Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-11-19
Rare Stamps.


The announcement that $500 had
been paid for Cancelled Brattleboro
postal-stamp calls our attention to q
mania which has gradually increased
until it has reached an extent that L:
really extraordinary. Some may in
quire, what leads people to collect post
al-stampsp The only reply is founc
in another question, what leads people
TO collect anythingp The fact is that 8
disposition TO make collections of some
kind has always been feature of our
race. One of the strangest of these
collections, which In one instance, nj
least, became mania, is mentioned liz
the life of Tom Moore. While travel
ing through England he met mar
who collected hangmen's ropes. ano
who had two hundred, each ticketcc
with the name of the victim. The
postal-stamp mania is of modern date
but it has during brief period reached
such an extent that it is impossible te
foresee any limit to prices.
Formerly payment Of postage wa
made in money, and was marked with
pen and ink at present, however, two
hundred Governments use stamps. In
1910 the latter were adopted in tn,
British postofiice, 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
lecting them soon began, though al
first it was very limited. 1t grew like
all other forms of mania until it be
came regular traffic and was reduced
to system. The value of rare stamps
is now generally fixed, and there arr
collectors in all parts of the world
The highest price ever paid for post
age stamp was $500. The one referred
to was issued on the French island o.
Re Union. The original cost of thi
stamp was fifteen confines and THIRTY
confines (three cents and six cents)
and the immense advance is solely du
to their rarity and the fact that they ar,
necessary to q complete collection OF for
eign stamps. There is not one for sale q
any price. The next highest is tn
Brattleboro stamp, which is mentione,
in tho paragraph above referred to a
having been sold for three hundre,
dollars. This statement is evidently
incorrect, and perhaps its autho
has one Of these stamps for sale
and therefore takes this method to bul
the market. The best quotation Cal
obtain for the Brattleboro stamp is $l0C
which certainly seems high enoug
when the first cost was from 6 to 10
cents. The origin of the Brattlebor
stamp, as am informed, is as follows
In 1916 the postmaster of that plac
had some stamps made in order [
obviate the necessity of using the per
1t was merely private convenience
and its sole Importance is due to tn
fact that it is the first stamp ever use
in America. The first New Have
stamps are also of high value for
similar reason. The next year stamp
were ordered by the Government, an
we now wonder how they ever &c
along without them.
The demand for stamps is now so ger
eral that clerks in houses engaged
foreign commerce carefully remoy
them from all letters, and this afford
q large supply. The foreign CORES
pondence Of the Herald is sufficient
large to form an item in the s;lm
trade. The same statement applies {
all great journals, and, in fact, as 500
as an office-boy gets hold of foreig
letter he strips the stamp off and carrie
it to some dealer. Among the create
varieties are the PHILIPPINE and Perl
Wan stamps, while, on the other HAND
the Porto Rico stamp is very chcal
MADEIRA and British Guinea, however
are high, and the law of supply an
demand prevails in this as in a
other commodities. AS soon as
stamp becomes rare the manis
collector increases his bids unit
fabulous prices are obtained. Thel
are q number of stamp-dealers, Il
most extensive being the Scott G
Enlistment, in Broadway. Mr.. SEQ
is a native of London, but he has bee
in this country quarter of centur.
He issues an international postage a
bum, which gives samples of very e,
tensive range, the price being S25
Some may think this large sum TO il
vest in such q volume, but there are
many purchasers rs the supply wi
permit. There is an all-suliicie
abundance of common stamps, Fl
which they pay five cents per hundre
and sell the same quantity for Il
cents. German stamps are very abui
dant, owing to the immense amount
correspondence with that countr
Hence they are very cheap, and ii
quotation at present Is one cent p,
hundred. Scott sells six hundred a
sorted stamps for $40, but as soon
ono gets into the varieties fancy pric
must be expected. Scott has custom
ers who are ready to pay almost an
thing that may be asked for the fancie
He operates boldly when he sees GOO
opening, and hence, when the Maiden
stamp was issued he sent orders for O
that could be obtained from the a.
thorities. He also ordered at one tin
$1,000 worth of Porto Rico stamps. o.
of his patrons is member of u
princely Vanderbilt family, whose CO
lection has already cost $4,000 The
facts show the immense extent whit
this specially has reached, and al
those fanciful prices which are the +
suit of so widespread a mania. STAN
collectors are found in all large cite
and one of the most liberal of this ella
is Bostonian, whose collection full
rivals that of Vanderbilt. HuvUo,
DooI