Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-01-27
STAMPS BY THE MILLION.
Talk with q Dealer IN Old
Postage stamps.
An Old Eadys Collection Of q Million
Stampa-One, $500

VI y new DIX stamp dealer. BeneaLn
the placlrd is q mold Of postage stamps
at least two feet in height, extending
clear across the show window. They
are tied up in little packages about
three inches long and arranged in sym
metrical order. like the earthwoIks of
. military fertilization, several small
toy cannon being ranged at the port
holes along the ridge of the miniature
battery to complete the resemblance.
I'VE do not deal in stamps of this
kind ordinarily" said the proprietor Of
the store to Mail and Express re-
porter, ''as they are only of the COM
monest varieties, one, two and three
cent stamps of the present issue. We
purchased the whole lot only a few
days ago from an old lady who had a
mania for collecting them and simply
as curiosity. She sent them to US in
big trunk and told us there was
million IN all. Most Of them were
tied up as you see in little bundles
containing five hundred stamps each,
but large proportion were loose in
the trunk. She began collecting them
nearly ten years ago. she told me.
when some one advertised for million
stamps and promised to pay 500 to
the first person who collected that
number. She started her collection
with many others who saw the adver-
tisement, and so far as known is the
only one succeeding in getting the re-
quired number. OF course, the adyer-
tisement was joke, and whoever in
serted it never expected to see any one
persevere in collecting the million
stamps. Our customer, however, was
not discouraged, and finally became so
interested la completing the collection
that she interested all her friends and
acquaintance in the cause. and PEG
pie used to send her stamps from all
parts Of the country. We paid $25 for
the lot, simply as curiosity.
Hero are foreign stamps that we
sell for 500 a million" continued the
dealer as he opened several wide, deep
drawers filed to the top with used
postage stamps Of foreign countries
"These comprise about fifty varieties
Of the commonest stamps in use, prin-
cipa'ly English, French, German and
Italian. They are not worth any more
than ordinary two and three cent
United States stamps in our business,
and we can afford to sell them cheap
They are sent TO us by the bushel by
the agents and collectors whom we
have in all foreign countries. and we
simply take them as they come. The
rarer varieties are sorted out and plac-
ed in catalogues. but the. mass are
dumped into these drawers and sold by
the bulk"
ado many persons purchase in this
wayq''
Eyes, especially those who are start
ing collections. and do not care to buy
perfect specimens They can get
thousand for ten cents and take their
chances Of getting good variety.
suppose there are million stamp coli
lectors in the United States and Cana
da, and the number is increasing every
year. Every boy at some period of his
life has the stamp collecting mania,
| but after collecting q thousand or
thereabout, the majority gives it up. or
/ lose interest in the work. Others 90
on and make fair collections All the
way from $4,000 to 800, 900 have
been spent by wealthy gentlemen in
making the most perfect collections.
in the very valuable collections nearly
all the stamps are unused and in many
instances the collector viii pay high
prices for specimens Of the first proofs
taken from the die. A very good col
lection Of used stamps. including all
! the stamps issued. except the very
rarest. can be made for 300. Some
times $500 win be paid for rare
stamp when only ! very limited num-
Der are known to b ID existence. But
4 - 49,. - ..@a3.~- FRA