17 December 1888 registered cover from Honolulu, Hawaii to Freetown, Sierra Leone
postage and fees prepaid with 25¢ 1883 issue portraying a statue of King Kamehameha I

Before Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898, it had been an independent kingdom and then a republic. After 1878, Hawaiian stamps were printed by the American Banknote Company in the United States.

1883 Hawaii quarter minted in Philadelphia

In 1883 Hawaii contracted with the United States mint for the production of silver coins based on the current United States series. Designed by Charles Barber, the coins, minted only for a single year, portray King Kalakaua I and the Hawaiian coat of arms. These were the only silver coins minted for Hawaii.