This item is a mint Hawaiian stamp issued in 1893 and listed in Scott as #56. Stamps without the overprint are Scott #35, and were issued in 1875. By 1883, Scott #35 was obsolete, but stocks were kept on hand until 1893 for sale to philatelists. (The Hawaiian Post Office was known to be accommodating and kept reprinting obsolete stamps and kept them available at the Honolulu post office.) Two cents would have paid the domestic rate in effect until 1900, but as Scott #35 had already been obsolete for a decade in 1893, few remained to be overprinted-and these were largely sold to collectors. Just 37,500 of #56 were issued.

The history of the stamp is as follows:

This stamp shows the portrait of King David Kalakaua (r. 1874-1891) and who was the last reigning King but not last reigning monarch of Hawai`i. When the Monarchy was overthrown by the United States on January 17, 1893, all stamps on hand at the post office were overprinted with the words "Provisional / GOVT. / 1893" starting in May of that year and reissued. All the stamps had royal symbols or showed members of the royal family, and the overprint was applied to make them more politically correct.

The 2-cent value was used primarily to pay the domestic postage rate, as well as in combination with other stamps to pay various domestic and international rates.

TERMS OF SALE:

Please note that your bid constitutes your acceptance of all the terms listed below. If anything is unclear, please e-mail for clarification or do not bid.

Shipping:

All stamps shipped by US Mail. US Orders $1.00 without insurance, international rates vary according to country of destination (please e-mail.) Optional insurance starts at $1.70 for US addresses for values up to $50, and registration services are available worldwide for an additional fee. Uninsured shipments sent at buyer's risk.

Payment options:

Paypal, Money Orders, and Checks payable in the US are accepted. Credit cards accepted through paypal only. Checks must be drawn on a US bank, or I cannot cash them! (I can no longer accept Canadian Postal Money Orders, even those in US dollars-sorry!) Discount available for multiple item purchase.

Return policy:

14 day, money back guarantee, provided the item(s) are sent back in original condition. The 14-day period is defined as follows:

US bidders: 14 days from the 3^rd day after the item is sent.

International: 14 days from the 7^th day after the item is sent.

If there is a problem with an item (i.e. a problem with the item itself, it didn't get there, etc.), please e-mail me within this time frame and I will be happy to work with you! Sales will be considered final after that point if no contact is made. If any item is returned for any reason, shipping charges will not be refunded.