Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-13
RARE STAMPS.
The Mania for Collecting Postage-Siamps-
Row They nre Obtained.
Hartford Post

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The announcement that $500 had been
paid for cancelled Brattleboro' postal
stamp calls our attention to 4 mama which
has gradually increased until il has reached
sn extent which is really extraordinary.
Some may inquire, What leads people IN
collect postal-stamps! The only reply il
found in another question, What leads
people to ,olle.t anything? The fact ia
that u disposition 10 make collections Of
some kind has Glways been a feature in our
lace. One OF the str2ngest Of thess c0llcc.
tons, which in one instance, at least, be-
came mahia, is mentioned IN the life o!
Tom Moore. While travelling through
England he met man who collected hang
mems ropes. and who had 200, each tex
oted with the name o. the victim. The
poatal-stamp mania is Of modern date, bu.
1t has during brid period reached such
an extent tlat 1t is impossible 10 fCresee
any limit to prices.
Formerly payment ~ postage was made
in money and was marked with pen and
ink: at present. however, geo governments
use stamps. In 1S40 the letter were adopt
I'd in the British post-Otlice, and seven
years later our cwn Government made
.imilcr change. The example thus se. on
both sides of the Atlantic was gradually
followed until theuse Of stamps has become
universal. The mania for collecting them
soon hcCan, though at first Il YVES very limit
cd. II grew ike all Oiher forms Oi mania
until ii became a regular trafi" and was re-
CucCd tc asystcm. The value Oi rare stamps
Is row generally fixed, and there are cOi-
loctors IN all parts Of tee world. The
highest price ever paid FOR postage stamp
d . - 4 on
the French island 81 Re Union. The origt-
nal cost Of this stamp was IS ccniimes and
80 confines (3 cent, and ccnt>l aid
The immCpse advance is solely due 10
their rarity aud the TACT that they
are necessary to ! complete collection
OF foreign stamps. There Is not one for
sale at any price. The next hiFhes; Is the
BrGttleboro' stamp. which j. mentioned ~
the paragraph above referred % a. having
been sold at $500. This statement * cvI-
IDENTIFY incorrect, and perhaps it, author
has one Of these stamps for sale, and there
fore take. this method TO bull the market.
Tie best quotation that can obtain for TIE
Bratteboro' stomp i. Sl00. which certainly
seems high enough when The frsi cost was
from 6 to Isl cents. The origin q; Tie
Brattleboro' stamp. "a ] am informed, IL "a
follows: In 1916 the postmaster ot thGi
place he'd some stamps made in order IN
obyiate the necessity OF using the pan. II
was merely a 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 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 30 gene.
raj that clerk, in houses engaged in 'src gn
commerce carefully remove them from all
letters, and this affords large Supply.
The foreign correspondence OF the Her2d
is sufficiently large to form au item in the
stamp trade. The same statement applies
to all the great journals. snd. in fact, 50
soon as any ofiice-boy gets hold Of foreign
letter, he strips the stamp of and carries it
to some dealer. Among the greatest varle-
ties are the PHILIPPINE and Peruvian stamps
while, on the other hand, the Porto Rlco
stamp is very cheap. Madeira and British
Guinea, however, are high, and the law Of
supply and demand prevail In this ~
in all other commodities. IA soon
as stamp becomes rare the maniac
collector increases his bids until ihD-
ulous prices are obtained. There are
number OF stGmp-dealer., the most eN'en-
sive being the Scott establishment. Id
Broadway. Mr.. Scott /. native q Lon
don, but has been 10 this country quarter
OF a century. He issues an internahouS'
postage album which gives samples Oi
very extensive range. the price being s-oo.
Some may think this q large sum to lnVest
in such q volume, but there are ~ man!
purchasers as the supply will permit. Thcfe
Is an all-suiliceBt abundance OF common
stamps for which they pay five cents per
hundred. and sell the same quantity Tor ~"
cents. German stamps arc very abunuan.'
owing 10 the immense amount OF c0iIr
spondence with that country. Hence Tue!
are very cheap, and the quo,stisn ~
present il one cent per hundred. ecoN
sells six hundred assorted stamps for CIV
but as soon as one gets into the varie,'c' r'
fancy prices must be expected. SCOT 10
customers who are ready TO pay almost any
thing that may be asked for the ianc'e';;
lie operates boldly when he sees gool
opening. and hence when the hau.u
stamp was issued be sent orders Tor aii 'la'
could be obtained from the authcr'lr,.
He also ordered at one time Sj.OOV WoIlh
Of Porto Rico stamps. One OF his pstTVm,,,,
is member OF the princely Vanderpu..
family, whose collection has already coss
$4,000. These facts show the imnlehS'1
extent which this specially has reaehs.u,
and also those ianciful prices which are .ne
result OF so widespread mania. s'aaipJ
collectors are found In all large cities nna
one Of the most liberal Of this class - =
Bostonian, whose collection fully r"'"
that OF Vanderbilt.