Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-04-21

Riding n Hobby that has Plenty OF
Food and Room for Exercise.

From the New York Sun.
where did we get that quantity Of stamps in
the window? Why, 1t is only sample of what
we have inside" a stamp dealer said. "Look
here opening large case closely packed with
stamps, land at these" displaying q pile of
albums more or less filled. 'Ill tell you where
we got them. We buy them from every civil
lied country in the world. Only this morning
we got In quantity Of rare Belgian stamps
which cost us s., 900. We have agents and cor
respondents in the capitals of every country,
who are always on the lookout for anything rare
in our line. Besides we purchase large guam
titles from small collectors in the United States,
many Of whom make a fair living nosing about
importing houses and begging the stamps from
foreign letters
"Do you have many customers!"
II should say we do. Besides the large num-
Der OF retail dealers throughout the United
States to whom we SELL we have valuable Gus
toners In the army of stamp collectors which
has sprung upOf late. You would be surprised at
the number Of persons absorbed In the hobby
Stamp collecting Is no longer school boy pas
time. 1t has become the serious occupation of
thousands of persons. the most Of whom as l
IND by experience. are far past their youthful
days. You have 10 idea of the avldity with
which they scrapc together these odd-lOoking
stamps. and the large prices they are willing to
pay for them. | have heard of some who keep
their stamp albums under double lock. and Of
others who even keep them under their pillows
at night! Stamp collecting is the most aluring OF
hobbies. There are $500 different stamps
known. The value of certain single stamps is
equal TO many persons yearly income. A
leading banker, whose residence is in Madison
avenue. has an album of stamps worth at the
lowest estimate $4,000. Another album
owned by lady, is valued at $25, OOO. could
name several more. varying in value from
1000 down to IS OOO
what inducements have they to eXpend
such large sums in intrinsicaly worthless
articles ?'
well. some are enthusiasts, and they collect
stamps from pure love of the rare and curious
Just as many expend fortunes on rare manu-
scripts and works OF art. Others, and believe
they compose the larger class, have more char
acteristicay American views. They see the
almighty dollar behind. these tiny pictures, and
they buy them up for the same reason that q
Keen wall street man buys up stocks which he
knows will bring profitable returns. From two
to five years will double the value of nearly
every one OF these stamps, and these collectors
know, what they are doing when they invest
largely In the article
Are corners in the stamp market possible ?'
certainly; many collectors are at present
buying up all the match box and medicine rev.
enue stamps which pass out of use In july They
hope In few years to create corner in the
market and get them off their hands at immense
for S15' '
What collections have been sold at notably
large prices -
There was one sold in London in 1876 for
4SOO Another sold in Paris last fall for
10000 francs. We ourselves have sold several
S5.OOO collections. This may surprise you, but
remember that some OF these little stamps sell
for more than 5000. There is one of the old
local stamps issued by the Brattleboro, VT,
post Office in 1916. We would not sell 1t to-day
hnx-1
equal value. The stamps which are most In
demand and bring the highest prices are the
provisional stamps Issued from lB44 to 1916 by
the pOstmasters of Baltimore, st. Louis and
brattlebOro. Here is the Baltimore stamp-a
simple frame of single lines enclosing fac
smile OF the autograph of James Buchanan
The st. Louis stamp displays the arms of the
state of Missouri with st Louis and the
large mineral OF value above. and p. o. be-
low. Inc BrattleborO stamp consists of the
autOgraphic initials IT. n p in an OutagOn
ground of vertical lines, with 'Bratteboro
above and p. o. at the sides. ANY of these
can be sold for 5000
ut is said" the reporter remarked, .'that
many rare stamps have their birthplace in stamp
factories In Chicago and other enterprisinr
towns"
'lhat Is not true. Stamp cOunterfeting has
Deen entirely broken up in the United States
since we overturned one of the concerns in
Philadelphia in 1876 and had the proprietor
sentenced TO state prison for twenty years. Be
sides, the stamp dealers are generally experts,
and can no more be deceived by counterfeit
stamps than the bank teller by counterfeit bank
notes.
when and where did this mania for stamp
collecting begin?'
IT may be said to have originated in London
III 1867 when Mount Brown, ESQ.,. published the
first list of postage stamps. DR.. j. E. Gray or
the British Museum, followed with similar
and more complete work in the same year.
Ihese works were widely read, excited much
curiosity. and caused thousands to become
stamp collectors. The mania went on increas-
ing until at present l can safely say there are
more than million persons seriously devoted
to collecting stamps