The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-30
BARGAINS IN sTAMrs.
~. Louis Man Makes y Living In .
Qu~er Way.

tnnoeenssg enough. Of the stamp clark If
ehs could gss stamps at reduction Il size
purchased them IN large lots- T1asn waen
he sad. with ag attempt at pleasantly:
wei. not to-day, madam, sac sSesfly
tnqa41xds "Wnea IL your bargain day.
Isokah.y not one Of tssOSe ~ao have laIzh-
ed "a the story knew that the lady was
not far from ar original idea whose aG9E~
zsos In row giving q 81 Lol1ssan al sa.
cailen: living. He drives '-EargainsF ia
STAMPS. That o.. Loaxian IS T.. =. Plum
mer. whose senaa Ii 50 ALBERT a.saue, and
xfsiSs on Commercial street. His calling "a
. stamp broker ~ q most novel ONE Aa
has hundreds of customer both in 81.
Housa and ether eIEsas. and hsS business has
20 Increased that he noG has an Essfega
correspondent. Hes Is literally ia sss,s
s.x3ssissase stamp business" bst d4es q
hood .+sesaIf' business, too. IL 10 not on "a
email seals. az might b@ iUaslness, but his
stamp transactions Involve the transfer Of
thousands Of dollars In cash. lie does not
buy rafe stamps, foreign stamps OF ans
other kind os stamps except those assd sor
aeti.r postage IN the United states. A re-
Cent purchase asy Mr.. Piusnassr Of s. ssa
worth Of cent stamps from Philadelphia
Concern, and thu fact thai he disposed ~
the consignment in iess shan week. will
give an idea OF flsss magnitude reached ny
1sis business Last year be paid cat over
concerns and the present year De expects
90 pass that point. He buys from the
Globe Democrat alone more than ttzs worth
Of cent stamps per day, and this papcs
IL only ono of his sources OF supply. he de-
pensss entirely on big business. small and
quick returns. for his success. The man.
ner Ia which Dir. Pumner aTifted into this
novel way Of making a living was a. odd
an the bsssinens itself lie Was formerly
he Sets a snffUl
where he ROW has his ogsiee. but misfortune
made the business unproatable, and hs
sought for come othsr means OF stipptsrs.
Although flne bookkesper and matae-
matscian. writers cramp'' made IL impas-
While for him 10 follow this line. He vas
not young man. either. having celebrated
his 7osA birthday. He il even willing 10
admit this fact himself. While casting
about him for some means of employment
he thought Of the trouble people took 10 SO
90 the poetotflee to get stamps. and or
tho further trouble they had In adjusting
them 70 envelopes. He drlfsed Into t,s
offcn Of III. Glohs-Dsmocrat. and there
learned that hundreds OF dalIarw worth OF
stamps were received IN the daily mails
which be coaid secure. He offered 70 buy
all tbs stamps received II given 20 him al
q discount. and IL an agreement was maae
with him not 20 sell 10 any one else. He
then vsitsd ether newspaper effices. made u
similar arrangement, and discovered yars-
Gus wholesale concerns where hundreds ef
dollars worth Of stamps wer. received ia
che mail. In fas days he had contracted
for tia paraehasa az several hundred dol
iara' worth Ut stamps daily at small dis
count His naxt move was to fud CUSTOM
ars for fhesa stamps something that was
not as difficult IA might DE imagined He
was without capital. s,at explained his ven
lure 10 one OF tho city hanks. and sasliy
secured credit on ieposit.ng the stamps
which he parehasef. From this point the
stamp venture MAS simply enc OF snsafRiag
his husinesa Having thoroughly establish
al hiustif ia the confidence OF his bank
he was sfysLiei 70 carry blank check beck
ami write checks In return fer the stamps.
which were honosed by sha bank. as he
always Deposited the stamps there befos.
