The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-08
MUST BE SOLD OUT.
Uncle Sam Wants to Unload
Columbian Stamps.
BOUGHT UP BY COLLECTORS.
SIMPLY WIN Sea Ne ExhsssssA-kalss
- - 1srefgn Postal Cards-Cfs1sy
Letters In Malta

Vow that the Worlds fair 10 over. the
demand for postage stamps Of the Column
bian series 10 falling of. and postmasters
are sending into the department requests
.or the Old series Postmaster Davies has
pesn advised, however, by the department
that people must take the Columbian 81
ries whether they like them or not. until
they are all used mp. and orders for the or
binary series viii not be filed until the
new ones are exhausted. The printing OF
the Columbian series has been discontin-
ued, and it 10 expected that the reissue Of
the old series will be resumed about the
beginning Of the new year
The issue Of the Colum bian series has
been profitable speculation for the gov
eminent. owing TO the craze for stamp col
iecting. The entire set from cent up to
IS Is worth $i634. and great numbers Of
full sets have been sold to stamp collectors
all over the world. In Seattle about sew
snteen full sets have been sold, about
twelve of which we're TO be sent abroad.
1t Is estimated that fully $50 0o0 of I'M
used stamps have been bought and sent
abroad in addition TO ~ much more
placed in domestic coilecti ons. Had it
not been for this extra large sale Of the
Columbian series of stamps the falling OF
in the total sales of the year. as shown
by the postmaster generals report, would
have been much larger. The Seattle post
Office has remaining only eighteen full
sets Of the Columbian series.
Many people who send postal cards to
foreign countries unwittingiy cause much
trouble 10 tn Q friends to whom they send
them. The international Postal Union
has adopted . rule that cards exceeding
5 35 inches by 3-5 inches size shall be
subject to letter postage. and If not fully
prepaid they will be liable for double the
amount OF the deficiency 1t their destina-
ton. The United States government
issues six sizes of postal cards. domestic
and foreign, all but one Of which are
smaller than the maximum size prescribed
by the Postal Union. The one exception
10 the size, and 10 the large postal card
designed for domestic use. It IL the yell
low MANILA card 3a<x61s inches in size,
the printing being in black with . vignetts
of Gen. Grant in the upper right-hand cor
nsr. Thus II one Of these be sent abroad
with 1.cent stamp pasted on it, which 10
all that 10 required for any of the others
except those made for foreign circulation
u
be rated a. an ordinary half-ouncs letter
and there will be cents lacking in sufi-
cient postage. When IL arrives at its des-
tination the person to whom 1t has been
addressed will have to pay double the
amount Of the deficiency, or 8 cents, be-
fore he can receive the card. Again. IL
will not do to cut down one of these
large-sixed cards even for domestic circu.
iation, because that would render IL liable
to letter postage. the department. regula-
tions saying that there must be no altera-
ton in the face, form or size Of postal
cards. Speaking Of the various sizes As
sistant Postmaster Colkett said yesterday:
$50 many different sizes and shapes of
cards and envelopes are o nuisance to mail
clerks. and really are of no very great con-
wide wedding cards, on which 80 much
money is spent to have them gotten up in
fine style and to look handsome. When
one of them goes into the mails IL II per-
haps sorted among lot of letters none of
them as wide a. it, When they are all
sorted according to their destination, each
bunch of letters for town 10 tightly tied
together with twine. and the chances are
that, If the wide card IL not altogether
bent and broken, its edge will be cut by
the string, and il Is thing OF beauty no
longer. II l had my way, there should
only be four sizes of envelopes issued by
letter, the legal and the document sizes.
1t does not matter to the writer If the en-.
velope be trifie too large for the letter.
As IL In, the great bulk of envelopes used,
five times as many a. all other sizes, Is the
No. S ID sire, 35<x6 s. i6 inches in size"