf 12 ½ stamps we now know that a special printing did take place, but could only speculate why. Then, less than a year ago, an Australian student of John Davis and his post office, Brian Buru, made a very logical connection of facts. New Zealand was the producer of stamps for a number of Pacific Islands, and was applying for membership in the UPU in 1891. Since they supported the Davis post office and realized that it could not gain UPU recognition on its own with the Imperial German Post in place and a veto from the German consul a certainty, New Zealand included a number of the small countries as a part of its application. Rather than furnishing multiple copies of stamps to each UPU country, only one was needed for this type of application. These were produced in a special printing that often had less than optimum make-ready, and the remainder (after the UPU copies were extracted) was sent to Samoa. Most of these were used, but Mr. Berg has made some extraordinary finds and now owns well over half of all the known copies. All of the known examples are illustrated in the book, with the exception of one 6d stamp and a new find of a 2d by Mr. Berg. I've told him to stop making so many new finds or the book will be out of date before long. In any case, this should permit any new finds to be verified.

22. Patched and Replaced varieties

All of the stamps printed before April 1, 1895, were perf either 12 1/2 or 12 x 11 1/2. Virtually all were destroyed on that day by a fire that consumed the post office. A few shilling stamps were salvaged and for a month they were bisected until the new supply arrived. All stamps after the fire were perf 11, with one minor exception perf 10 x 11, so it is easy to say that only those perf 11 were remaindered and supplies of the others are fairly limited.

In spite of that, a number of very collectible varieties are found among the perf 11 issues. Interestingly, they reflect the quality of printing processes in New Zealand, where the stamps of New Zealand would have been subjected to careful checking and defective stamps removed before reaching the public.

First of these, and they do occur with some regularity in New Zealand, is the patched and replaced variety. Since the printers were half-way around the world from the source of supply of the paper, they did not have the luxury of discarding defective sheets. Instead, they employed a labour intensive device of removing a damaged stamp, replacing it with another, and patching it into place. They then reperforated the sheet, which usually gave mixed or double perfs, and in many cases had to slit the patching paper to make separation easier. The resulting mutilated stamps are, of course, very desirable to collectors.

23. Examples using string used to lift sheets

Another source of confusion that affects both New Zealand and Samoa is the curious disappearance of some of the design on the stamp. McNaught felt that an ink repellent was on the plate, while Burge considered it faulty make-ready. These are found on New Zealand issues, but relatively fewer than in Samoa, where quality control was virtually non-existent. The best explanation can be seen on the blue 4d stamp, overprinted "Provisional Govt." A definite line, like a string or wire, can be seen at the bottom. The Malietoa stamp on the right has the full design at the bottom missing, and the 1d block at the left shows missing design on the bottom left stamp, but none on the one to the right of it, but that stamp has been patched into place of one that was probably even more damaged. The answer seems obvious: A string or wire was placed between the clichés of the plate to help lift the paper after printing, and sometimes failed to stay in the valleys between the clichés. The removed design was handled in different ways, including patching and replacing.

24. Imperf between pairs

A final notable variety is the imperf between pairs of the 2/6 and the surcharged R3d. Although the higher 2/6 denomination might seem to be more difficult to find, the R3d holds that distinction, with the largest multiple of the error two pairs, while part panes of six of the 2/6 are known.

Other discoveries are revealed in the book, but time restraints make it necessary to move to the final subject, the postal history of the Palm Trees.

Palm Trees Postal History

25. Cover to France

Rates were not known well enough to publish more than 1 1/2 pages in the postal history portion of Vol. V. The Collectors Club Philatelist monograph (1975-1978) expanded greatly on that, but was based on about 28% of the now known covers. With the greatly expanded database of 1,000 covers, almost four times the previous number, the suppositions that had been made may now be modified or confirmed. The text of the postal history section of my book is 62 pages, with an additional 60 pages that give full details of all recorded covers.