she sileeks Nsre offered for collection
Since tho siFps when be flrss weat into
the veasnfs Mr.. pinmner's figure saAs heen
familiar aas In the downtowa business
district lie Ia tall and s,eatght. though
now - yenrs o.a lie goes from enc large
Business house To another and Il never
heard 10 complain Of wlnt ar weather. He
always carries q little tin box IN which he
has hsa zEaEsp supply and his blank checks
lie slgtres et9ssfy on every eoat OF rsvenua
a. Re nees sSassiy mast 81 make returns Al
though sama ~ tho distances ne walks
riumn~r fuakea iigses u them. he SAYS
that II lie toak "a street car ha woatla laae
she prssS nn a couple OF hundred stamfw
81 has 50 walk - insure profits. He has
made an actual calculation wAlch sncws
thai during business houu. he walks NJ Iess
than - blocks zach aay. Some days h.s has
80 hsachs 80 walk nut never complains Of
heng ttrest- He SAYS that whea he wAs as
years % Al ga be wau able - sxy t. his sans
that hs had never snokesl or CHECKED to-
baern. tasted efTonw drink - even ts4s lie
became slightly tll few yeaFs ago and his
yhsNteiana advised nltn 80 dFfnk a 1.-THE
whisky, lie says uaw that each nlwhs he
has his tostsy before gainE go bel hus that
.s tho extent es hia dissipation MANY a
yostnEev man c0uld gain Inspiration from
hearing this old man talk ~ ths difficulties
be has n4et With IN thr development Of his
ED bushes Though having PASSED gss
thfes sceFe years aad ten allotted - men
BIZ works from early morning until shs
rs7es ~ business hoGre vissttn~ ssNefes ~
places ara caisuassgg MANY flights of stairs
lie II always ia = hurry and always has hls
aar carefully saAnged aas In atvsnSs. Hs
keeps What he essafs his route hxsok In
shsa ne eaters she names ~ tire concern
sfe sstapilas @fsh stamps. and when oySser~
are gvcsivsa. shs ssy BE ia ~ ,iessxes gh~
stsmsss He has hsen Obliged ta hire 4
young usssA - assist htsst tn She delivery
and aiso has as osyser boy. whe ryrassn@ sa
sBtv a. ats ofsic~ M ia. ~ sake ts3eYsesse
crSierrl At sateySsss aufteS tAe Fsy 30 calls
us hss 0Esloa - issrn what gsrfass AAvs heess
received ara delivers fhn stamps sithosst
saalgE tae extra steps required r. return ta
s3ls asSce. Ssssae ~ thr csbu AGttgas Es,4s sfxs
~ sAe nsoceas * saving Steps are rally
s,sTlsgsstnst t8ss i5ats - DE eset haSEicat IS
carried taEa every sFarcA - fhs business
Aesg ~ hts stamps ara hFygslS1F 10 asna az
saGpssleA ~ bears MstA TO asss~sAfsse y
the t.rg ~ as axs3sa he ssEs < hseua *ss@fss
osst aa& sgsanFes tsesn ga sslie* So 1'sss eses
sheTf - 4 have tAe Sara ngsEafag SO SsAss1sss
as every gsAas HAec3 }H fAe Ss(e T6ass ae
iNsys sAS stamps 8s6 m eayssegsee - g 8
as E. or ssea lsrsvr effsse \ pare es ais
tssy nses - 5se a>ssastsrs ~ 3ls~ f5eez
sfaEaFs "a eavt4opes aAkss are fssezs5sfe-s
htus ssv SIS asa-sss . hFfA he zsfet1r.> Is.
thss wasS tHe houses ssve see4s 1sssxas a.
STA sspe1 essNsS. gseA " ~ , eaa Pa RAMA ssss
"a viii AZ. 1IssEsa@F sayss :Aat Pc ae1s
sh&s sas h.s s~e4 esecvfns yeevsvf IRE ia~n.
skg nutzAey ~ .saFusss ssersssssA JHss -rza-s
aaa ssw year h~ 'esgElts So -" wcstA az
STAMPS feeFss = S1EAa W.asas.Aga eres Ike