Archive 007 — Hawaiian Missionaries

Hawaiian Missionaries

The fragile stamps that carried voices across the Pacific.

In 1851, the Kingdom of Hawaii issued its first postage stamps. Printed in blue on a hand-operated press in Honolulu, they were created by Henry M. Whitney, Hawaii’s first postmaster and the son of missionaries. postalmuseum.si.edu

The first issues appeared in 2-cent, 5-cent and 13-cent denominations. They became known as the “Hawaiian Missionaries” because many were used by Christian missionaries living in the islands to send correspondence back to the United States. postalmuseum.si.edu

Their simple appearance hides extraordinary rarity. Printed on fragile paper and produced in very small numbers, relatively few survived. The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum notes that only 197 examples of the Missionary issues have been recorded. postalmuseum.si.edu

Today, they are among the great classics of Pacific philately — tiny witnesses to long-distance communication between Hawaii and the wider world.

With Archive 007, this remarkable chapter of postal history takes on a new form. Reimagined as a 100-piece miniature puzzle, the Hawaiian Missionaries become an object to assemble, contemplate and collect.

Finished with a delicate soft-touch surface for a refined, tactile feel.

100 pieces · 10 × 14 cm · Collectible mini puzzle · STAMP → OBJECT™