The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-30
cHILD'S PLAY NO LONGER
STAMP COLLECTING HAS BECOME A
LEGITIMATE BUSINESS.
Few Have an Idea Of Its Magnitude
Number of Collectors Increasing
and stamps Grow i'm Value.

WASHINGTON, Aug every few peo-
pie have any idea of the magnitude Of the
great business now done in American and
foreign stamps for collectors. a few years
ago stanp-collecting AZ hobby was con-
fined principally To school children and in
sparse instances to grown people. IL was
considered a foolish pastime-nOw il is an
intellectual scientific pursuit There is
nothing that will educate people better than
the study OF postage stamps. They show
by the pictures on their faces the different
rulers coats Of arms and other interesting
devices; the changes in the different forms
OF government; the change in the monetary
currency OF the countries. and very often
the advancement in the art of engraving
as the countries speed along in the race
of enlightment and civilization
Like the railroad and telephone. the
postage stamp is a nineteenth century in
vention and only sixty-thTee years of age
at that. IL remained for an Englishman to
immortalsze himself. when. on Jan. TO- 1910.
Great Britain was the first country to
adopt this idea of cheap postal communica-
.fion. for Il was on this date that the idea
of penny postage was established. II was
about the year 1895 that Rowland Hill
turned his attention to the postal system
of his country. BY degrees and carefully
watching the system then in vogue. Hill
became convinced that a uniform cheap
postage in the shape of an adhesive stamp
Tor the prepayment of mail matter. would
not only become popular with the people.
but at the same time materially increase
the revenue of Great Britain.
SUCCESS FROM THE START.
The English postofice authorities discour-
aged the scheme as much as possible. New
ertheless, from mere force of public senti-
ment. it was introduced into Parliament
and ratified in 1899. OF course when the
measure became a law postage stamps were
q great success. and have since been adopt
ed by all civilized and numbers of unciv-
flized countries of the world Mr.. Hill be-
came prominently identified with the postal
system of Great Britain. and in 1860, in rec
ognition of his great services. Queen Vic
toria made him a X. c. B. O&night Com
mander OF the Bath He passed away in
1882 full OF honors. at a ripe old age. He
may be called the father of the postage
I. stamp" The United States, as a govern
ment OF to-day. is decidedly in advanve of
itself In the matter OF enterprise and Amer
1can "go-aheadness'' than what it was in
try to adopt adhesive stamps and compare
lively cheap postage for it's people. For it
was not until 1S47 that the United States
FELL in line In this respect The issuing of
stamps for postal uses is left to the post
master general. who. from time to time, as
the exigencies of the times require. has the
different stamps that he deems requisite
issued TO the public. The printing of the
meriy done by private bank-note companies.
but now the government does its own work
All of the stamps are printed by the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing at Washington,
.nder the direction OF the Treasury Depart
ment This has been done since 1894. The
issuing OF the postal commodities in the
Postoffice Department is in the hands of
the third assistant postmaster general.
There were private postal carriers as
early as 1896. Nearly every postmaste. had
a hand stamp. something like the present
canceling stamp. and would stamp the let
tiers paid when one offered and the
amount required for its delivery was actu-
ally paid. This system did not appear to
give satisfaction, but it was not until Nov
%. 1874. that the postmaster general recon-
mended TO Congress "A reduced uniform
a
letter was sent. A bill was introduced
recommending the use of postage stamps,
but II was slow in being approved. The
English system of prepaid postage by the
use OF stamps was shown to be great sue
cess. but the conditions in this country
were so different on account of much longer
distances that il was not considered feas-
tble. However. Congress passed. March
On Ar
for the rate of postage on letters not ex-
ceeding 500 miles to be cents, and over
that distance 10 cents.
Still there were no stamps issued to pre-
pay ere rates. nor were there until 1871.
Postfnasters in different parts of the coun-
try. who were probably longer-headed than
Congress the postmaster general. saw
that the day of adhesive stamps for the
prepayment OF postage was at hand. The
credit of the first one to introduce the adj
hesive stamp in the United States belongs
10 Alexander NJ. Greig. who was running
q dispatch post in New York in 1882 for the
delivery of city letters. the postage rates
being prepaid by the means OF a postage
stamp bearing the portrait of General
Washington. with the words. UNITED
States City Dispatch POST above and
tnfce cents DctOW- III the month OIL Au-
gust. 1872. the government bought Greig's
design. changing the wording as stated
above
ISSUED THEIR OWN STAMPS.
From 1s45 TO 1S47 postmasters of New
Haven. Conn. Alexandria, Va, Providence.
r. J.. Milbury, Mass. Baltimore. Md.
Brattleboro. VT. and St. Louis. Mo, also
issued their own local stamps. The phila-
telic world, those who are interested in
these matters. were thrown into a fever of
excitement about ten years ago by the dis
CO.. of an entire original New Haven
eneesOpe. II was addressed to a Washing
ton. d. c., lawyer. ard mailed. of course.
at New Haven. Conn. Mr.. Sterling. the
finder Is reputed 10 have sold X in London
for zoo $1,000 All local provisional
stamps commanded high prices, especially
the eo-cent st. Louis and the Decent BaIti-
more The former sold for 15O0 and a
stamp dealer In this city placed the latter
stamp abroad for some 1850. II was dis
covered by Washington lady who was
searching through some old correspondence
OF 1876. couple of years ago a colored
5anitor in Louisville. Ky, in looking over
some old papers. unearthed forty-two
copies OF the St. Louis stamps He re-