Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-06
THE STAMP MARKET
Two Recent Events That Have Excit
ed the Collectors.


tional note. so in the stamp market. !
Two recent events have demonstrated
this beyond question-King Edwards
illness and the Martinique disaster.
The illness of the King doubled the
price, of current English stamps and
more than quadrupled the demand.
His speedy recovery brought prices
back to the normal, and almost en-
tirely stopped the demand. Still, FOR
a few days the sale was so brisk that
it is wonder there are any King Ed
ward stamps left.
Similarly, the Martinique disaster set
collectors crazy to possess phllatelc
relics of the unfortunate island. The
widest excitement prevailed on the
Paris stamp bourse, one observer liken-
ing the scene to the Chicago Exchange
during the Letter wheat corner in
1885, Today Martinique stamps, al
though not in such great demand, now
it is seen some of the island is appar-
emily to remain. can hardly be OBJ
tanned at all.
1t is not historic events alone, how
ever. which affect the philatelist, for
some trivial mistake on the part of
the printer will often enormously en-
nance the price of stamp. In 1S47,
for example, Mauritius started print
ing stamps and decided to place the
words post paid" on the border. By
error the first dies read ''postoffice,'
and few stamps were run off before it
was discovered. Then every endeavor
was made to get in all that had been
issued. and those recovered were i'm
mediately destroyed. For a long time
it was believed that none had escaped,
but so years later one of each variety,
the one-penny orange and the two
penny blue, were offered to Stanley
Gibbons & Co., the London and New
York philatelic dealers, who bought
them for $500, selling them again with
in a week at an unknown profit.
These two stamps are the most valu-
able in the world, but there are many
others whose value would be less had
no mistake been made in printing
them. The 1887 issue of two-cent en-
velopes by the United States govern
ment. on amber paper, sell ordinarily
at one cent apiece, but there are few
extant with the crossbar of the &c" in
postage broken. One of these was
sold by auction in Chicago last winter
value on account of unpreventable ac-
cidents. but many an act of gross care
lessness has been afterward blessed by
the Dhilatelist.
1t is not at all uncommon when
stamps are printed in two colors for
the center die to become inverted and
thus to create new variety for the
| collectors album. In the Pan-Ameri-
can issue the 1-cent. 2-cent and A.
cent stamps were all thus carelessly
printed. Today, while the stamps
properly printed fetch but face value,
or less. respectively, at $40, 5000 and
1910 each.
| Had King Edward died last month
stamps with his head on them would
only have been issued for half a year,
and the increase in their price was
due to the fear that no more of them
would be struck. But there are many
other causes which lead to high values.
The first issue of stamps in New
Brunswick, Canada, was made In 1861,
| when P. M. Cornell was postmaster.
| Instead Of following the customary
practice OF putting Queen Victoria's
head on the scent issue, he sought TO
perpetuate his own memory by sub
shutting his own features for those of
his sovereign. The stamps were duly
issued, placed on the market and few
sold. Then the people realized what
he had done and arose in patriotic
wrath. For a short while they gave
| that postmaster all the unpleasant re-
minders they could. Surrounding his
house, they kept him close prisoner
and in fear of his life until he recalled
| the stamps and destroyed them. The
next issue bore the Queens head. But,
at the same time, Mr.. Cornell had a
sweet revenge, as his stamps are now
worth 5000 each.
! From what has been said it Is easy to
see that stamp collections may be worth
| fabulous amounts, and this indeed is the
case. In Chicago the most valuable col
lection is said to be owned by w. F. Cur
| ley, Who would not sell it for $4,000.
Still, he would look cheap alongside of r.
| j. Crocker the San Francisco millionaire,
81, 00,000. His United States collection
| alone is worth 81 900 600, while his Hawaii
ans are put at $4,000 and his Japanese at
s25 900.
| But if not exceptionally valuable, sew
ieral Chicago collections are interesting
J. J. Oesch, for instance, has every Ger
he thought he had finished an almost life
| long task. a complete new issue was or
dered, comprising 376 stamps, and in or
der to keep up with the times Mr.. Oesch
| had to buy them ALL Now he has over
1890 German stamps altogether, and his
collection is valued at between $1,000 and
/ S.00o or about $3.50 per stamp.
| A collection of 40S Persians in the pos
session OF r. F. Robinson, of this city,
| catalogue at an average of nearly $12
apiece, bis collection being worth $4,000.
] Not everyone is familiar with the treas
ures of the post, however, and philatelic
dealers could unfold many romance. 1t
! Is only a matter of days since, crumbled
and torn. a stamp changed hands in Chi
cago for five cents Within week it had
been repaired and cleaned and sold again
! for 500. In another case the same dealer
was the fortunate victim of fraud. Like
most OF his class he does a large mail or
der business, sending out sheets on ap-
prevail Last week a sheet came back,
apparently untouched, but on close ex-
animation it was found that two stamps
had been taken off and others substituted
for them. One of the changelings was
worth $3.50, and In consequence, the
dealer abstained from prosecuting the Of
fender, but sent him more stamps in
stead,
The craze for stamp collecting appears
to be rapidly increasing and is by no
meaus confined to any one class of So
ciety. In Chicago and other big. cities
regular phitelic auctions are held. AMI
at a recent one in this city the bidders