Hakalau Sugar Mill and landing from a picture post card undated.

Location of Hakalau (red dot).
For overland route and map details see Overland Mail Routes - Island of Hawaii Routes and Maps of Hawaii - Island of Hawaii

237.02
29mm single lined circle
Color: Purple
Scarcity 2
Usage: October 17, 1892 – August __, 1894
Many strikes appear to be made for philatelists and cancelled-to-order; one dated Mar. 11, 1893 is on an unaddressed postal stationery envelope; the 1893 strikes shown here are on covers addressed to a Honolulu stamp collector; the 1892 strike going to Germany appears to be an ordinary commercial use.

281.02
30mm double lined outer and single lined inner circle
Color: Purple
Estimated: 7
Usage: March 7, 1895 – May 14, 1900
Some uses appear to be canceled to order or at least philatelic; noted on the $1 Scott No. 49, a presumed philatelic use. The “1896” year date was damaged trying to extract it and a new 1896 die was ordered.

Landing on the Hamakua coast.

Location of the Hamakua post office.
For overland route and map details see Overland Mail Routes - Island of Hawaii Routes and Maps of Hawaii - Island of Hawaii

801
Hamakua
manuscript
Color: Black
Rarity: 1RRRR
Noted on Scott 31

805
Hamakua/Hawaii
manuscript
Color: Black
Rarity: 1RRRR
Noted on Scott 31
Illustrated in Burt, Western Express, June 2001, p. 55

Location of Hilea (red dot).
For overland route and map details see Overland Mail Routes - Island of Hawaii Routes and Maps of Hawaii - Island of Hawaii

801
Hilea
manuscript
Color: Black
Rarity: 1RRRR
Noted on Scott 31 about 1866

282.016
32mm double lined outer and single lined inner circle; 8 ray sunburst ornaments
Color: Pink, Magenta, Purple
Rarity: 1RRR, nine strikes are recorded
Usage: December 17, 1883 - December 17, 1888; the last documented use (LDU) was reported stolen from the U.S. mail.
In January, 1891, the postmaster reported the postmark device had been in use since 1882 and was "entirely worn out."
Purple is noted in December, 1883.

282.011
33mm double lined outer and single lined inner circle; large sunburst ornaments
Color: Black, Purple; some oxidized purple marks seem brown. I note purples strikes up to May, 1898 and black thereafter.
Scarcity: 4
Usage: January __, 1888 – July 25, 1898
The July 25 last use noted is on a Scott No. 75 from the December 21, 1897 printing.
On November 26, 1898, the postmaster reported his postmarking device was "broke so that it will not hold the date mark" and requested a new one.
I suspect this mark is scarcer than a 4.

253.01
27mm double lined circle
Color: Black
Rarity: 1RRR, nine strikes recorded.
Usage: December 15, 1898 – June __, 1899
Later strikes have a single outer circle from ink clogging.

Hilo town and beach from Aloha Nui post card dated Jan. 2, 1899.

Location of Hilo (red dot).
For overland route and map details see Overland Mail Routes - Island of Hawaii Routes and Maps of Hawaii - Island of Hawaii

Downtown Hilo, c. 1880. The post office is the peaked roof building in the left foreground.
(Courtesy of Hawaii State Archives)

Hilo town looking from behind toward the harbor, from picture post card dated Dec. 29, 1899.

Hilo Hotel from picture post card dated Jan. 5, 1900.

Waianuenue St., Hilo from a picture post card, undated.

801
manuscript; four different styles reported
Color: Black
Rarity: 1R
There are at least five distinct styles. Although three styles are in a similar script, they appear to have been written by different people.

802
manuscript; three styles of Hilo/Post/Office and one of Hilo/P.O. are reported
Color: Black
Rarity: 1RRRR
Noted on Boston Lithographed stamps.
Three styles of Hilo/Post/Office are noted. The third style also has a date. One style of Hilo/P.O. is noted.

