November 13 2000 Postage Stamps issued by Hawai'i Post

HAWAI'I POST ®

November 13 2000 - 150th Anniversary of the birth of Robert Louis Stevenson.

NOTE: From November 14 2005, these stamps are no longer available. This webpage is provided for reference only.

A set of 2 stamps and a mini-sheet were issued on November 13th 2000 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish Poet, Novelist & Essayist).

Born in Edinburgh Scotland on November 13th 1850, Robert Louis Stevenson grew up to become a successful writer. His books include "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped", "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" etc. In France, he met his wife Fanny, an American. With her, he travelled widely including a trip to Hawai'i where he visited King Kalakaua and Princess Ka'iulani. Before the Princess left for Europe in 1889 to finish her education, he wrote a special poem for her (shown on the $3 mini-sheet). He finally settled in Samoa and died there in 1894.

The $5 stamp (above left) prepays the overnight rate. It shows RLS reading a book to the young Princess Ka'iulani on the steps of "Ainahau" in Waikiki.

The $8 stamp (above right) prepays the Same Day rate. It shows RLS sitting with King Kalakaua on the verandah of I'olani Palace in Honolulu.

The $5 and $8 stamps are from original miniature watercolors painted by local artist Wayne Takazono. Both stamp drawings are © Hawai'i Post.

The $3 Mini-sheet (below) plus the $5 stamp prepay the Same Day rate. The Mini-sheet has a black-and-white portrait of RLS and contains a poem written by him for Princess Ka'iulani before she left for Europe in 1889 to finish her education.

RLS POEM ON THE MINI-SHEET READS:
"Forth from her land to mine she goes,
The island maid, the island rose,
Light of heart and bright of face:
The daughter of a double race.

Her islands here, in Southern sun,
Shall mourn their Ka'iulani gone,
And I, in her dear banyan shade,
Look vainly for my little maid.

But our Scots islands far away
Shall glitter with unwonted day,
And cast for once their tempests by
To smile in Ka'iulani's eye."

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Technical details of the stamps and mini-sheet:
Colors: $5 & $8 - multi-colored
Size: 32mm x 48mm (stamps). 84mm x 70mm (mini-sheet).
Stamps sheet size: 30 (6 across, 5 down)
Perforation: 12. The mini-sheet is imperforate.
Stamps design: Wayne Takazono.
Mini-sheet design: Enelani.
Layout & Pre-press: Enelani.
Printer: Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i.
Printing Method: 4-color (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) printing process.
Sheet margin markings: HAWAI'I POST (top middle), "Traffic Light" showing 4 colors used in printing (lower left side), © 2000 Hawai'i Post (lower right side) & Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i. (bottom middle)
Paper: GPA coated white stock with water-activated gum on the back.

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