, 1876-06-16
pHILATELICAL pURsUITg,


PHILATELICAL PURSUITS.
Curious pontage-stnmps, Their Collectors
md Their Methods.
Stlo FORK NIoria
The otller evening, crossing al Fulton Ferry, a.
the writer WIS placing some tickets In Ills pocket
he Glanced to expose an cnyelopcful Of used
stamps that he taking hons for his little grl,
who La ''making colcctiun.' Instantly stran-
ger sitting bcsIIo leaned over With manifestation
"Ah!" hs sail, "a pli!atelist1 What depart.
mcnt, sir' TN general md Aria myse1f."
aabseqens wheh dseosea tbs acs a
tlat TIC pursuit. Of plllatc1y or, in other words,
tho collection Of postage sApa. is literally one II
Co., formerly Of Nassau street aud now on Fulton,
nrc At tho head Of the American trade. That trade
IL rot small ons, f9r this stnslu louse has stock
tou 1'rarscis. IND rari, two al rarls}, md sworn
bcr of collectors In ths Inited States Al 100. Co.,
the value OF tller collections ruuglnX ail tho wNy
from 81 to $50. 600.
cn!leclt1n OF articles Of no ntrnslc vnlnc but tic
wonder cc"ses vile" Tho prLces Of soma Of the
without which no collection Of high class Is com.
pletc. The ono-shilling Canada stamp Of 1861 WINS
withdrawn aMost as suon ~ It was txsued and 60
became rarity. 1tarrcs now IN S25, From SIT
to $50 ~ tile value Of thr provisional ntanps issued
by tho Postmasters Of Providence, Brattlcboro and
lad been pnt ont; tliu cnriy irsues ni Goiumbia;
tho Peruvian half EesetA of 1biB; tho ypllow six
penny stamp Of Victoria Of 1901; tic Tuscan three-
cnrat0 Of l8t,l and 1852. Tho original Mnlready
envelope. which, Issued Under Str towlansl lsIi's
penny postnge SYSTEM, lnay be called the father Of
nav for s.. II collector liaa ny, s15o 10 sparc
he may nugotinte fur the red penny blue A.ponny
s lnslpt nut confond ttlc.o phllatcltcai treasures
with the blue penny and red 4.renny stamp Of
The sano Issue, which arc worth but few cunts.
Reason why-ths printer made d mistake and
changed the coiorA 6f to stnnps from whnt II was
Intended they should be, and biz error was nut
and used. Then tho correction was inaio, hi tie
i,ihle" AMI other books .natte valuable through
atiori to pay 500, be can invest tLat sam ID a
stump OF the hnndw!cil Islall1s iss,o OF 1859, or
of tho s.. Louis Post olice Of lSa5 Denomination
Some t!ea Of the magnitude of the business Ia Ia.
cesdensally afforded " such facts ~ theaS Tho
the fsnnklrg system ind tho insitution Of elaborate
stamps for tho Executive. tho Tfeas,lry, the War
Department, etc.. have bcen so oyerrun with 1p-
plicatoa that they hAro had to print c3rculnrn con
iAiuing all information % to Tho stusnps they Issue,
tel1 description aMd Erlee, and 10 sFike oH sheets
Of stamps asIoss w1S az thnse ,tsnps sa only
culcd" Ia inscribed. For thcsc full face value js
cxactcd aud a. completo get Of stamps is worth
salpa lie collecting Of which forms quito nnohcr
branch Of tho subjectl tho legitimate Inference i
tint she Departments receive several thousand
dollars year fTtm this source of revenue. Wh8th-
Ct they arc authorized thus to dispose Of their
stamps, aud what becomes Ut the receipts thcro-
fo 1h b p1os'y tS "G by
lcct on its hands.
Eyon lesa legitimate than ths dealing was M in-
tic Goyr1pmrnt lssued j delivery by carrier i
stump, tcchulcally known ab the ~ Head Frank
llnr which was nlnioss ~ soon Withdrawn nhl be-
rarity Of nearly fabulous value, till In some
mysterious MRnuet suulc one got huli nf the plate
and struck on sonu sheeta of tho stamps; the
iaws u tTae which govnsr The pb!atsal indnstry
an we'll as others) heing that The bottom tnmalod
ous Of tho "Fraakl" Head" market. Similarly,
t'ok 10 t"snng stHmps, In 0rlcr u aaye lsbnr had
their own stamps tknown technically ~ "locals"l
ratsd sa ID ao III S1rfess avs found
have additional Impressions taken from the old
platrs.
Additional evidence ~ to the importance OF the
business ~ Afforded by tho oxistcnrE Of u body Of
eomss ,noassrstey ysluatle-thsy ars too kaen 70
IT, Glayaut intronI, Tho finest artist In this d..
pattlneat Of nefnrious industry, whose limitations
u Sicaras9anM ~ ana AnKolan stamps In particular
serving n tss!n Of twn ycnrn In the Penis J yania
snts rfse .nn, ~ hasS; Sng g 81 s Icy pt ~
ise caiwailacr Pa,roni all tusine.s si1su s,n'es On
large seals, having Aa less lhan seven Offices for
ths salo Of ata.nps to collectors,
Thc nobs nt!ny of phllatoljsts contains rccru!ts
from every quarter " als globe mud every ciusA Ut
member Ut thu urlur III thp United states, and IN
sal4 to t,s'hserH colleclua 0f much mnfe linn
nsual altraCtfvunces, fact which will be readily
credited by those who knew how domcsttc Tho Gen.
crat nt tho Army IL. uNd tl!e keen Interest hu takes
In hIs children aud theIr pursuIta and pleasures.
A. any olr can see WIN will tako tlle truubta 10
visit The lhiAtcltcal Euporiunl the deyo.crs afs
of all suctnl gEaacs nuI VI every age, frusn lhe
satuTlsy il .hs 'rhlIdre!s lay." aid ffons osa
VI night they rnur, III in thtongs, Making tLrir
lttle purchases and exchanges, and obtaining
opintois ~ to the valuu aud. Eeaulness
sharp customer tells With glvu how, having holI-
day and The privilege of ransarkin ths letters ac.
euMulated during many yssr1 il, thy bAnk Of which
hs wat clerk, he enriched hix collection aud sold
lis vasato III tis ls:rkshrs hijjs, hc found ioss.
master without guile, who snla him for 80 CENTS
some sheets ot ''locats" q Thirty years sgo, for
which Tbs purchaser got $500, all! thai tbs dealer
Eo extensive q constituency could not ba s1+
pected 10 ba without very, coploua llturature.
There l. q cstaloEuo Which has reached nlsea'y
lls thlttIeth edition Hnl se!cntleth thousand!
.",rhiEa!elical Library which .lcsotrs no fewer
thnn loI pngt. tn a mcIo list of h,oks und
magazine attlr!c4 of Interest IL collectors: aid,
ahoso ali, tho Anssfean Jnurndt of Fhiatt!y: !
lnonfhly publication Of thitty.two pages, which
has bow reached u 1aoth number In lieu u \
chrome tls publisher givss 10 zach subscriber ;.
valna bic foreign stamp" New York. too, has It's
lh!lAtrlIc1l Society, body strong III numbers aud
taotc than s11ou9 in The svcu position VI its cl1'
Postal cards. Us well ~ postage stamps. arc the
spoil as.I prey nf tbs cbllrctur Sirco lust scycp
ysaS sSu Anstrsa !naalSutaled the system, thEty,