Skip to main content
Smithsonian main website

Search

Donate

EnglishEnglish
EnglishEnglishAfrikaansAfrikaansAlbanianAlbanianAmharicAmharicArabicArabicArmenianArmenianAzerbaijaniAzerbaijaniBasqueBasqueBelarusianBelarusianBengaliBengaliBosnianBosnianBulgarianBulgarianCatalanCatalanCebuanoCebuanoChichewaChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCorsicanCroatianCroatianCzechCzechDanishDanishDutchDutchEsperantoEsperantoEstonianEstonianFilipinoFilipinoFinnishFinnishFrenchFrenchFrisianFrisianGalicianGalicianGeorgianGeorgianGermanGermanGreekGreekGujaratiGujaratiHaitian CreoleHaitian CreoleHausaHausaHawaiianHawaiianHebrewHebrewHindiHindiHmongHmongHungarianHungarianIcelandicIcelandicIgboIgboIndonesianIndonesianIrishIrishItalianItalianJapaneseJapaneseJavaneseJavaneseKannadaKannadaKazakhKazakhKhmerKhmerKoreanKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)Kurdish (Kurmanji)KyrgyzKyrgyzLaoLaoLatinLatinLatvianLatvianLithuanianLithuanianLuxembourgishLuxembourgishMacedonianMacedonianMalagasyMalagasyMalayMalayMalayalamMalayalamMalteseMalteseMaoriMaoriMarathiMarathiMongolianMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)Myanmar (Burmese)NepaliNepaliNorwegianNorwegianPashtoPashtoPersianPersianPolishPolishPortuguesePortuguesePunjabiPunjabiRomanianRomanianRussianRussianSamoanSamoanScottish GaelicScottish GaelicSerbianSerbianSesothoSesothoShonaShonaSindhiSindhiSinhalaSinhalaSlovakSlovakSlovenianSlovenianSomaliSomaliSpanishSpanishSudaneseSudaneseSwahiliSwahiliSwedishSwedishTajikTajikTamilTamilTeluguTeluguThaiThaiTurkishTurkishUkrainianUkrainianUrduUrduUzbekUzbekVietnameseVietnameseWelshWelshXhosaXhosaYiddishYiddishYorubaYorubaZuluZulu
Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
  • Visit
    Visit
    • Know Before You Go
    • Location and Directions
    • Calendar of Events
    • Public Programs
    • Tours and Itineraries
    • Museum Highlights
    • Museum Shop
    • Virtual Tour
    • Virtual Self-Guides
    • Information Desk
    • Reviews
    • Accessibility
    • Alerts
    Plan a Visit

    Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    Admission is always free!

    2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
    Washington, DC 20002

    The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

    street map of Postal museum

    Learn more
  • Exhibitions
    Exhibitions
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    • Virtual Exhibitions
    • Past Exhibitions
    The museum's Atrium
  • Learn & Explore
    Learn & Explore
    • For Researchers
    • For Educators
    • National History Day
    • Topical Reference Pages
    • Oral History
    • Research Articles
    • Stamp Collecting
    • Social Media
    • Activities
    Front windows showing stamp images at night
  • Collections
    Collections
    • Search the Collection
    • Collection History
    • Collection Plan
    • Collection Projects
    • Object Donations
    • Object Loans
    • Digital Asset Collections
    • Rights and Reproductions
    • Preservation
    • Object Spotlight
    People in front of log post office building
  • About
    About
    • Support the Museum
    • History of the Museum
    • Celebrating 175 Years of the Smithsonian Institution
    • FAQs
    • Host an Event
    • Museum Councils
    • Philatelic Achievement Awards
    • Volunteering
    • Internships
    • Employment
    • Contact Us
    • Smithsonian Affiliations
    • Press
    • Meet Our Staff
    • Site Map
    Historic Lobby
  • Blog
  • Home
  • Collections
  • Search the Collection
  • Coconut
Click to view social media share links

Coconut

Object Details

Description
This is a coconut mailed from Raymond J. Boudet, stationed in Hawaii in 1944, to his wife, Marie Boudet, in Springfield, Massachusetts. The addresses are carved into the shell. The postage, two US Scott 820 and one US Scott 812, is affixed to a cardboard tag and totals 37 cents. The postage is adhered to a piece of cardboard and is attached to the coconut with a metal wire poked through the end of the coconut. The stamps were cancelled by the US Navy, the Navy Censor, and the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
The light brown nut is adorned with a carving of a heart pierced by an arrow and labeled "Ray" and "Marie;" a decal of a hula dancing woman playing a ukulele; and "Seabees Hawaiian Islands 43-44" is also carved on the back. Above the address is affixed a decal featuring a bee with tools surrounded by anchors and marked "Seabees," representing the naval construction battalions. Raymond Boudet was a member of the 99th Naval Construction Battalion, Company A.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
1944
Object number
1996.2028.1
Type
Covers & Associated Letters
Medium
coconut, paper (cardboard), metal, paper, ink
Dimensions
Height x Width x Depth (Coconut): 6 1/8 x 9 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (15.56 x 24.1 x 21.59 cm) Height x Width x Depth (Tag): 3 1/4 x 4 3/4 x 1/4 in. (8.26 x 12.07 x 0.64 cm)
Place
Hawaii
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Topic
World War II (1939-1945)
Covers & Letters
Record ID
npm_1996.2028.1
Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm86ae7eb97-d073-4389-91a3-888c276ad55d

Related Object Groups

  • Explore America: Hawai'i
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Plan a Visit

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Press
  • Site Map
  • e-News
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Flickr

Have you signed up for our monthly e-newsletter?

Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

Back to Top