Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-10-19
POSTAGE STAMP FAD.
1T BEGAN AS A HARMLESS AMuSE-
MENT AND BECAME A MANIA.

1T BEGAN AS A HARMLESS AMuSE-
MENT AND BECAME A MANIA.
Millions of Dollars Are Locked Up In Bits
of Paper That Have No Real vaIue-Some
of the Rare Specimens For Which Fabu-
1ous Prices Arc Asked and Given.
The postage stamp mania is one of
the most curious Of human fads, re-
marks New York writer A collection
OF coins is at the most worth the weight
of the metal Not SO a collection of
stamps. The fashion may go out as it
came in, and then the stamps will be
only SO much waste paper
The fad broke out in 1861 in the form
OF few sporadic cases among school
boys and maiden ladies. 1t was not only
harmless fad, but in 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 to hui
man progress, inasmuch as it consumes
large amount of brain force and vital
energy that might better be turned into
other and more useful channels of ac-
tivity.
In the United States alone there is an
organization called the American Phila-
members. But this represents only a
small fraction of the philatelists actual
ly in the country.
The greatest and most famous of liv-
ing philatelists = considered merely
from the philatelist point of VIEWS
M. Philippe de Ferrari, dignifed,
courteous and white haired old gentle
man who lives in Paris. He is son of
the late Duchess de Galliera, who was
also a passionate lover Of stamps.
His collection is valued at $500, 900.
He has been known to pay $500 for an
album which contained only 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? It is not the
number Of the specimens. There are
more than G,O00 different varieties Of
stamps now actually in existence A
certain number can be obtained at 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 is
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 circr-
lation. If a single specimen ever turns
up, it will be priceless.
Another lost pleiad is a postage stamp
issued by the government of British
Guiana i'll 1856. 1t has disappeared from
the market, and specimens held in the
hands Of private collectors are valued
at $3.50.
A set of four 1850 stamps also issued
in British Guiana bring anywhere from
$500 to $500, and a set Of four 1862
Hawaiian stamps are valued at 81, 500.
The Is and 80 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 10
penny stamp, valued at 1925.
But the collector does not stop at le-
gitimate, issues of stamps. He gives
fancy prices for varieties of shades, for
perforations, errors and watermarks.
At a recent stamp exhibition in Wen
ma all enthusiastic collector named Gil
webb displayed with pride the "error''
of France-a stamp of % confines
printed in blue instead of black, the
terror Of Afghanistan and stamp
with missing ornament in corner
DR.. 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 1 penny and 4 pence
respectively, which are blue instead of |
red and red instead of blue.
Such ''errors" fetch 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 1,o00,-
900 postage stamps myth. This still
survives in vague and uncertain forms
in the rural districts, where it is beliey-
ed that some vast benefit, financial Or
other, will accrue to any one who col
lects 100000 stamps and forwards
them to the proper address. But the
proper address is never known.
A Big Dress Order.
"Women play odd tricks on one an
other sometimes said smart Amer
lean woman the other day, tbut the
queerest ever heard of was perpetrated |
by one social leader in a western city
upon another. They were rivals and
hated each other accordingly, though