Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-03-30
SOME FREAK STAMPS
ERRORS THAT CAUSE PhlLATELlSTs
TO JUMP FOR JOY.
The Craze Among Collectors For the
Possession of samples of Blundcrs
Made by Uncle Sans Bureau of En-
craving and Printing.


Possession of Samples of Blunders !
Made by Uncle Sans Bureau OF En- I
craving and Printing. /,
About the only freaks of great value |
manufactured by the government are
misprnted 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 tornado of
trouble quicker in the bureau of en-
craving and printing. An error is gen
orally a costly thong in this depart
ment. 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 freak stamp, but
| it also produces a vacancy, often more.
| in the ranks Of the employees of the de-
| partment. But the collector, the phi
| latelist, is happy, for he gets prize of
the first water.
| Any and every thing in the way OF a
| stamp which varies hairs breadth
| from the correct design is u freak, and
there is always heated race by the
stamp fends to secure one 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 a few get out the collectors
are ready to pay fancy prices for one
Of the prizes. Some few collectors Ia
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 if he would have
issued 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
We're ISSUED in 1869, when series of
stamps was issued in colors. The
series comprised denominations from
! cent to 30 cents. The 10, n, 30 and
80 cents We're 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 10 $500 each
The freak two cent pan American
series of@stamps which turned W i'll
Buffalo. y. Y, in The year OF the Rain
bow City exposition, 1901. are now rat
ed n SD each Only 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 Il gentleman who had purchas-
ed ten stamps discovered the error
and forthwith wrote the bureau of en-
craving ana printing notifying the Of
iicers He doubtless thought he was
doing u good service for the govern
lnent, and doubtless he was, but the
stamp collectors denounce him Us a
chumD of the rankest type. The gen
tleman gave away several of the
stamps he had bought. While 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 freak 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 tht
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 one cent stamps, with thl
word Guam" printed across the face
!, slipped through with Guam upside
down. These stamps were printed fol
e the use of the island, and collector:
l have searched far and near for them
e Only a few have been secured by tn,
coiiecturs, and they bring stiff prices
: The people Of Guam know but littl'
r about the value set on such freaks b.
:, the stamp collectors.
Back in the seventies, when the gov
e eminent used its own distinctive Sc
!, Of stamps for the several departments
e an error was made by the bank not
Q company which then held the contrac
n for making the stamps. The regula
Z. color adopted by the navy department
was blue A sheet Of the two cent dc
nomination was printed in green, an
= the freak has now market value Q
I. about $45 each. The genuine, in blue
= is worth twenty times its face value.
d One collector was fortunate enoug
If to corner the market by getting pos
g session Of sheet Of four cent stamp
lie of the Columbian series which wa
a printed by mistake in steel blue whe
d it's right color should have been ultrt
a marine blue. He got it at it's fac
,e value, and when he wants to. dispos
Of one he can readily get $35.
There are number Of other vail
able freak stamps, but the errors {
d. the bureau Of engraving and printin
t. have been remarkably few, conside
ing the immense number of sheets
IS, stamps turned out every year Fac