The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-09-02
POSTAGE STAMP FAD.
lT BEGAN AS A HARMLESS AMUSE-
MENT AND BECAME A MANIA.
Millions of Dollars Arc Locked Up In Bits
of Paper That Have No Real value-Somo
of the Rarc Specimens For Which Fabu-
lous Prices Are Asked and Given.


of the Rarc Specimens For Which Fabu-
lous Prices Are Asked and Given.
the most curious of human fads, re-
marks New York writer. A collection
OF coins is at the most worth the weight
of the metal. Not so collection of
stamps. The fashion may go out as it
came i'll, and then the stamps will be
only SO much waste paper.
The fad broke out in 1861 in the form
of few sporadic cases among school
boys and maiden ladies. 1t was not only
harmless fad, but in the case of the
schoolboys it was even an educativo
one. 1t proved the easiest, the pleasant
est and the most efficacious way of
driving knowledge of geography into
the adolescent mind.
But now that these first few sporadic
attacks have developed into something
alarmingly like an epidemic one begins
to speculate whether tho craze of the
philatelist is not distinct bar to hu-
man progress, inasmuch rs it consumes
q large amount of brain force and vital
energy that might better be turned into
other and more useful channels of &C
tivity.
In the United States alone there is an
organization called the American Phila-
telio association, which numbers 1000
members But this represents only
small fraction of tho philatelists actual
ly in the country.
The greatest and most famous of liv-
ing philatelists - considered merely
from tho philatelist point of view-is
NJ Philippe de Ferrari, dignified,
courteous and white haired old gentle
man who lives i'll Paris He is son of
the late Duchess de Galliera, who was
also passionate lover of stamps.
His collection is valued at $500, 600.
He has been known to pay $500 for an
album which contained only a single
stamp that he coveted. For moro valu-
able collections no has never limited his
expenditures.
Next to the Ferrari collection comes
that Of Baron Arthur de Rothschild,
which is SO valuable that it's owner with
the true jealousy of the collector, re-
serves the pages containing his rarest
treasures for the delectation only of
himself and his most intimate friends.
Now, what constitutes tho enormous
value of these collections? 1t is not the
number of the specimens There are
moro than 5000 different varieties of
stamps now actually i'll existence A
certain number can be obtained at com
paratively light expense.
But tho rarer ones command large
prices. Never mind whether the rarity
was created by age or accident
The MacMahon stamp in France is
the blue rose, the unattainablo ideal of
the collector. When the marshal was
president of France, his wife was anx-
ious to sec his image set in stamps
Designs were accordingly prepared,
but the postal commissioner rejected
them and adopted another design Nov
ertheless there is a legend that some Of
these MacMahon stamps got into circu-
lation. If single specimen ever turns
up, it will be priceless
Another lost pleiad is postage stamp
issued by tho government Of British
Guiana i'll 1856. 1t has disappeared from
the market, and specimens held In the
hands of private collectors arc valued
at $3.50.
A set of four 1850 stamps also issued
III British Guiana bring anywhere from
$500 to $500, and a set of four 1859
Hawaiian stamps are valued at 81, 500.
The 15 and 80 cent reunion stamps
bring $500. The New Brunswick cent
stamp, with tho head of OConnell, is
rarely parted with under $3.50.
Rare is also the black Canadian IL
penny stamp, valued at 1928.
But the collector does not stop at le-
gitimate issues of stamps He gives
fancy prices for varieties of shades, for
perforations, errors and watcrmarks.
AT recent stamp exhibition in Wen
M an enthusiastic collector named Gil
webb displayed with pride the terror"
of France-a stamp of 25 confines
printed i'll blue instead of black, the
terror of Afghanistan and stamp
with missing ornament in corner.
DR.. Mailman of Vienna had even
more wondrous delights to unfold, for
be was the. proud possessor Of the two
raro "errors" Of the Cape Of Good
Hope. stamps of l penny and 4 pence
respectively, which are blue instead of
red and red instead of blue
Such errors fetch very high
price, kept down only by tho uneasiness
of creating new values by wanting
misprinting.
No article on philately could be com
plete without some notice of the !. 900, :
600 postage stamps myth. This still
survives i'll vague and uncertain forms
IN the rural districts, where it is believ-
ed that some vast benefit, financial or
other, will accrue to any one who COL
1ects 1000, 600 stamps and forwards
them to the proper address. But the
e.,