St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-13
FOR STAMP COLLECTORS.
How Boys May Secure High De-
nomination Columbus Stamps.

Rene Bacne IN hepupllc.
How can the stamp-collectin boys
and girls of this country procure full
st of the new Columbus postage
stamps for their albums?" repeated
Postmaster General Wanamaker wher
a question Oil this point was put to hin
the other day.
Let me see.' said he. "Of course
they can always be procured at any
pOStoffice, but obviously there are few
OF our young collectors who can AFFORD
to buy them in that fashion, mas
much as an entire series would cOst
$l626. For most of them the only prac-
ticable method will be to obtain the
stamps already cancelled. That will be
easy enough SO far as the lower demon
nations are concerned, but not so will
the higher denominations"
But OH what mail matter will those
high-coSt stamps be used?' l asked.
1.-The higil-priced Columbus stamps, D
said the postmaster general, "those
which represent one, two, three. -four
and i've dollars each, will be largely III
demand by bankers and brokers for
mailing bonds and other securities to
Europe. Such valuables go in sealed
packages at regular foreign-letter
rates, which are five cents a half
ounce. At that rate very moderate
sized bundle will cost as much as So for
postage across the ocean. In this man
ner large number of the stamps of big
denominations will go abroad. Ameri-
can boys and girls will not get those for
their albums. However, great many
of these high-cost stamps will also be
used for mailing large packages at letter
rates from place to place In this country
People often send big parcels contain
ing valuable things in that way at
two cents an ounce, sealed and
registered. | daresay you know
that YOU can transmit through
the post anything you like-no matter
how bulky and heavy it iS-so long as
YOU pay letter rates on it, though you
cannot forward any package exceeding
four pounds at the ordinary charges IOr
merchandise. Young collectors must
rely Oh getting the Cancelled stamps
from parcels stamped in this manner at
letter rates.
That does not solve the puzzle, [
know" Mr.. Wanamaker continued.
"Of course, big packages sent at 2
cents Jan ounce, scaled and registered
because their contents are valuable, do
not reach every merchant or profession
al man. The bankers are most likely
to get them, and | would recommend
the boys and girls who are anxious to
procure the high-priced Columbus
stamps to make friends with people at
the banks with view TO securing
possession of such coveted treas
ures. A goOd-natured cashier or
teller would be very apt to find an
opportunity to detach a few of the can
nf
once in while. 1t is we'll worth trying,
because these curiosities are likely to
go no considerably i'll value on account
of the difficulty OF obtaining them. |
suppose that dealers in stamps will not
sell them cheap"
Three billions of the Columbus stamps
have been ordered to be printed. They
are being made by the American Bank
Note company In New York city, which
turns out all of the postage stamps
issued by Uncle Sam.
When a postmaster wants stamps he
writes to the postotfice department at
Washington for them. The department
sends on the order to the government
stamp agent in New York, who has
charge of the business of distributing
all stamps. The agent draws every day
upon the bank note company for as
many stamps as he requires to fill such
orders forwarded to him from Washing
ton. He receives them in bulk, and it
is his duty 10 see that they are done up
in packages according to the orders and
mailed to the postmasters who require
them. Last year the people OF this
country used up two and half billions
of postage stamps.
1t is expected that all of the three
billion of Columbus stamps will be used
during 1898. If this number proves in
sufficient more will be ordered.
Surprising any of them are left over at
he end of the Columbus year, the sale
If them will be continued until they
ore gone. They will be just as good for
mailing letters 100 years hence as they
are now.
Nobody is obliged to purchase the
Columbus stamps unless ne chooses,
every postmaster having been in
structed to furnish ordinary postage
stamps to anybody who asks for them.
Many persons prefer the ordinary ones,
because they are smaller, not requiring
such big lick.
The designs for the Columbus stamps
were picked out by the postoffice depart
ment, most of them being obtained from
historical paintings; but the bank note
company made the designs and en-
graYed the plates from which they are
printed at it's own expense. Work upon
them has been going on ever since last
September. The engravingS were the
most costly ever produced in the world
for postage stamps, though the printing
is not so expensive as was that of the
United States stamps in two colors,
issued few years ago, which had to
pass twice through the press.
Inasmuch as the new stamps are dis
tributed to postmaSterS only as they are
required, and of whatever denomina-
ton may be asked for, it is impossible
to say how many Of the high-priced ones
will be issued. 1t all depends on the
demand, and how great that will be no
one can tell.
Hitherto the highest denomination of
an ordinary postage stamp has been 80
cents, though stamps for newspapers
which are not good for any other pur-
poses-run from one cent up to $50.
The Columbus stamps will doubtless be
bought i'll large quantities, uncanceled.
for collections by people who can afford
the luxury, and this will bring profit
to the government.
The Columbus stamps are printed
from engraved plates big enough to
strike off 400 of them on sheet with
single stroke of the press.
Each sheet then passes beneath re-
volving brush carrying muciiage. by
which the back of it is gummed. After
this it is dried aud 1attened under a
hydraulic press. Next it is run through
a perforating machine, which is an ar
rangement of little wheels revolving
parallel to each other. and just far
enough apart to make the perforations
as one sees them in sheet of
stamps fresh bought. After the per-
forations have been made across the
sheet one way by the machine the sheet
must pass through second perforating
machine fer the cross perforations, the
stamps being thus outlined SO as to be
readily torn apart. Knives cut each of
the sheets into four sheets of 100 stamps
each. All stamps come i'll sheets of 100
for sale.
Uncle Sam pays the bank note com
pany II cents for every LOCO Columbus
stamps