Significance Of 12/31/51 Postmark In Hawaii

I found a group of ten postal cards (Scott #UX27) with a Honolulu, Hawaii, postmark of 12 pm on December 31, 1951, and the slogan "Build Your Future Wisely, Safely U.S. Savings Bonds." Each of the postal cards is unaddressed and blank on the reverse, which possibly suggests a commemorative postmark. Any idea on what was being commemorated?

It is the last day of the 1 cent postcard/postal-card rate.

Thank you.

So, being the furthest west in the US, the person was attempting to create the last US penny postal cards properly postmarked.

Strange that he didn't go later in the day.

EDIT: Perhaps the P.O. closed at noon?

While Guam is "Where America's Day Begins" (on the far side of The International Date Line), there were other (then) possessions further west of Hawaii.

So it would have been hard to be "the last US penny postal cards properly postmarked", as someone in Hawaii would have known.

I think it was just the last day at the old rate. On his lunch hour.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Ah, American Samoa, which is one-hour behind Hawaii, would be the candidate. Guam, as you point out, Northern Mariana, Marshall Islands (then a territory), Palau (then a territory) and Micronesia (then a territory) are all across the international date line.

Your lunch hour theory sounds sound. Despite sub-optimal execution by the collector, the cards may still represent the latest postmark that survives. It might take some doing to find a 12/31/51 American Samoan postmark on a one cent after 11:00 am. The population was under 20,000 at the time. Of course, there also could well be a card from Hawaii (population of 498,000 in 1950) lying around postmarked later than high noon.

So, if someone farther west (relatively speaking) mailed a postcard after noon on their December 31, 1951, it would be a later example?

EDIT: Further? Farther?

I would think so. Despite the exotic Pacific locales discussed above, the likely last postmark is from Los Angeles in the late evening.

john, it's your mission to find it! (Wink.)

If you were really speaking "relatively" you would use "further." But you are actually referring to literal distances, so "farther west" is correct. Associate "farther" with "far" and think of literal distances. Reserve "further" for metaphorical or qualitative comparisons (whether time, distances, or other comparisons).

Thanks, Basil!

Re farther/further: I am relieved that I was correct. I am further relieved that I did not need to explain 'why'. Thanks, Basil!




Let's not forget Johnston Island, Ponape, Midway ... all of which lie west of Hawaii, east of the Date Line (if memory serves), and offered US postmarks in 1951.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

KGB - I like the early closure conjecture. It's New Year's Eve in the tropics, pre-statehood. Let's shut 'er down.

Actually, the counter to the early closure argument is that, in these informal places so far from DC, it is relatively easy to get a postal clerk to do you a favor, and backdate the card.

This appears to be nothing more than a hand-back request done at the time indicated. Dec 31, 1951 was a Monday. Businesswise, I don't see any way a large P.O. could get permission to close early - especially on the last business day of the year. Many large offices also had 24-hour window service in the Main P.O. or at transportation hubs. Backdating is highly unlikely too, as shenanigans like that would cost a job.