First, we look at the rates. These were virtually unknown before the series in the Collectors Club Philatelist, but have been refined in the book. Initially, the rate was 6d per 1/2 ounce, with 5¢ U.S. postage. Very often the U.S. stamp was applied horizontally, and almost always canceled with a cork grid. The cover shown is the earliest known of the Palm Trees era with U.S. stamps added to any destination, here one of the few known to France.

26. Double rated cover with 6d + 10¢

In mid-1888, the competing Imperial German Post reduced its rate, so the Davis Post Office dropped from 6d per half ounce to 3d. U.S. postage, when required, remained 5¢ throughout the entire era from 1886 to 1900. This cover shows the double 3d rate, with 10¢ as double U.S. postage. Interestingly, once the 6d stamp had been printed in 1887, it was used on almost all covers until the 3d rate was introduced, and in this case is used to pay the double rate.

27. Cover with 2½d rate

Until the Malietoa 2½d stamps appeared, the usual makeup of the UPU 2½d rate was with a 2d and a ½d stamp. The rate change took place in 1891, when New Zealand was accepted as a UPU member. At this time the 5¢ U.S. stamps were still needed for mail to or beyond the United States. The need for such additional stamps will be next in our discussion.

28. 2 March 1887 Cover with postage due

One of the most "energetic" differences of opinion in the last 30 years has been the question of who applied the U.S. stamps, and where were they canceled. One camp has steadfastly maintained that all U.S. stamps were canceled in San Francisco. Full stop. The evidence of the Municipal Post Office period and the extensive database indicate otherwise. The earlier smaller database gave strong indications that two different processes were involved, but a few individuals viewed those as inconclusive.

First we must look at the way covers were handled. This was not known until the final stages of preparation of the book. The earliest period extended until October 1887 and no U.S. stamps were added, so recipients had to pay postage due. That did not sit well with the recipients, so U.S. stamps were added, as they had been in the Municipal Post Office period, until August 1891.

29. Cover with 5¢ canceled with cork and with SFO CDS

Even with a limited number of examples to judge from, I had maintained in my earlier series that those stamps canceled with a cork grid were applied in Samoa and canceled there. This cover, which I first saw in Munich in 1973, was a fine example of one that had been canceled in Samoa and which then received a CDS in San Francisco. My thinking at the time was that if it were canceled with the CDS, why was it also canceled with a cork? This and many other covers show that the cork was applied in Samoa

30. Cover with 2½d to Burlington, NJ

The third period extended for three years, in which U.S. stamps were added for registry on letters to U.S. destinations, and on all mail to foreign countries through the United States. An exception was that mail to Great Britain through the U.S. in the New Zealand Marine Post Office bags did not require postage, since the bags passed through unopened.

31. Cover with 8¢ registry and 5d flag for double postage

The final period, from August 1894 to 1900, required U.S. stamps for registry only. This 1899 cover shows double the 2½d postage with no payment in Samoa for registry, but bears an 8¢ U.S. stamp that pays for registry only. All known covers that show registry payment with U.S. stamps have that fee of 8¢ only and nothing additional for the postage, showing that the postage was accepted.

32. RLS cover with GB 1d forwarding

Only one example is known where the cover was forwarded with the stamps of a third country-this 1894 letter from Robert Louis Stevenson to the son of his solicitor. The 1d stamp was added in Mumbles, South Wales, after the letter had been carried there pursuing the student, who had returned to Edinburgh. Note the characteristic handwriting of Stevenson or his amanuensis, Belle Strong, who was his daughter-in-law and wrote when he dictated and was suffering from writer's cramp.

33. Cover with 5¢ canceled with cork and with SFO CDS

The "Eureka" moment for this whole discussion came about two years ago. While I was examining this cover, also written by Stevenson, this time to his solicitor, I noticed a few features that suddenly pulled everything into place. First, the pair of the 2 ½d stamps paid for a double weight letter, but no payment could be made in Samoa for registry. The 10¢ for double the 5¢ rate was appropriate, as was the 8¢ for registry, and they were canceled with a San Francisco oval. The back of the cover has the legend in red pen "PM/Apia/Samoa." Obviously, if Stevenson had written the letter, the sender was not the postmaster.
I then returned to look at those covers with the San Francisco oval on the stamps for which I had recorded the backs. Without exception, all had the same "PM/Apia/Samoa" annotation, even though the handwriting of the address was different. In each case, the stamps required were different from the usual 5¢ or 10¢ denominations that were likely to be on hand at the U.S. consulate, and most often where registry was involved.

