The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-05-01
STAMPS INCREASING IN VALUE.
Columbian Series Now Selling a
Handsome Premiums.

Columbian Series Now Selling at
Handsome Premiums.
Several days ago The Herald made
the announcement that the last of the
Columbian stamps had been sold by
the local postoffice and now those who
made investments in the stamps for
speculative purposes are being glad
dened with developments that are out
side the anticipation of even the most
sanguine. The demand for the stamps,
especially the dollar denominations,
has suddenly become very great and
some fancy prices are being offered.
There are comparatively few on the
market, however, and collectors, deal
ers and spectators are becoming fran
tic. Some handsome premiums are be
ing paid.
When, toward the end of the last cal
endar year, it was announced that the
postoffice department at Washington
had to issue mandates to all postnas-
tiers to force the sale Of Columbian
stamps, owing to the large quantity
| that remained undisposed of at that
| time, it was the general opinion that
those who had laid in supplies of them
| for specultive purposes were destined
| to be disappointed. But few of the
spectators, however, lost courage
| they simply made up their minds thai
they would have to hold ON to theil
stamps somewhat longer than first con
| templated.
Those collectors and dealers who faG
failed to supply themselves with these
labels then began to prophesy a de
cline in the value of used specimens
and took frequent occasions to poke
fun at their fellow-fiends who had beer
in a, hurry, as they phrased it, to buy
So matters remained for the first few
months of the current year. Then be
gan to be noticed a slow but gradua
and increasing demand for the more
desirable values, such as the 3, 6, 8, 10
30 and 90 cent and all of the dollar val
Iues. First one postoffice was reported
to be out of a. certain value, then somt
other postoffice was announced to b,
out of another, and by the middle o
March 1t became apparent that the de
mand for sets Of the Columbian issu
had become as strong as it was whel
the issue was first placed on sale Jan
uary 2, 1893
In February the exact number o
each value that had been printed ant
turned over to the postal authorities
became known, and this it was tina
stimulated afresh the desire of collec
| tors. dealers and spectators. OF thu
3-cent IL ,228,S $50 were issued, of the 6
cent 4,330,250, of the Scent 1850, $50, o
the 15-cent 1,547,790, of the 30-cent 500,
300. of the 50-cent 200,716 of the 81 SO,
$40, of the 81 24,079, of the So 10, 331, o
the 81 1S,469, of the So 1905.
Notwithstanding the comparativel!
large number of the 3, 6, 8 and Is cen
Issue, many were induced to speculate
in them on account of the small sum i
required to purchase a thousand o.
two Of them, and because, as they rea
soned. thousands buy stamps that COS
less than so cents, where only a few
buy those that were sold for so cent:
or more.
Those with more hardihood and bet
ter foresight, however, invested in th'
higher values, even including the S.
They did not fail to take into consid
Grafton that every season there ar
sold at public auction in this countr!
and in Great Britain thousands o
stamps ranging in value from SIS tt
81. 900 each.
Whatever the motive the fact re
mains that it is today virtually impos
sible to get any of the dollar values a
any postoffice in the United States, ant
at but few can any of the other value
previously mentioned be obtained.