Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-03-05
STAMP COLLECTORS.

u LNc uLCle cOIOreO DIS OF paper Will
cause surprise when one remembers
that stamps for postage first came into
use in 1910, says the New York Times.
1t seems impossible that the demand for
rare stamps has become so great that
men arm themselves like explorers and
visit countries infested by highwaymen
tosecure specimens of the stamp-makers
art. To-day there are millions of dol
lars invested in the business, which ex-
tends all over civilized countries, and is
kept informed by about forty journals
devoted to the interests of stamp col
lectors.
That rare postage stamps are literally
hunted for with guns was verified by
collector of st. Louis, Mo-, who recently
returned from Mexico, whittier he went
for the purpose of obtaining specimens
of the postage stamps in use in that
country previous to 1879. Before that
date envelopes were unknown in Mex
leo, and the postage stamps were pasted
on the outside of the letter itself, which
was made to answer the double purpose
of letter and envelope. In order to Sc
cure these stamps it is necessary to
get hold of old letter-files, and, as
only letters of a business nature
can be secured, the files of old
merchant-houses offer almost the only
means to the collector and dealer
of getting at the coveted treasure.
Family letters are never sold, and, in
deed, 1t is seldom that owners of bust
ness letters will part with them, so the
task of the collector in search of stamps
II Mexico is not an easy one.
Through business connections the
collector obtained access to the letter
files of old firms in the City of Mexico,
and some of these he was able to pur-
chase. Hearing of an old house at
Cuernavaca that would probably dis
pose of its files he decided to go there
with his secretary, a Castilian. The
town is about sixty miles southwest OF
the City of Mexico, and the road lies
through q region infested by highway
men.
When departing from the City of
Mexico the stamp hunters were adj
vised to leave all their valuables behind
and arm themselves we'll, and they took
the advice. They travelled part of the
way by stage and part on horseb aclz.
They were not molested, for the road
was at the time patroled by mounted
police for the entire distance.
STAMP collecting" the collector
says, "began almost as soon us
the use of stamps become gcner-
nj, or about 1847. Great Britain
used the first postage stamps in 1910.
Brazil followed in 1916, and the United
States in 1S47. Before hatpostage was
prepaid, as it is on express packages to-
day. About 1868 the first journal de-
voted to the literature of postage
stamps appeared in Belgium. 1t was
monthly publication, lie Timbrc Poste.
The first stamp paper started here was
the Philatelic Journal of America in
1885. There are at present thirty to
forty papers published in the interest
of collectors, and six or seven Of these
ure first-rate journals. There are now
three incorporated companies in this
country which deal in stamps Two of
these are capitalized at 1000 each.
New York has two companies and st.
Louis one.
"The value of stamps, like every thing
else in trade, is regulated by the simple
law of demand and supply. If a wealthy
collector is without IL certain specimen
that specimen has an increased value,
whether it be rare or not. Rare stamps
are therefore frequently not as valuable
as more common ones wanted by rich
collectors. But, generally speaking,
clamps which have been in use only a
short time are the most difficult to get
and the most expensive. There is no
danger of stamps of recent date becom-
ing as rare as those of former issues.
Before Great Britain sent stamps to
MauriSius they were printed there in
plates, twenty impressions at time.
The result was that each of the twenty
was different from the others in some
minor detail. A rich collector is not
satisfied with one Mauritius, but wants
one Of every variety, and this, of course,
makes them valuable.
"The highest price ever paid for
single stamp at public auction in New