Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-04
COUNTERFEIT STAMPS.
One Danger to Which Philatelists Are
Exposed.

From the New York Times.
1t is perhaps to be regretted that the JOY
imparting II nefarious industry of manu-
featuring rare stamps for the benefit Of
dealers and collectors has been interrupted.
From what appears the art is very simple
one, though requiring certain skill and
dextertty in penmanship. For example,
mistake of no great consequence Is made
In engraving the plate for postage stamp.
few are printed, the mistake is discover
ed the issue suppressed, and a stamp takes
It's place in which there is no defect I'M
mediately the recalled stamp become rare
as rare, indeed, as a day in June, of
which there cannot be more than thirty in
each year, to go round among the popula-
ton of the earth. What had originally the
value of the few cents for which 1t would
be accepted in payment of postage is by the
collector desired as Daphne by the eager
day god To what fabulous value 1t may
attain II the fact that it is really scarce is
established the sane man never knows
The temptation to initiate with pen the
defect of an original stamp plate is per-
fectiy comprehensive and probably irresis-s
tible. 1t pays extremely we'll The COL
lector who gets one of these forged discards
Is happy until he discovers that he has been
duped. Why he should not merely regret
the discovery Is not quite clear The in
trinsic value of an uncurrent postage
used, is about as near zero as one can get;
and that the difference between o and, say,
$500 or more should be determined by a mis-
print or slip Of the engravers BURN Is not
comprehensive at all. II the interest of
freak stamp resides in its rarity the unique
product Of the forger's pen would seem to
possess this quality in higher degree than
one of even few turned out by the print
ing press and each like the other The
hand-painted' picture has ever ranked
above the chrome lithograph; but the stand
ards of value In philately seem to change
this rule.
That the forging of stamps is not an
honest business may be conceded without
discussion. The same Is true, perhaps, of
the forging of good compilations, the con-
cealment of age by the use of hair dye the
stimulation Of natural irregularity and dis
coloration In artificial dentation, and SO on
through long list OF what the law would
call colorado limitations But the one
appears to be crime. while the others are
not. The happiness OF the collector who
thinks he has acquired a very rare stamp
Is no less real while II lasts than IL he had
actually done so, and since neither the real
nor the false stamp has any intrinsic value
whatever the specialist in stamp collection
cannot expect the average human being to
appreciate either his citation or his depres-
sion according to the Eenuneness OF his
acquisition. Whether the maker of unde-
tectable counterfeits Of rare stamps would
not De benefactor to collectors by con-
rerring upon them lasting happiness is a
question we leave to those who have de-
veloped fancy for discussing such prob
iems, Tor example, as whether the little
glrl whose quick wit enabled her to save
life was or was not justified in stretching
the truth to point which, In the circum-
stances. would seem to be well within its
elastic limit.