The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1905-05-05
SOME FREAK STAMPS
ERRORS THAT CAUSE PHlLATELlsTs
TO JUMP FOR JOY.

ERRORS THAT CAUSE PHlLATELlSTs
TO JUMP FOR JOY.
Nh Craze Among Collectors For the
Possession of Samples of Blunders
Made by Uncle Sans Bureau of En-
craving nnd Printing.
About the only freaks of great value
manufactured by the government are
misprinted postage stamps, the value
Of one Of these sometimes running up
into the thousands. There is nothing
more dear to the collector than these
errors in printing, and, too, there is
nothing which causes a tornado Of
trouble quicker in the bureau of en-
craving and printing. An error Is gen.
orally a costly thing in this depart
mcnt. 1t means that whoever Is re-
sponsible for the mistake must get out
and hunt another job. The work Is too
important to permit Of carelessness.
An error produces q freak stamp, but
1t also produces a vacancy, often more,
in tie ranks Of the employees of the de-
partment. But the collector, the phil
latelist, is happy. for he gets a prize of
the first water.
Any and every thing In the way Of a
stamp which varies a hairs breadth
from the correct design is a freak. and
stamp fcnds to secure n of these.
Usually these errors. and they are not
made often, are detected before many
Of the stamps are put In circulation, and
when only q few get out the collectors
are ready to pay fancy prices for one
Of the prizes. Some few collectors la
Dor under the impression that "every
man has his price," and the sum Of
$4,000 was offered the head Of the bu-
reau a few years ago II he would have
issued a half dozen sheets of two cent
errors. OF course no consideration
whatever was given to the proposition,
and the get rich quick philatelist saw
his plans miscarry.
Some very valuable freak stamps
were issued in 1853, when a series of
stamps was issued in colors. The
series comprised denominations from
/ cent to 30 cents. The II. "a, 80 and
90 cents were printed in two colors.
On these the central picture was print
ed inverted, and the error was detect
ed. Today any Of these freaks will
bring from $500 to $500 each.
The freak two cent pan-American
series of stamps which turned up in
Buffalo, A. Y, in the year of the Rain
bow City exposition, 1901, are now rat
ed at $50 each. Only a few Of these got
in circulation before it was discovered
that the railroad train in the center of
the stamp was upside down. 1t is like
" that thousands would have been sold
had not a gentleman who had purchas-
ed ten stamps discovered the error
and forthwith wrote the bureau Of en-
craving and printing notifying the Of
ficers. He doubtless thought he was
doing a good service for the govern
ment, and doubtless he was, but the
stamp collectors denounce him as a
chump of the rankest type. The gen
tleman gave away several Of the
stamps he had bought. While a large
number of the stamps with the invert-
ed train Of cars were sold before the
error was detected, there are only six
of these freaks which can be account
ed for, the other stamps having per-
haps served their purpose without be-
ing discovered as belonging to the val
liable froak family. 1t is altogether
reasonable to suppose that the stamps
were affixed to letters and the en-
velopes destroyed. If any sheet Of er-
ror stamps other than that sent to the
Buffalo Office was ever sent out, the
fact has never been known at the bu-
reau, and it is not likely that the mar
ket will ever be glutted with this freak
stamp.
During the winter of 1890 a sheet of
the ordinary II cent stamps, with the
word Guam printed across the face,
slipped through with Guam" upside
down. These stamps were printed for
the use Of the island, and collectors
have searched far and a for them.
Only a few have been secured by the
collectors, and they bring stiff prices.
The people Of Guam know but little
about the value set on such freaks by
the stamp collectors.
Back in the seventies, when the gov
eminent used its own distinctive set
Of stamps for the several departments,
an error was made by the bank note
company which then held the contract
for making the stamps. The regular
color adopted by the navy department
was blue. A sheet Of the two cent de-
nomination was printed in green, and
the freak has now q market value of
about $40 each. The genuine, in blue,
is worth twenty times its face value.
One collector was fortunate enough
- ouon 41o p,o,,I-D%, INV oro%t{nn MO-.