Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-22
POSTAGE STAMP FAD.
IT BEGAN as : HARMLESS swusE.
.ENv AID 5EcAnE 1 WANNA.
Millions OF Dollars Gre Locked Up In Ei;s
of Paper That Have No Real vsiue->oms
of THE Rare Specimens Fer which Fabu-
ious Price. Are Asked ard Given.

The Postage stamp mania i one Q.
the most curious II human fads. re-
marks a New Y rk writer \ collection
Ct coins IL II the most worth the weight
CT tbs meta Not 20 a collection u
stamps The fashion rlay 60 out a. il
came II. and then the stamps VIII D.
only - much waste paper
The fad broke ont IL : So. IN the form
q few sporadic cases among school
boys and maiden ladies. u WAS not only
harmless fad. hat IL the case q the
schoO.bCys II was even az educative
cua- II proved the easiest the pleasant
so and the most etEc2Clous way 4
driving knowledge II geography inr0
the aioiesceut mind
BIZ, new that these first few sporadic
attacks have developed into sOTI.e-hin.
a.aTuInglv ike al epidemic one begins
20 speculate whether the craze OF the
rhIlateiist Is r0t distinct bar 70 hi
man progress. inas,nuch . il consumes
a large amount of brain force ana vita.
energy that might better - Turned into
c;her ana more -sef-! channels OF ac-
-.vicy
IN tie United States alone there = an
organization called thu American Phila-
,ehc association. which numbers 1000
members Bat this represents Only a
small fraction II The phi.atel:.ts actual
" NJ The cCCrtTv
The greatest ac1 most famous ot liz
g rEiia-e.,S-s - considered merely
from thz rhilacpi.St pom. II views
VI Philippe = Fe-ra-i di-ri.e1.
courteous ami white .a--e6 old gentle
man who lives - Paris he : = s-a -
the la-e Duchess de c1al,iera. who was
also passionate lover G stamps.
His collection = valued a. $500. goo
He has been known - Tay $500 fo- az
album which contained only a single
stamp that he coveted F-- nCre vai-.
atle collections ~ ha- never limited -
expenditures
Next 70 the Fe--arj collection cones
that Of Baron Arvsu- d. Rujlschi.G.
which : So valuable ;ha-ltS owner. with
-as -rJie jealousy u -Ge collector. re
serves The T-ge~ containing MS -l-eS-
treasures f5r thu L-i=--a-L5- only OF
himself and his most intimate friends
Now. what constitutes the enormous
va!-.e q these cole. ur->: L : rot Tn
cuube- u the specimens. There RS
more than 600 different varieties q
stamps ROW actually - existence \
certain number San be obtained az com
?a-arivslv li-,lt expense
B.. rhe -Grcr ones command ia--e
| prices Never mind whether che rarity
was created ~ aEe OF accident
The Nac1Lahon stamp n France is
! ;ha blue vs.. - CEltcair15,s ldeal 4
! -ke collector When -ha marshal Wa
president G. France. his wife was anz-
[ .o-s 20 see his image set IN stamps
Designs were accordingly prepared,
/ hit rae postal commissioner rejected
I them and adopted another design New
: e--heless there l. a legend that some q
these MecMahor stamps got into circc-
/ lation. II single specimen ever turns
mp, Il will b priceless
Another los plead i a postage stamp
issued ~ r. governments Of British
4 Guiana I 1856 IL has disappeared from
} he market. and specimens he'd in the
/ hands q private collectors are valued
6, $3.50
= set II four 1880 stamps also issued
/ in British Guiana bring anywhere from
/ $500 g $500. and =, Of four 1852
/ Hawaiian stamps are valued az 81. 500
! The - and 90 cent reunion stamps
+. bring $500. The New Brunswick cent
stamp. with the head Of C'Conneu, i
I rarely parted with 1nder $3.50
/ Rare ! also the black Canadian 70
! penny stamp. valued n si25
Bat the collector does not stop n le.
I Ci,lmate issues Cf STAMPS He gives
, fancy prices fe- varieties Of shades. f1r
perforations, er-crs and vatermarks
~ q recent stamp exhibition In Wen.
/ IA a. enthusiastic collector named Oh.
. Web displayed with rOie the error
I Of Frauce-a stamp 4 IS ceutim :
. printed II blue instead of black. The
/ error # Afchanistar and STANG
4 wiki 3 missing ornament IN a ccrulr
Dr. Mailman Of Vienna had even
more wCudrc1s delights - unfold. f.,
| he was the proud EsosSsssoT II the two
rare errors" q the Cape O.. Gce,i
Hope, stamps If penny and pence
| respectively. which ara blue instead o.:
red and red instead Of blue.
Such errors" fetch very high
price. kept down only bv the uneasIn,.s.
Of creating new values" tv wanting
;nisprinting.
20 article on philate!y could - com
1 rlete without some notice q the !, 900.
/ GOO postage stamps myth This still
survives in vague and uncertain form.
in the rural districts, where IL i beiiey.
| ed tina. some vast benefit. financial O,
other, will accrue 20 any enc who col
lects 1000. 600 stamps ard forward.
them to the proper address By: IN,
proper address Is never known