Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-04-04
THE FREAK STAMP FAD.
CRAZE FOR POSSESSION OF
BLUNDERS MADE BY Gov
EMINENT.


Issued in 1869-The Freak Two
Cent Pan-American Series of
Stamps Are Now Worth SIS Each.
About the only freaks of great
value manufactured by the Govern
ment 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 print
ing, and, too, there is nothing which
causes a tornado of trouble quicker
in the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing. An error is generally
costly thing in this department. 1t
means that whoever is responsible
for the mistake must get out and hunt
another job. The work is too impor-
tant to permit of carelessness. An
error produces a freak stamp, but it
also produces a vacancy, often more,
in the ranks of the employees of the
department; but the collector, the
philatelist, is happy; for he gets a
pI lAS VI Tie llISl water.
Any and everything in the way of
a stamp which varies a hairs breadth
from the correct design is freak,
and there is always a heated race by
the stamp fiends to secure one of
these. Usually these errors, and they
are not made often, are detected be-
fore many of the stamps are put in
circulation, and when only a few get
out the collectors are ready to pay
fancy prices for one of the prizes.
Some few collectors labor under the
impression that every man has his
price" and the sum of $4,000 was
offered the head of the bureau few
years ago if he would have issued
a half-dozen sheets of two-cent err
rors. Of course no consideration
whatever was given to the PROPOSE
ton, and the get-rich-quick philatelist
saw his plans miscarry.
Some very valuable freak stamps
were issued in 1869, when series OF
stamps were issued in colors The
series comprised denominations from
cent to so cents. The Is, "a 80 and
80 cents were printed in two colors,
On these the central picture was
printed inverted and the error was
detected. Today any of these freaks
will bring from $500 to $500 each.
The freak 2-cent Pan-American
series of stamps which turned up in
Buffalo, n. Y, a few years ago are
now rated at $55 each. Only few of
these got in circulation before {. was
discovered that the railroad train in
The center of the stamp was upside
down. 1t is likely that thousands
would have been sold had not a gen.
tleman who had purchased ten stamps
discovered the error and forthwith
wrote the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, notifying the officers. He
doubtless thought he was doing a
good service for the Government and
doubtless he was, but the stamp col
lectors denounce him as a chump of
the rankest type. The gentleman
gave away several of the stamps he
had bought. While a large number
of the stamps with the inverted train
of cars were sold before the error
was detected, there are only six of
these freaks which can be accounted
for, the other stamps having perhaps
served their purpose without being
discovered as belonging to the valu-
able freak family. 1t is altogether
reasonable to suppose that the stamps
were affixed to letters and the en-
error stamps other than that sent to
the Buffalo Office was ever sent out
the fact has never been known at
the bureau, and it is not likely that
the market will ever be glutted with
this freak stamp.
During the winter of 1890 a sheet
of the ordinary 1-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 near
for them. Only a few have been Sc
cured 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 col
lectors.
Back in the '70s, when the Govern
ment used its own distinctive set of
stamps for the several departments,
an error was made by the banknote
company which then held the con-
tract for making the stamps. The
regular color adopted by the Navy
Department was blue. A sheet of the
2-cent denomination was printed in
green, and the freak has now a mar
ket value of about $45 each. The
genuine, in blue, is worth twenty
times its face value.
One collector was fortunate enough
to corner the market by getting pos
session Of a sheet of Accent stamps
OF the Columbian series, which was
printed by mistake in steel blue, when
its right color should have been ultra
marine blue. He got it at its face
value, and when he wants to dispose
of one he can readily get s35.
There are a number of other valu-
able freak stamps, but the errors of
the Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing have been remarkably few, con-
sidering the immense number of
sheets of stamps turned out every
year. Each sheet after being printed
passes through a dozen or more hands
before it is ready for the stock vault.
and inspectors and counters are al
ways on the lookout for errors in
printing Kansas City Star
Women Golfers in England.