The new interpretation seemed obvious: When U.S. stamps were needed for regular mail, Davis could get them at the U.S. consulate as he had during the Municipal Post Office period, and, probably there, they were canceled with a cork grid. When the denominations were not available in Samoa or entering into the registry system was required, Davis made the annotation to guide W.A. Cooper toward affixing the proper postage in San Francisco. My book gives many more examples of this activity.

34. Cover with bisect and four 2¢ stamps to pay registry

I earlier mentioned the April 1, 1895, fire that destroyed the post office. A few of the shilling stamps were salvaged, and for a month, until replacement stamps arrived, Davis bisected them to show postage paid. Earlier interpretations held that a specific amount was signified, such as 6d, for half of the shilling stamp, but that is not the case. This April 24th cover was addressed by Davis to a stamp dealer in San Francisco and also has the "PM/Apia/Samoa" annotation on the reverse. That date was the first sailing to San Francisco after the post office recovered from the fire, and the four 2¢ stamps paid the 8¢ registry, and are canceled, as we now know to expect, with the San Francisco oval.

35. Dryden bisect

This cover was sent on the final day that the bisects were needed, May 22, 1895, and was the source of a great deal of analysis by Burge and McNaught. The full story was not completed until August 2004, when A.P. Dryden was identified by Robin Startup, of New Zealand, who had just read the book. Burge and McNaught had thought that it was backdated, since some of the covers to Dryden bear perf 11 bisects. Dryden was the Marine Post Office Mail Agent on the Monowai, which had sailed from Auckland on 18 May 1895. Since the new supply of perf 11 stamps was delivered to the New Zealand Custodian of Stamps on 11 May, that replenishing supply was on board. No doubt Dryden became aware of the use of the bisected shilling stamps and desired to have a few souvenirs for himself. At least three that he prepared bore the perf 12½ bisects while the remainder came from the stock of the newly arrived perf 11 stamps.

The address "c/o W.A. Cooper" would be a fixed location between Samoa and London that he could use to receive the letters, since his employment had him traveling extensively. The key to the explanation of the dates on the covers, which had confused Dick Burge and Ken McNaught, is that they were canceled 22 May in Samoa. After the covers had been processed by Davis, Dryden then put them into the NZMPO bag that passed through the United States unopened and went to England without further marks. Only when it was opened in London on 22 June, the final address was seen and the covers redirected to San Francisco, where they arrived on 4 July.

36. Two early covers, one fake

Although there are many more new findings in the book, I'll offer one final one as a caution. Certain covers have been "improved" over the years, but usually with little knowledge of what would be correct. The list in this book gives details on all known covers, along with any problems some may have. The two shown here are particularly instructive. Both were sent in August 1887, which you may recall from my earlier remarks is the period when U.S. stamps were not required. Each bears a copy of each of the four lowest denominations, to make 7 ½d, when the rate was 6d, and are the earliest known philatelic covers. The registry numbers on each indicate a sequence that show that they were processed in San Francisco and in New York by the same registry agent in each location. The main difference is that the cover on the top has an uncancelled ½d stamp under the New York registry label, and two U.S. stamps, paying the 5¢ postage and the 10¢ that was the correct registry fee at the time. Besides now knowing that the period was one where U.S. stamps were not added, it is fairly obvious that a registry clerk handling first one and then the other would return to the other of the two to see why the one without postage did not have it. If the U.S. stamps had been present, it is highly likely that some sort of postage due would have been noted. The answer is that they and the extra ½d stamp were added.

That brief introduction will give you an idea of some of the new findings in the book. I'd like to extend my thanks to the Society for publishing the book, and to acknowledge the fine help of Michael Sefi and Chris Harman of the publications committee for their efforts on its behalf.