The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-10-02
Rare Stamps,

Ths announcement that $500 had
| bren paid for a Cancelled Brattle5Oro
| postal-stamp calls our attention to
mania which has gradually increased
/ until it has reached an extent that is
really extraordinary. Some may in
| quire, what leads people to collect post
| al-stamps? The only reply is found
| in another question, what leads people
to collect ANYTHING? The fact is that
/ disposition to make collections of some
kind mas always been 4 feature of our
race. One of the strangest of these
collections. which in one instance. ut
! least, became mania, s mentioned in
! the life of Tom Moore. While travel
/ ing through England &c met man
who collected hangmtn's ropes. and
who had TWO hundred, each ticketed
| with the name of the victim. The
/ postai-stamp mania is of modern date.
! but it has during brief period reached
such an extent that it is impossible to
foresee any limit to prices.
| Formerly payment of postage was
made in money, and was marked with
pen and ink; at present, however, two
/ hundred Governments use stamps. In
I
British postolfice. and seven years later
! our own Governments made similar
! change. The example thus set on both
sides of the Atlantic was gradually fol-
/ lowed until the use of stamps has be-
come universal The mania for col
! iecting them soon began, though ut
| first it was very limited. 1t grew like
all other forms of mania until it be-
came a regular traffic and was reduced
! to Il system. The value of rare stamps
! is now generally fixed, and there are
collectors in all parts Of the world.
The highest price ever paid for post
are stamp was $500. The one referred
! TO was issued on the French island of
! stamp was fifteen centimeS and thirty
| confines (three cents and six cents),
and the immense advance is solely due
to their rarity and the fact that they are
necessary TO complete collection of for
eigu stamps. There is not one for sale at
any price The next highest is the
! Brattleboro stamp, which is mentioned
/ in the paragraph above referred t. a:
! having been sold for three hundred
/ dollars. This statement is evidently
| incorrect, and perhaps its author
| has one of these stamps for sale.
/ and therefore takes this method to bull
the market. The best quotation l can
/ obtain for the Brattleboro stamp is 500.
which certainly seems high enough
! when the first cost was from to 1871
cents. The origin of the BrattleborC
stamp, rs am informed. is as follows:
| In 1876 the postmaster of that place
had some stamps made in order &c
obviate the necessity OF using the pen.
1t was merely 4 private convenience
and its sole Importance is due to the
fact that it is the first stamp ever used
| in America. The first New Haven
stamps are also of high value for z
similar reason. The next year stamps
were ordered by the Government, and
we now wonder how they ever got
along without them.
The demand for stamps is now so gen
eral that clerks in houses engaged il
foreign commerce carefully remove
! them from all letters, and this afford;
large supply. The foreign cores
pOndence of the Herald is sufficiently
large to form an item in the STAMP
trade. The same statement applies tC
all great journals, and, in fact, rs soor
rs an ofiice-boy gets hold of foreign
letter he strips the stamp off and carrie;
it to some dealer. Among the greatest
varieties are the PHILIPPINE and Peru
Wan stamps, while, on the other hand.
the Porto Rico stamp is very cheap.
MADEIRA and British Guinea, however,
are high, and the law of supply and
demand prevails in this as in al
other commodities. As soon as
stamp becomes rare the maniac
collector increases his bids unit:
fabulous prices are obtained. There
are number of stamp-dealers, the
most extensive being the Scott eS
tablishment, in Broadway. Mr.. Scott
is a native of London, but lie has been
in this country a quarter of Il century.
He issues an international postage al
bum, which gives sample. oi Il very eX-
tensive range, the price being $3.50
Some may think this large sum to in.
vest in such 4 volume, but there are q:
many purchasers rs the supply will
permit. There is an ali-Suificienl
abundance of common stamps, fol
which they pay five cents per hundred.
and sell the same quantity for ter
cents. German stamps are very album
dant, owing to the immense amount OF
correspondence with that country.
Hence they are very cheap, and the
quotation at present is one cent pei
hundred. Scott sells six hundred as
sorted stamps for $40, but as soon as
one gets into the varieties fancy price;
must be expected. Scott has custom.
ers who are ready to paw almost any
thing that may be asked for the fancies.
He operates boldly when he sees a GOOD
opening. and hence, when the Madeira
stamp was issued he sent orders for al
that could be obtained from the au-
thorities. He also ordered at one time
s., 000worth OF Porto Rico stamps. One
of his patrons is member of the
princelv Vanderbilt family, whose col
lection has already cost $4,000. These
facts show the immense extent which \
this specially has reached, and also
those faHciful prices which are the re.
suit of So widespread mania. Stamp
collectors are found in all large cities,
and one OF the most liberal of this class
IS Il BOStonian, whose collection fully
rivals that of Vanderbilt. Hartford
Post.
Weaving Rabbits Wool.
Yesterday drove to St. Innoccnts
to see the hngora rabbits, whose
filr furnishes soft and Sniuua hi.