The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-12-02
OLD STAMPS GO UP IN PRICE.

last two years, and the stamp cata-
logues for 1906, advance sheets of
which are already in circulation,
show a general increase of 10 per cent.
for stamps sought by collectors,
while in anumber of instances stamps
have increased in value 100 per cent.
or more.
The most notable jump has taken
place in the value of the stamp issues
of Timore. This is a small island in
Oceanica, but quite large enough to
have stamps of its own.
One denomination of this country
has advanced from IL cents, the
price two years ago, to $22.5o for
the coming year, while another de-
nomination, which sold two years ago
for 20, cent is now listed in the STAN
-daEd catalogues at $z5. and is hard
to get even at that price. The deal
ers and collectors do not seem to
know the reason for its great scarcity,
which was discovered only when an
attempt was recently made to obtain
a number of the stamps.
It is often the case that stamp
that has 70. years been rated as
common variety is catalogued at
low figure for the reason that there
is no demand for it, when, as matter
of fact, there are very few to be had.
A good example of this is the Dutch
West Indies twelve and a-half cent
gray Queens head stamp, issued by
Holland. The catalogue sets down
the value of this issue at eight cents.
But not only would a collector have
a hard time to get one at that price
he would find it very difficult to Sc
cure one at any figure.
The largest stamp firm in England,
with stamp supply valued at $8,-
900, 900, is said to have just three
specimens. The largest dealer in
New York, with a stock of $3, ,ooo,-
900, owns a similar number, while
the majority of the small dealers have
not even one. Yet the stamp is still
included among the common varieties.
One of these days a new catalogue
will come out with this issue named
among the great rarities, and the
price will be almost beyond the means
of the ordinary collector. There are
many other stamps which have made
a quick and large advance in price,
although, of course, not always in the
same proportion as that made by the
Timor issues.
It almost seems as if one can't pay
too much for a rare stamp. The
premium on stamps costing thousand
dollars or more has been known to
double and treble in two or three
years. Of course the scarcity of the
issue is the real cause of jump in
value, but then this scarcity is due to
the rapidly increasing number of col
lectors, of whom already there are
estimated to be more than 700, 900
in this country alone.
The probability is that many So
called common stamps which are now
catalogued at a low figure will soon
take an unexpected flight in price and
cause stamp collectors much vexation
at their failure to secure specimens
while the prices were down. Stamp
collectors as rule have their eyes
fastened on the prevailing rarities and
do not pay much attention to the COM
mon varieties, thinking that they can
easily complete their collection at any
time they may see fit.
But in this they are often mistaken.
Many stamps are now rated at low
price, say 10 or IS cents, and yet
many dealers have not a single
one on hand, and indeed collector
would have some trouble in securing
one from any source. The fact of
the stamps scarcity finally dawns
upon the dealer, the price increases,
and before one realizes it the price
is soaring to the skies.
The tendency of prices seems al
ways to be upward, rarely down.
Many collectors who have been buy
ing stamps for years have specimens
for which they originally paid few
cents and which are now valued at a
hundred dollars or more. Of course,
there are some cases where certain
issue has taken big drop in value,
but these are exceptions.
The collection of we'll know New
Yorker was sold in this city not long
ago, and the high prices brought as
tonished even the dealers themselves.
The interesting feature of the sale
was the difference between the prices
originally paid by the owner when he
bought the stamps years ago and the
prices paid at the sale. He had made
pratice of writing the purchase
figures on the back of each stamp, and
there were many instances in which
stamps for which he had paid 10 or
IS cents brought sums ranging from
SIS to $3.50.
Otlll luG O1QCI COlAC(tOlS CuJOyCO
superior advantages, mention of which
will make the mouth of the lattel
day stamp enthusiasts water. The
greatest windfall in the history oi
stamp collecting was that of the yeal
1884 and 1886, when the Government
officials at Washington gave away
hundreds of complete sets of depart
meut stamps, such as those ISSUED
for the State, Agriculture, Executive
and Justice Departments.
The use of these stamps had beer
abandoned, and as there were many
sets of them left they were giver
away to any one who would take the
trouble to come after them. Nov
many of these stamps command very
high premiums. The Department O
Agriculture issues given away at tha
time are worth $50. Those of tn
War and Executive departments hav
steadily advanced until they rang
from $40 to $45, while the State De
partment stamps are the rarest of al
| -