Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-10
STAMP CRANks MAKE TROUBLE.
They are all the Time Bothering the Pos,
Once Department Curious scrap Book.

They are all the Time Bothering the Post
once Departmental Curious scrap Book.
NO ONE HAS EVER YET SENT IN A MIL
~ lion cancelled postage stamps to the Post
Office Department, although 200 letters are re-
reived annually requesting information about
the prize OF $500 which the government is SUD-
posed to offer for that number. How this
popular delusion originally started no one can
tell. For twenty years it has prevailed. and
during all that time people have been making
collections for sale to Uncle Sam. Presumably
no one has thus FAR secured the desired million.
At all events tie packages of old stamps sen, to
Washington as installmcnts never contain more
than few thousand; 5000 were the most
that ever came in one bundle. Ordinarily the
collector gets tired by the time 1000 or 5000
have been got together Children mostly are
engaged in this interesting but fruitless pur-
suit. though many women both young and old
take il up for a while and bother everybody
they know tor contributions Of stamps from
old letters.
People are constantly writing TO the depart
ment with requests for stamps TO put in their
albnma. both domestic and foreign. Sometimes
they sa; that the dealers charge more than they
can ancrd, and 20 they appeal to Mr. Wanna
maker Awhile ago the post Office used to sell
specimen sets of its issues, unused but that
was discontinued in 1884.
A very interesting album is kept in the Stamp
DIVISION, containing sets of all the starnps that
the government has ever issued. The BOOK il
worth lot OF money merely for the face value
represented BY its contents. On the first page
are the two stamps of Uncle Sans issue in
lS41. One OF them 10 for cents with q head
OF Franklin, and the other is for 10 cents with
WasbinSton's bust Before that year letters
were distributed by mail in packages with ac-
companying way bills, and the prices char sed
Tor postage varied according to the distance.
On another page Of the scrap book are found
the first perforated stamps, which appeared in
1857. Up to that time the stamps had to be cut
apart with shears. The perforations then were
made much hner than they are now. Ii 10 said
that the British government paid large sum
for the idea. but the United States did not give
. cent for its use.
Another page in the scrap book 10 occupied
by the stamps Of 1869, which were 10 very
beautiful that the printing Of them cost too
much and they had &c be discop tinued. Whereas
Uncle Sans postal tokens ut the present
time are less handsome than those Of almost
any other nation, these were among the most
exquisite ever issued. The l5-csnt brown bore
q picture Of the landing of Columbus in blue.
The accent green was adorned with the Sign
ing Of the Declaration i'm purple The Decent
stamp had q lovely design representing a
shield, eagle, and fsGs in red. white and blne.
Tho 12-ceut sort was In green, with q steamship
On it; the Scent denomination was altrama-
zine, with o locomotive, and the 2-cent brown
showed man on horseback All these colors
cost money, and, where a stamp was printed in
two tipts, il had to 60 through the presses
twice. Accordingly the entire series was soon
suppressed.