211
single lined oval 45mm x 28mm
Collectors Office/Hilo, Hawaii
Color: Black
Scarcity: 2
Usage: August __, 1859 – June 13, 1865; strikes are seen on notepaper in the 1870's. At least one example is known cancelling a revenue stamp, Scott R-1, c. late 1870s.
Burns downgraded this mark from a 1R.
There are 39 recorded strikes, not including strikes on notepaper or revenue stamps.

242.13
34mm single lined circle; The June 16, 1866 strike shown is the only strike in my record with a visible cross-bar in the “H” of “Hilo;” the cross-bar is missing in the EDU strike on May 31, 1866 and in another June 16, 1866 strike so the cross-bar normally failed to make contact
Color: Black
Scarcity: 3
Usage: May 31, 1866 – May 2, 1879
The device was made in May, 1866 by Thomas Tannatt of Honolulu, who also made a similar device for Lahaina. The material was probably quality steel because it lasted through a long usage period.

238.02
30mm single lined circle
Color: Black, Blue, Purple
Scarcity: 3
Usage: June 27, 1879 – February 18, 1888; and July 8, 1894 - December 7, 1894; the device was sent to Hilo in June, 1879. It was returned to Honolulu for repair in November, 1886 and was lost in February, 1888. In July, 1894, it was found and used briefly. Used as a fiscal cancel; dates noted in 1881-1882 and 1885; examples of this usage are quite scarce.
Blue strikes are recorded in October, 1884 -1886 and perhaps into 1888; the 1894 strikes are purple.

281.01 (I)
30mm double lined outer and single lined inner circles. Three marking devices made very similar marks conforming to type 281.01.
Type 1: Inner ring is 18mm; “HILO” letters are spaced 1mm apart, are 4mm tall and nearly touch the inner and outer circles; “L” of “HILO” has a stubby top left serif; by January, 1888, the outer circle broke to the right of the comma after “HILO.” (See comparison detail at the end of Hilo entries).
Color: Purple, Blue, Black
Estimated: 6
Usage: March 12, 1885 – September 26, 1889
Many strikes of this mark have single lined outer circles because of ink clogging, over-inking and, eventually, wear and were mislabeled as type 274.01. I note blue strikes from March to April 15, 1886. I have black strikes from January to March, 1888 and purple from June, 1888 to February, 1889. The latest strike (September 26, 1889) reverts to blue.

235.9a2 (mark known only with a duplex target cancel)
27mm single lined circle
Color: Purple, Blue
Estimated: 6
Usage: December 2, 1886 – November __, 1890; the date type was a problem and the dater was sent to Honolulu for repair in February, 1891. The postmaster reported the entire device was lost later that month.
I have blue in December, 1886, purple from May, 1888 to March, 1889 and blue again, starting in December, 1889.

282.011
33mm double lined outer and single lined inner circle; large sunburst ornaments
Color: Purple, Black, Blue
Estimated: 8
Usage: November 7, 1889 – April __, 1900
I note blue strikes from November 7, 1889 to May, 1890; purple from July, 1890 to October, 1892; black from November, 1892 to July, 1893; and purple again from January, 1899 to September, 1899 (my latest date). I record no strikes from July, 1893 to January, 1899 and wonder whether the device was not used then.

281.01 (II)
30mm double lined outer circle and 17.5mm x 18.5mm single lined inner oval. Type II: “HILO” letters 3.5mm tall; “L” of “HILO” has a stubby top left serif; outer circle unbroken until in mid-1892 when a break opened above the 2nd leg of the "H" in "Hilo." (see comparison detail below). Strikes often seem doubled.
Color: Purple, Black, Blue
Estimated: 8
Usage: June 8, 1891 – January __, 1896
I have purple strikes from November, 1891 to September, 1892; blue strikes in October, 1892; black from November, 1892 to January, 1894; and reverting to purple from February, 1894 to January, 1895 and reverting to purplish black and black from July to September 1895 my latest strike). Late strikes of this mark have single lined outer circles from ink clogging or wear and were mislabeled as type 274.01.

