The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-10-17
POSTAGE STAMP FAD.
IT BEGAN As a HARMLESS AMUsE-
mENT AND BECAME A MANIA.

of the Rare specimeas For Which Fabu-
Ious Prices Are Asked and Given.
The postage stamp mania is one Of
the most curious of human fads, re-
marks New York writer. \ collection
OF coins is at the most worth the weight
of the metal Not so a collection cf
stamps. The fashion may 20 oct as it
came in, and then the stamps viii b.
only so much waste paper.
The fad broke out in 1861 in the form
of few sporadic cases among school
boys and maiden ladies. Ii was not only
a harmless fad, but III the case of the
schoolboys it was even an educative
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 the craze OF the
philatelist Is not distinct bar 10 hui
man progress, inasmuch as IL consumes
a large amount of brain force and vital
energy that might better be turned into
other and more useful channels of &C
tiyity.
In the United States alone there is an
organization called the American Phila-
teIic association, which numbers 1000
members. But this represents only "A
small fraction Of the philatelists actual
" in the country.
The greatest and most famous Of liv-
ing philatelists - considered merely
=
M. Philippe de Ferrari, a dignified,
courteous and white haired old gentle
man who lives in 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 10 pay $500 for an
album which contained only a single
stamp that he coveted. For more valu-
able collections he 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 the enormous
value of these collections? 1t is not the
number OF the specimens There are
more than 5000 different varieties Of
stamps now actually in existence.
certain number can be obtained ut com
paratively light expense.
But the rarer ones command large
prices. Never mind whether the rarity
was created by age or accident.
The MacMahon stamp in France IL
the blue rose, the unattainable ideal of
the collector. When the marshal was
president of France, his wife was anx-
ious to see his image set in stamps
Designs were accordingly prepared.
but the postal commissioner rejected
them and adopted another design. New
ertheless there is legend that some Of
these MacMahon stamps got into circu
lation. If a single specimen ever turns
up, it will be priceless.
Another lost pleiad is postage stamp
issued by the government of British
Guiana in 1856. 1t has disappeared from
the market, and specimens held in the
hands of private collectors are valued
ut $3.50.
A set of four 1850 stamps also issued
in British Guiana bring anywhere from
$4OO to $500, and set of four 1852
Hawaiian stamps are valued at 81, 500.
The Is and 30 cent reunion stamps
bring $500. The New Brunswick cent
stamp, with the head of O'Connell, Is
rarely parted with under $3.50.
Rare Is also the black Canadian IL
penny stamp, valued at 1925.
But the collector does not stop ut le-
e IL. fr-s4-
fancy prices for varieties Of shades, for
perforations, errors and watermarks.
At recent stamp exhibition in Wen
ma an enthusiastic collector named Gil
webb displayed with pride the error
of Franco stamp OF % centimeS
printed in blue instead OF black, the
''error' of Afghanistan and a stamp
with missing ornament in corner.
DIR. Mailman of Vienna had even
more wondrous delights To unfold, for
he was the proud possessor of the two
rare errors of the Cape Of Good
Hope, stamps of penny and 4 pence
respectively, which are blue instead Of
red and red instead of blue.
Such errors fetch a very high
price, kept down only by the uneasiness
of creating new values by wanting
misprinting.
No article on philately could be COM
plete without some notice of the 1000.
900 postage stamps myth This still
survives in 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
lects 1000, 600 stamps and forwards
them to the proper address But the
proper address is never known
Homogeneous