Evening star., 1900-12-22
Always Has a Boom Just Before the
Christmas Season.
PEOPLE WHO MAKE SACRIFICES
Raising Funds so That Others May
Be Made Happy.


purchasers are reckless and retail mer-
chants jubilant, another class of trades
people are thinking not of pushing sales,
but only Of buying. These are the dealers
in rare coins, stamps and curios. The habi
tat of the species is usually on some dull
side street or in dingy rear offices Of tower
ing business blocks. This is their time for
picking up bargains, for, to the dealer in
rare coins. stamps, books and antiques gen.
shopper turn for funds. This is how a
dealer in coins and metals explains the sit
uation:
You see, there is hardly family in ordi-
nar1ly good circumstances which does not
possess some old coin, perhaps with fam
lily tradition attached, or perhaps it has
been handed down merely as a lucky pock-
ct piece. Now, the present owner may not
De overburdened with family pride or inter-
est In family traditions. Christmas comes
and finds lean purse. What Is simpler
than to offer the curio for sale? Yes. there
is a boom in opportunities for buying rare
bits just before Christmas. AS a rule the
sale is effected by a woman. Men are more
philosophical about Christmas giving, but
with the women, well, it's money 20 spend
on gifts or a case of hysteria. And a
rule a woman knows nothing of the value
OF coins. Just so the piece is old she thinks
1t should command a big price.
A Christmas Surprise.
Il remember one young fellow who got a
genuine Christmas surprise in this office.
He threw down a coin with a mumbled
apology that he needed Christmas money.
It's strange, but no one save the coin crank
or collector regards this trade as legitimate.
l picked up the coin carelessly and was
amazed to find it rare one, listed at $50,
buying price. The young fellow, who, by
the way, was well dressed and well bred,
fairly gasped when l paid him the price.
OF course. 1 inquired whether he had any
more stuff Of that sort, and he replied that
1t was a pocket piece which the men OF his
family had carried for several generations,
a sort of luck charm. He remarked that
the $50 was more luck than he had ever
expected to get from it. At another time l
who brought it in threw it down In
shamefaced way and asked If the old thing
might be worth anything When l handed
him $50 he gave me one aStonlshed look,
seized the bill and left in hurry. From
the expression on his face l judge he
thought that the shop had been left IN
charge of weak minded assistant. and he
wanted to get away quick before some re-
sponsble person came to revoke the DEAL
AS every man nnows. num.sma tist'
the real coin crank, becomes absolutely
absorbed in his collection, and would
rather starve than break a series. But
| know old chap, musty as the shelVeS
in his library, who was guilty of breaking
into a complete series in the interests OF
Santa Claus. He had picked up severai
bits in my store. and we We're taliy Wen
acquainted in a business way. About all
| knew of him personally was that he
had some sort of a steady income, for
he always made his purchases on GER
tain day of the month.
Broken and Restored.
'Well, the day before Christmas he
came in with worried look on his face,
his shabby overcoat unbuttoned and his
necktie even more awry than usual He
laid on the counter a certain series Of En-
glish coins, very valuable His voice was
actually husky when he asked Are there
any of those that you would like to buy?
II promptly replied that l would take
the lot. He spread his hands oyer them
couple, just a couple. You see. 1 forgot
all about Christmas, and I've got to have
little money, just few dollars
Il picked out two coins, and wonder
turned back with a yearning look at the
coins. II hope you won't have chance
to sell them before the 10th. I'll have
more money by the 10Th. But [ couldn't
let Christmas go by with nothing for my
little girl
Now, I'm no sentimentaist. but l kept
those coins out of SIGHT until the 10Th. 1t
would have been a pity to break his set,
anyway. and he chuckled like boy when
he found them waiting for him. If ever the
little girl lives to inherit that collection
of coins, she'll possess a little fortune, and
it's dollars to doughnuts that. unless she
is different from most women, she'll scat
ter the labor Of years t. the four winds
A Deal in Stamps.
One of the big stamp dealers has had,
as a customer for several years, a lad
who has spent good deal of money max
ing up a collection His album was rapidly
assuming that delightfully."- bulglng shape
dear to youthful collectors, when misfor-
tune overlook his fathers business af
fairs. He no longer bought stamps, but
stood before the small windoW studying its
contents with yearning. few days ago
he boldly marched in, his stamp book under
his arm. The dealer nodded to his former
customer with cordial greeting. But the
lad had not come to buy. Would the dealer
take the collection off his hands? You see,
things were going sort of hard over home.
and it looked very much as If there'd be
no Christmas doings.
"Of course" explained the lad, Il don't
care for myself, but it's kind of rough on
the younger ones They'll have a fit if they
don't get some dolls and truck
The stamp dealer concluded the story by
saying:
Il suppose you think l ought to have
bought the whole thing up at big price,
in fact, turn sort of Santa Claus myself, but
business is business even in stamps. 1
paid the boy what it was worth and told
him not to waste the money. But he's all
right. He has job now in big wholesale
collection of stamps after ALL.
A Christmas Sacrifice.
A dealer in old books Is responsible for
the following tale of Christmas sacrifice
Two pretty and determined southern girls
came to New York last summer to WOO
Dame Fortune. But that lady proved sin
gularly obtuse to their attentions, and 1t
has been a brave struggle to keep the wolf
from their studio door. Not that they ever
gave a thought to relinquishing their am
billions and returning to the sleepy SOUTH
ern town. The only difficulty was to con-
vince certain people in that same town
that these young women were absolutely
comfortable and happy. When Christmas
time came, the diffio ulty was greater than
ever. box must be sent to the southern
town, but how?
Happy thought! On their studio wall was
a case Of books brought from home con-
tanning some rare English and French vol
umes. last remnants Of the glory of an o!o
southern library. Family pride was sacri-
feed in the twinklng of the eye. The books
found their way to the secondhand shop
and eventually to a notable collection. The
box will be opened by couple of very hap
py people In the far south, and two very
happy girls will sit down to a studio Christ
mas dinner that will not be entirely remin-
fscent of Christmas day before the war