253.03
27mm double lined circle; the rubber in this device apparently was malleable because some strikes are oddly misshapen and the mark spread out and the letters widened toward the end of the usage period; the dates are often oriented oddly. Strikes in 1900 have 29mm circles and the letters are taller and wider, all attributed to distortion of the device.
Color: Purple, Blue, Black
Estimated: 9
Usage: August __, 1894 – March 14, 1900;
Infrequent use between January, 1897 and January, 1900
I have purplish-brown strikes in September, 1894, black from late September, 1894 to February 14, 1895; purple from February 21, 1895 to July 6, 1898; blue from February 25, 1895 to May 9, 1895; purple from May 14, 1896 to January 2, 1897 and January, 1899 to January 18, 1900; black again from January 22, 1900 to February 2, 1900 (February 2 strikes are a dark, blackish purple); and purple again from February 5, 1900 to March 14, 1900.

281.01 (III)
30mm double lined outer and 17.5mm single lined inner circle. Type III: “HILO” letters 3mm tall; “HILO” is well centered between the inner and outer circles; in most strikes, the top serif of the “L” is complete and arced; the innermost line of the double lined outer circle is wavy; by August, 1895, a “bite” came out of the outer circle above the “H.” (see detail below).
Color: Blue, Black, Purple
Estimated: 6
Usage: October 18, 1894 - April 3, 1896
I have black strikes in December, 1894 and blue strikes thereafter.

271.035
26mm single lined outer and single lined inner circle; fleur de lis ornaments; steel device
Color: Black, Purple, Blue
Estimated: 10
Usage: August 1, 1895 – December 29, 1899; the postmaster complained in August, 1895, that the device was illegible and indistinct.
Earlier dates are seen, but they are believed to result from errors by the clerk in setting the date. Possibly, some early dates are philatelic favors made after the fact. Marks with an 1883 year are seen on 1898 covers. A stamp is known bearing a March, 1893 date on Scott No. 30. This postmarking device arrived in Hilo in 1895, so either the stamp is evidence of another mistake or was applied as a favor cancel sometime after the device was in Hilo.
I have a black strike dated August 1, 1895; steel blue strikes in October and November, 1895; black strikes from January, 1896 to May, 1899; purple strikes from June, 1899 to December, 1899.

October 11, 1895

December 29, 1898

Note the year in the mark is '83, but the cover is an 1898 cover. Marks sporting an '83 date in fact were used in 1898.

The Hilo Hotel corner card on cover postmarked with Hilo type 271.035 dated July 18, 1899.

253.01 (I)
27mm double lined circle
Letters of “HILO” spaced tighter than in Type II ("Hilo," is 13.5mm long and letters are spaced 0.5mm apart) and comma following “HILO” is above the space between “A” and “I” in “HAWAII”; (see detail below). In later use, the circles were worn down to single lined circles.
Color: Purple
Estimated: 6
Usage: January __, 1897 - March __, 1900

253.01 (II)
253.9a1 (duplex target cancel)
27mm double lined circle
Letters of “HILO” spaced wider than in Type I ("Hilo" is 16mm long and letters are spaced 1.0mm apart); the comma following “HILO” is above the 2^nd I of “HAWAII” (see detail below). In later use, the circles were worn down to single lined circles.
Color: Purple, Red
Estimated: 6
Usage: March 16, 1899 - June __, 1900
I have purple in March, 1899 and red from October, 1899 to June, 1900

255.01
29mm double lined circle.
Letters of “HILO” spaced widely (“HILO” is 17.5mm long and letters are spaced 2mm apart, see detail below).
Color: Purple, Black, red
Rarity: 1RR fourteen strikes are currently recorded but other strikes misdescribed as 253.01 may be 255.01
Usage: June __, 1899 – May 27, 1900
First listed by Burns in 1988.

