The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-25
MET At BUFFALO
ANNUAL CONVENTION OF AMERI-
CAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY AT
PAN-AMERICAN CITY
BEAUTIFUL SPECIMENS SHOWN
Stamps to the Value of Thousands
OF Dollars Exhibited to
Those Interested in
Collecting.

BUFFALO, Aug. 22.-(Spec1al The b 81
attended convention which the American
Phliatelic association has ever held closed
It's sessions today. Nearly all the lead
ing spirits of the association were pres
ent at least a score of the charter mem
bers being on hand.
Ihis association of stamp collectors was
organized in 1885, ard Incorporated under
the laws of the State of Minnesota in
1886, and While there are several other
national organizations of postage stamp
collectors, this has always been the rep
resentative American body, and probably
has the largest membership of any in the
world save the International Verein Of
Dresden, Germany.
The president of the association, who
will be Reelected at the directors meeting.
is George L. Toppan, the superintendent
Of the waterworks system of Racine. and
who was the moving spirit in preparing
the most elaborate philatelic work ever
produced in this country, ''The History
of the Revenue Stamps of the United
States which was published TWO years
ago under the auspices of the Boston So
ciety
Secretary beats, of Pennington, Y. J.,
is also in attendance, and has recently
added to mis- already large library upon
stamp matters that of E. B. Moens of
Brussels, Belgium, who was the pioneer
dealer of the world, and whose accUmull-
items date back into the SOS. The onlv
other philatelic library in America which
could at all compare with the beats col
lection was that of the late John X
Tiffany, of st. Louis the first president
of the American association, which this
month was sold to a prominent English
collector.
1t may be a matter of some surprise to
the world at large to know that so much
interest in stamps is taken by adults. for
by many it is regarded as mere boys
play, but to look at the makeup of the
American association would dispell the
idea instantly, as not over a half dozen
minors were present, and these were well
up to the age limit. In fact, minors are
only admitted to membership when a
signed guarantee of responsibility from
a person Of good financial standing is
furnished. Minnesota had present four
representatives. Mr.. and Mrs. F. r. Aid
rich, Of Benson, Eben S. Martin, of Min
neapOlis and H. c.. Smith, of Winona.
The latter has charge of the exchange de-
partment of the society, and during the
past seven months mas handled StamTS
to the value Of $50, coo and made sales of
over $1,000 to members. These We're of
the duplicate specimens of members. and
is but mere drop in the bucket of what
they have spent in the same time with
the dealer. One dealer present, Mr. Z.
B. Carpenter of the New England Stamp
company, had a book with a couple of
specimens valued at $2O,0OO among them
being a fine specimen of the BrattlebOrO.
VT. local, valued at $500, and several st.
Louis stan ps, worth about the same.
The library of the society is deposited
with the Carnegie library, of Pittsburg,
and a printed catalogue was this year
prepared. The nominees for directors
indorsed by the Chicago branch won out
and Springfield, Mass, secured the next
meet by the close margin of fifteen votes
over Denver, Col. The fine hand of City
Librarian Stone, of the Massachusetts
village, brought about this result. Stone
has for years been chairman of the
library committee and, as usual, rendered
a voluminous report, showing that three
weekly papers are being issued in the
United States and nearly two score
monthlieS and as many more in Eng
land and colonies, and should one sub
scribe for ali papers now current in all
languages at least a. hundred would be
received. The Weekly Philatelc Era, of
Portland Me, was again selected as
official organ. Routine work and reports
occupied nearly three days time
Among other prominent collectors pres
emit were Mr.. Bowen, of Havana, Cuba,
who exhibited the finest collection of
stamps that island ever brought together
and which in a collectors eyes is prac-
tically priceless. A. L. Stewart, of To-
ledo, a recognized authority on the
stamps of several countries; P. M Vols
ieffer, of Chicago, who now collects moth
ing but counterfeits, of which many are
yearly turned out by European rascals;
Nathan Cobe, of WaItham, whose spe-
cialty is the plate or control members
Of the United States stamps; and ]. M.
Bartels of Boston, a world wide author
ity on entire envelopes.
An amusing incident occurred Monday
evening when Kelsay Hall, of Canada,
was reported to have been robbed of
$1,000 worth of stamps and medals on the
Midway, but which he afterwards found
he had mislaid; but few of the collectors
escaped leaving their stamp buttons in
the streets of Cairo, as it's denizens de-
veloped so great a liking for them that
when their appeals were unheeded, their
sleight- of-hand was not.