The New Orleans crescent., 1868-11-20
Collectors n nd Collecting.


Charles G. Leland goss..os pleasantly in the
Philsdelphia Press of the nh nlas OF eOliectors
He says OF the
com COLLECTORS.
- When the writer was boy, Jersey
ploughpennies and Massachusetts Indian cents,
ring cents, and the like, passed current at their
nominal value. Very conscientious people doubted
whether they were really and legitimately worth
one cent each. So they called them Bungtowns,
and used TO nail them 10 the counter in ignominy,
even as crows or hawks were nailed to barnd0ors
or the heads Of traitors TO the tower Il London.
And now-qudntum D1utdtus db WO! The Bung
towns have risen to honor and glory-the whole
entire North American republic collects cents
there are counterfeits on counterfeis OF the rare
Issues and 1t is the dream of most of the smaller
genuses TO have complete series.
We know gentleman whose coin. collecting has
assumed the form de nliitimus-that is TO say he
cares for no piece Of money which is more than
third of an inch in diameter. Thus he has Roman
gold scudo, or dollar, such in Italy are called
tdiJGle, OF butterflies, from the easy way they
."Ch, my golden euca.s say,
Wilmer have We flown away"
He has also the California gold half and quarter
dollars. Spanish and South American silver three
cent pieces. English two-penny pieces, Arabic
forty cent gold coins, such as Oriental damsels
string TO their earrings, and finally the twelfth
and sixteenth part of farthing standard coins is
sued by the English mint. Like the crazy half
salvation depended on finding still smaller coin,
for which TO sell his bottle imp. than any one had
seen. he earnestly inquiries for money of lesser
diameter and lower cost. Should he meet with
epangle which had passed as legal tender in some
fairy land of little people over sea. he could calm.
ly close his eyes and pass away. Oh. innocent
svarice Let them say who will: nullum uitiunl
tetrtus guam drdiTtid land Cicero said it), it
seems hard TO think that such love of gold is q
crime With the coin collector it is not the figure
but the face which fascinatcs.
STAMPS.
mania for collecting principally confined to
very young people, Is that of postage stamps.
One for this is that il is mania easily in
dulged in, as every one who receives foreign let
ters can bestow on Johnny or Susy something
quantity may be " traded of " for one rare and
desirable stamp. Again, several stamps which
have been used may be exchanged for one which
has not been defled by postal service.
In 1867 postage stamps were our only
small money. Then, according to 0rpheus G.
Kerr. young ladies we're also valued In the United
States by postage stamps. People spoke of
damsels as being worth five hundred thousand
stamps. This was not much when the stamps
were penny ones, but those of the red kind made
II fifteen thousand dollars, which, in that period
of depression and low prices, rendered the pos
SCISSOR an object of interest to government clerks
and to some unmarried congressman. Hence it
came that money was called stamps-whch, by
the way, accounts for the origin of that beautiful
song:
Father. dear father, down with the stamps:
My miIner's bill Is unpaid.
About that time a scampish genius sent through
the post circulars stating that for twenty-five
cents he would send a beautifully engraved steel.
line portrait OF Andrew jackson, in the highest
style OF art, and for fifty cents portrait of Wash
iDgton. Those who remitted the quarter were
faithfully supplied with two. cent STAMP, while
the halves elected three.