271.039a
26mm single lined outer and single lined inner circle; dash ornaments; listed by Davey/Bash and Burns as type 271.03.
Color: Purple, Black
Estimated: 7
Usage: March 8, 1900 – July 12, 1900
I have dark purple strikes from March to early June, 1900 and then the strikes become blackish with a tinge of purple after about June 4.

Hilo 281.01 (I)
March 12, 1885 – September 26, 1889
Inner circle is 18mm; “HILO” letters are spaced 1mm apart, are 4mm tall and nearly touch the inner and outer circles; top left serif of “H” in “HILO” to comma is 20mm; “L” of “HILO” has a stubby top left serif; by January, 1888, the outer circle broke to the right of the comma after “HILO.” By August, 1888, the break partially closed.

Mar. 12, 1885, earliest recorded use

“L” of “HILO” in Aug. 8, 1885 strike
(retroreveal enhanced)

Jan. 25, 1888, showing break in outer circle
(retroreveal enhanced)

Aug. 23, 1888, showing break in outer circle has closed, partially
(retroreveal enhanced)

Hilo 281.01 (II)
June __, 1891 – January __, 1896
Inner circle is 17.5mm; “HILO” letters are spaced 2mm apart, are 3mm tall and are well centered between the inner and outer circles; top left serif of “H” in “HILO” to comma is 20mm; “L” of “HILO” has a stubby top left serif; by April, 1892, break in the outer circle begins to open above the right leg of the “H” in “HILO” and by November, 1892 the break is more obvious, but by February, 1894 the break has partially closed; many strikes seem to have a double impression or shadow strike of “HILO.” The inner circle is more oval than round.

November 12, 1891, no breaks in outer circle
(retroreveal enhanced)

stubby top left serif of “L” also shows the “L” seems doubled
(retroreveal enhanced)

April 21, 1892, early break in outer circle above the 2^nd leg of “H” in “HILO,”
(retroreveal enhanced)

November 28, 1892, break in outer circle above the 2^nd leg of “H” in “HILO” is more obvious
(retroreveal enhanced)

Hilo 281.01 (III)
December 13, 1894 – March 31, 1896
Inner circle is 17.5mm; “HILO” letters 3mm tall; “HILO” is well centered between the inner and outer circles; letters of “Hilo” are spaced 2mm apart; top left serif of “H” in “HILO” to comma is 19mm; top serif of “L” in “HILO” is complete and arced; inner of the outer circle lines is noticeably wavy; by December, 1895, a bite is taken out of the outer circle above the 1^st leg of the “H” of “HILO.”

January 3, 1895, no breaks in outer circle
(retroreveal enhanced)

caption: “L” of “HILO” showing complete top serif, arced, and wavy inner line of the outer circle
(retroreveal enhanced)

December 3, 1895, showing “bite” out of the outer circle above the “H” of “HILO”
(retroreveal enhanced)

Hilo 253.01 (I)
January __, 1897 – March __, 1900
Letters in "Hilo” are spaced 0.5mm apart; distance from “H” of “HILO” to comma is 13.5mm; narrowly spaced outer circle lines, often clogged; comma following “HILO” is above the space between “A” and “I” in “HAWAII”

February 21, 1898, showing partially clogged outer lines
(retroreveal enhanced)

November 25, 1898
(retroreveal enhanced)

Hilo 253.01 (II)
March 16, 1899 – June __, 1900
Letters in “HILO” are spaced 1.0mm apart; distance from “H” of “HILO” to comma is 16mm; comma following “HILO” is above the 2^nd “I” of “HAWAII;” outer circles clogged or worn in later strikes.

December 8, 1899
(retroreveal enhanced)

Hilo 255.01
June __, 1899 – May 25, 1900
“HILO” is 17.5mm long and letters are spaced 2mm apart; outer circles are clear of clogging