The evening world., 1894-02-06
SALE OF COLUMBIAN STAMPS
INTERESTING FACTS REGARDING
THIS AND OTHER ISSUES.
Cancelled Ones of High Price Worth
More Than New Ones.

stamps has come to an end, but the sale
OF them has not and will not end for
some time to come. says the Chicago
lnter-OCcan. They will be for sale in
the larger post offices to those innuiring
for them. This may perhaps cause sat
isfaction to that interesting and con-
stantly increasing class Of persons whose
hobby Jies In the direction Of carefully
preserving every piece Of colorcd paper
that once did duty for postage. 1t will
cnnbl7 those onthuviastic collectors to
lay in a fun and complc,c supply of the
Columbus value If they have not al
ready done so.
The dealers also will have a few days
of grace wherein to stock W with pro-
digious quantities of the columbus
stamps. which II few years hence will be
rctailed oyer the counter at prices
would make him feel like kicking some
body for not giving him the tip.
hnt %althouGh Uncle sam leaves the
speculative aide OF postage. stamps to
ness. ne manages to make II very neat
profit in the sale to the great army of
collectors and dealers Of thousands Of
these stamps which will never be re-
deemed.
A conservative estimatesplaces the Gov
crnmcnts profit on the Columbus issue
at over one million dollars. The majority
VI - J. IN Tuli, INV III bfShi "
stock up heavily for future years. and
some large sales of Columbus stamps
are likely TO be recorded during the next
few weeks, SO the profits to the Post
ONCE Department will be considerably
increased.
Mr.. Wanamaker, it is true. thought
the figure would amount to about TWO
and n half million dollars. The general
opinion, however, among collectors. is
that neither Uncle Sam nor any body else
should complain at n profit of on" mill
ion dollars n year on postage stamps.
Had MIR. Wannmaker stopped the sale
OF the small stamps during the year 1888,
the sale of the Columbus stamps would
have reached n passed the Htmosi
II fact. about that number Of stamps are
used during the twelve months.
1t Is nor gen%rnlly known that me
ufactured ali United States postage
stamps since they were FIRST Introduced.
They have continually reduced the cost
of production. always giving the Coy
eminent the advantage thus, gained, I'M
I'll now postage stamp are the most eco
nomical article that the Government
consumes.
considerable profit to the Government
Issuing them. BY the rapiuiiy with
which many countries make changes it
would seem as though they took advah-
Spain, for instance. has for a long
time issued "A new set OF stamps every
year. 70 Il collector IL becomes a little
tiresume when 1t is done as a regular
thing. But these Spanish stamps, which
are In use only a year, have never ne
gun to be as valuable or SO eagerly
sought after as our own Columbus series;
Probably no set OF stamps ever issued
attracted SO much interest anh were
held at such high prices, during the time
they were In ordinary use, as the much
abused tOlumhians.
To Il person ignorant Of the stamp in
dustrY II VIII cause surprise to learn
that dealers IN every u,aft "t the country
from Maine to san Francisco are VII
ing TO pay for the higher values. namely
thu 81, ~, 3, 81 and - stamps, from one
half to tMo-,hirls tho face value for
used specimens. Mother. SINGULAR te'-
turc l. that should a collector wish to
purchase II get OF thc"e I'VE stamps can
C,llrd he would be charged all The way
from SlS 10 ST.. That seems odd when
any on" cpull buy the stamps FOR SO at
tn" roSt-uaice. AMI II his preference Ner"
Tor used specimens he could put them on
I letters addressed 10 himself and have
th"ln cancelled in the usual manner.
but. according To many collectors, VINO
have Lriei this scheme the element OF
risk enters into It too largely to give
general satisfaction.
che means that hnVe been adopted to
get possession Of Columbian stamps are
inuumegahle. office boys In large bust
ness hous"s have carefully dissected the
cious Columbus stamps, which they have
| gold to dealers and thereby augmented
their income. sober, serious-miuled bust
ness men have been seen 10 carefully
clip these su-CG!led jubilee stamps IRON
their letters and preserve them Tor
some friend who Is a collector.
Many persons, after sending packages
prepaid with high values. have requested
that the stamps be sent back. y dry
goods traveller, who Is somewhat OF Il
stamp enthusiast, told the writer that
during his tours over the country ne
sent everything home by mail that he
upsSibN could. and ALWAYS used Column
bus stamps.
4 neat scheme. which he said he had
worked successfully on several occa-
sions, was to buy II quantity of the new
stamps from Il fourth-cinsS poStmasltf,
put them on packages. and have them
cancelled, and theu receive fr0nl the post
master u bonus or commission Tor thlS
increase In trade.
AZ the fourth-class poStmasters are
paid Il percentage oyer the i!rst 70 ON the
amount OF stamps they cancel collectors
say that this plan might be worked We'll
In certain localities, but they doubted II
it could be generally employed, from me
fact that these smaller utices, AS II RUE
received II very limited supply of the
Columbus series.
According to another collector, II, II
cheaper from ii speculative point OF View
to mail letters with thrte-cent stamps
than with two-cent ones. )raIgIS are ut,
feriuy sl,W per Too FOR used three-c"n'
C~ulumb!uns, while tn" two-cent ones are
only worthdt the most three cents Il
hundred. 80, II one Is writing home AM
can have his thTrs-Crnter saved, he car
rna.iXr y cent and IL hair on each stamp
and his postage viii cost him half Il cent
less tnun the lrEtl rates.
with the Columbian stamps the lnlttt
Stats entered for the FIRST time in tn
region " lish values for letter postage
Formerly the highest stamp issued tul
mat purpose was ~ cents; That value
Tor many wears has caused intense dis
! satisfaction On account Of It's awkward
ness for computing purposes.
The American Philatelic Society. whtI,l
inC.ui,S among its members hundrti'
&" collectors from every stat" IN th'
il'rion, at Its annual meeting in 1872, pc
titionel the POstnaster-Grn"r"l 10 uls
card the gO-Cent stamp at.l issue "o-Itl
and 81 stamps. But nothing was don.
until the Columbus stamp was iSNu"d
!, The old series still has the 9i-crni value
:. oLD-FASuiONED RELATIVES.