The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-04-02

pened to be over 800 miles. The address
was simply written on the back of the
sheet and !he postmaster stamped "paid'
or unpaid along with the amount.
Baltimore was one OF the first cities
TO adopt this plan and it is g
remarkable fact that nearly al
these Baltimore envelopes as they are
called were written by her devoted sweet
heart TO a certain miss Della Black
care of Captain F. Black, Washington
ID. c." Had this young gentleman
known thai each of his love letters would
be worth S400 or $500 fifty years later it is
likely he would have given up his regular
business and devoted himself entirely to
this pleasant correspondence.
One of these Baltimore envelopes with
the postmaster $ signature was sold few
weeks ago by New York dealer for 500
and would bAye brought more il the adj
dress had been more legible.
At the same sale New Haven envelop
of 1915 with five-cent read stamp on it
brought a still higher price. over $500, in
fact. and is considered one of the rarest
stamps in existence. To look at it one
would be at loss TO see how any one
could find in it the equivalent for such a
sum of money. such considerations
however. have little weight with genuine
stamp collectors.
A very important sale OF stamps is to
take place this month at the real estate
exchange in this city. 1t is the De Coppet
collection, one of the largest and finest in
America and worth the price of a man
sion on Fifth avenue. Tins collection was
made by New Yorker, Mr.. De Coppet,
in tie intervals of an active and success
fIl business life. Now he is giving up
stamps to ride another hobby.
The raTe5t stamp among many rare
ones in this collection is a specimen from
British Guiana issued in 1850. 1t is on
rose paper cut round, but neatly, and
mounted on a piece OF the same colored
paper cut square. Its original value was
z cents, but it has been used and Cancelled,
which does NOT prevent its being valued
today at 500 OF $500. The minimum price
fixed at the sale is $780, Only six of this
Issue are known to be in existence, three
being in the British museum, the fourth
in France and the fifth in q private Eng
lish collection. Stamp collectors Of this
country feel q patriotic desire &c keep the
rare bit of paper in America, but OF
course it will go to the highest bidder and
past experience has shown that some OF
the foreigners who collect stamps are ter
rible fellows TO beat when they once SET
their hearts on having anything.
One gets an idea OF the immense devel-
Opment of this business in looking at the
catalogue of this De Coppet collection. II
il large book handsomely illustrated
with plates Of various rare stamps and
containing about 200 pages. There are
stamps mentioned from all the countries
and places one ever heard OF and a great
many more. There are stamps of ali
sizes, shapes and coIors. One of the rarest
specimens is = sheet OF ten stamps from
Toiina, wherever that is, which are val
ued at S4OO to $500. There are dozens OF
stamps from such ordinary places as Trin-
idad, Uruguay. the Virgin Islands.
Tobago. Nevis, Iceland, Afehanistan
Cundiuamarca, Falkland Islands, Gabon.
Gualior, Holkar, Byderabad, Jelalabad
and Lalpoura-
Those are a few Of the common ones
which every self-respecting collector has
IN his cases. But there are scores Of
others from places with which ordinary
folk are less familiar, such az Teguciqalta.
Sungei UjoHg, Rajpeepia, Nowannugar,
JhalaWar. and GriQualand. These will
do as specimens.
Becoming interested In the subject of
great stamp collections found the most
extensive and valuable one in the world
belongs to an Italian nobleman, the son
OF the Duchess of Galliera, whose own
name is Phillip La Renotiere de Ferrara.
He is about 80 years old and has been COL
gecting postage stamps ail his life. He is
exceedingly rich and does not care over
much what he pays for stamp as long as
he gets it. He has agents collecting for
him all over the world and
his stamps il sold today would probably
bring nearly million dollars. M. Fer