Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-04-14
FREAK STAMPS
ERRORS THAT CAUSE PHlLATELisTs
TO JUMP FOR JOY.
The Craze Among Collectors For the
Possasni0n OF samples OF Hunders
Made by Uncle sans Bureau of En-
CRAVING AMI Printing.


Possasninn OF samples OF Munders
Made by lncir SANS bureau of En-
CRAVING ana Printing.
About the only freaks OF great value
manufactured by the government ure
misprlnted postage stamps. the value
Ut 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 II tornado of
trouble quicker In the bureau of en-
Craving and printing. An error IL gen
orally costly thing In this depart
inent. 1t mems that whoever Is re-
sponslblc for the mistake must get out
AMI hunt another job. The work Is too
Important to permit OF curelessness
An error produces Il freak stamp, but
II also produces II vacancy, often more,
In the rinks OF the employees OF the de-
partncnt. But the collector, the phi
lntelist. Is happy, for lie gets prize OF
/ Ia, first water
Amy and every thing In the way Of
stamp which varies II hnir's breadth
from tile correct design Is II freak, and
there IL always Il heated race by tho
stamp tienuS 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, AMI
when only few get out the collectors
are ready to pay funcy prices for ono
Of the prizes. Some few collectors III
Dor under the impression thut every
man has his price" and the sum or
$2O ,00O was offered the head OF the bu-
reau a few years ago IL lie would have
issued IL half dozen sheets OF two cent
errors. or course 10 consideration
whatever was given to the proposition,
and the get rich quick phllatelist saw
his plans mlscarry.
Some very valuable freak stamps
were issued In 1860. when IL series OF
stamps WAS issued In colors. The
series comprised denominations from
cent to 80 cents. The 10, "A. 30 and
no 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-Amerlcan
series OF stamps which turned up In
Buffalo, y. y, In the year Of the Rain
bow City exposition. 1901. are now rat
ed ut 500 ench. Only few OF these got
IN circulation before 1t WAS discovered
that the ruilrond train In the center or
the stamp was upside down. 1t is like
~ that thousands would have been sold
lad not u gentleman who had purchase
ed ten stamps discovered The error
aud forthwith wrote the bureau of en-
craving nnd printing notifying the or
ftcers. He doubtless thought he was
doing good service for the govern
ment. and doubtless he was, but the
stump collectors denounce him as IL
elump Of the rankest type. The gen
tieman guve away several OF the
stamps lie 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
Ell 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 Ell
velopes destroyed. If any sheet OF err
ror stamps other than that sent TO the
Buffalo office was ever sent out, the
fact has never been known ut the bu-
reau, and 1T Is not likely that the mar
ket VIII ever be glutted with this freak
stamp.
During the winter Of 1890 sheet OF
the ordinary one cent stamps. with the
word Guam" printed across the fnce.
slipped through will Guam" upside
down. These stamps were printed for
the use Of the island and collectors
have searched far and near for them.
Only few have been secured by the
collectors. and they bring stiff DrIces.