The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-29

return the ralace In money to me-
Small postmasts IL lieu Of salary are
paid for the stmps they cancel Thus
the postmaster ,ets so for his share.
WI lie the dealeobtalns rebate on his
stamps.
Collectors usuly prefer unused stamps.
Why, then, DO hey 90 TO such trouble
10 have the Combian issues cancelledy
Simply because he latter have already
been much ccuprfcited abroad, and the
cfncel mark isl sort Of guar. ltee OF
genuineness. "A guarantee 1t Is hardly
frst-rate. inasnch rs the counierfeiter
can easily forgehe cancellation, but one
cannot expect iople afflicted with the
stamp mania to G quite rational. AZ an
events. ordinaf 2-cent letters with
stamps on thenof denominations from
81 TO s. have len flying through the
mails for monthpast for no other pur-
nose than to pranre cancellations. Peo-
pie address note|and packages 20 them
selves for this oect, and the madness is
rather growing han diminishing. now
that the stamps the quadro-centennlal
are nearly all sd The stock OF the Big
ger denoininatio, in the hands Of the
Post once DEPARTMENT is practically ex-
hausted while the rest have been
distributed anon the post offices of the
country.
Already they at a premium, the quo
tatiops for the fger denominations be-
ing So for the5 stamps, $40 for the
81 $50 for the /. $3.50 for the s., and
sl2O for the 81; cents for the 5O-cent
s-anp. 81 cents Or the 90 cent ard is
cents for the 15-ent. These prices VIII
go up very quicly. A dealer said yes
terday that with a few months the
3. 6. and scent famps would cost from
q TO 20 cents eeh. The accent ana 3
cent are getting .arce also. NO wondel
that Spectators have bought up .reat
quantities of the columbian stamps, and
are holding theinfor a rise. Even now
they are sendingreturn postal cards TO
postmasters all der the United States,
asking how rnanslof such and such de-
nominations the Gdresses in eacn case
can furnish. NotGy can DO more than
guess how many iillions Of these stamps
have been re0u1ra and will be needed TO
satisfy collectors There are 100000 COL
lectors of stampsin this country alone.
Abroad they haV gone crazy over the
Columbian issues. In Europe the stamp
gathering habit a persistent popular
frenzy. Foreign manufacturers also nave
utilized the stamp TOR every Imaginable
purpose Of ornamer for the decoration
Of vases, for inaTina in glass. etc.
Now that the souse Of supplying mas
well nigh dried up heiealers are making
frantic exertions TO eorner ne market
for some Of the sircef issues. Iney
could not know a yeah ago that only 3d.
900 stamps in all determinations running
from 81 to s. would beprinted a gamble
in these high-priced securities would nave
been risky and would have lequired q
great outlay. The big stamps Aave most
ly gone abroad on packages OF ponds and
other valuable papers sent tom TINS
country by bankers and brokAs. Many
Of them are coming back now 10 meet
the demand for them on this SIZE OF the
water. Naturally, the value ot Column
ban stamps was much enhancei by MI
Bissell's action in cutting down le total
number printed from three bilons to
two billions.
The question has been raised lhetheI
II was not mistake TO print m hlSh-
priced issues, which, owing 10 tntr con-
siderable face values. were likely Y prove
a temptation TO COuntcrfeitcrs. td many
years no attempt has been made Y Grim
insiiy initiate the ordinary postage famps
Of the United tSates, chiefly bectise II
is not worth while. Most accur1e rae
SMILES of our wspaper and pebdica
stamps, which run up as high as 81 nave
been produced abroad for sale to foilec'
tors The real ones are greatly ,rlzeo
for the reason that they are so bird tC
obtain! not being permitted 10 so lut OF
the hands OF the post Office on elals'
Postmasters are not allowed 10 sell rneNl
and the only way TO get taein is t1s'ea'
them. Ii is worth mA tionins, II th'
way. that Uncle Sam gave avail l'oJ
/ .l..fa Of
worth 1926 a set, face yalue-to igieis'
governments.
One OF the oldest freaks of The p,stas'
stamp business Is TO be fouad IN New
York An engraving firm in that Guy
manufactures all of the stamps ISSUED ~
Nicaragua, Honduras. Sdlvidor' ahe
! Guatemala 1t does not cihrSe mos
governments A cent for the work or ma
terial, furnishing everything 1ree- IN,
only stipulations made are tat iresi
series of stamps shall be printed io
each year and that the ens'aVihS hri
shall have all that are left over uhuSeu
| The concern IS at liberty 70 urn OUT d
many stamps as IL chooses over ane
above what are required, ana mus II
enabled to sell unlimited qiahtltles U
them 10 collectors. Each year there
a complete new sat, and thoe or issue
| that are out of date-i. G., not OF IN
| current year-are mounted by taousanu
on cards of ten each and onred 10 COZ
! lectors and dealers everywhere y
course, they are unused and )erfect' pu
they are sold for 80 cents ctrd, tAous'
the face value represented by the tel
stamps amounts to 81 or - BOYS %,
them mostly, older collectors resdf Jill
them as rather fishy.
1t is reckoned that 100000 Is ir'este'
in stamp collections in this country. IN
most valuable United Stats stamps ar
those Of the earliest series OF Bif. Ther
were only two. for five and ten cents
The latter is worth 50. The onglnal dc
for these issues were DESTROYER SS hse
but many years later copies CT them WeI
made. and printed from. Next most cog |
ly are the stamps for 1861 Ihe oid de
partmental stamps are growing NOR
valuable every year. The Department
State had a series Of Is which viii nov
fetch So per set. The eleven stamps .
the Department Of Justice are worth IS
Twenty-Five dollars viii buy a set
Executive stamps, five In number tn
most precious American stamp Is IN
fve-cent New Haven local. IL is wort
5000, only a single specimen being ex
tant. This one was discovered by accl
dent among a lot Of papers belonging I
a defunct Smithsonian professor. n Con
federate five-cent stamp, OF Livingston
Ala, is valued AZ ssso.
A good many Senators and Eepresen
tatives are collectors OF stamps. job
Sherman has valuable collection, s
also has MIR. Adee. second assistan
Secretary OF State. Baron Faya. III
Italian minister. has several volumes
filled with stamps, which are appraise
at $4,000. Together with his stamps an
other curiosities. he keeps the skin o