Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-08-12
TEN THOUSAND FOR A STAMP
One Collector OGers Top-Notch Price
for an Annapolis
Issue,

That there is United States scent
postage stamp which is worth $4,000, a
price exceeding the highest figure ever paid
for stamp of any country, may seem sur
prising to people not of the postage stamp
collecting cult; yet an American collector
offers that sum for a copy of the Annapolis
(Md) postmaster stamp on the original
envelope similar to the one In the collection
of the Earl of Crawford, which is said to
be the only specimen of it's kind in the
world. and is looked upon by many as the
greatest rarity known to philately.
This would make the Annapolis stamp
the highest priced in the world. Next to
1t in point of value is a specimen of the
two-penny Mauritius stamp, for which the
German Postal museum is said to have paid
s9,022. After this ranks the 1-penny
Mauritius stamp, for which the prince of
Wales not long ago paid $500.
This highly valued bit of paper shows
in one corner a circular black stamp, in
the center of which is an eagle with ex-
panded wings. One of its talons grasps
branch, while the other holds three ar
rows. In the beak is held a sprig of olive
or palm.
At the top of the stamp is the inscrlp-
ton Post Office" and at the bottom
Annapolis" To the left of the stamp
is a large figure 49," underneath being
Paid" The color is red on white, and
the stamp was issued by Postmaster
Martin F. Reveil in 1916. w. A. Castle
of Philadelphia formerly owned the only
known specimen.
There is no series of postage stamps
held In higher esteem by the collectors
than the postmaster stamps, which in
clude between ten to fifteen general types.
They were the forerunners of the regular
United States stamps.
On March 8, 1915, an act was passed
by congress establishing the uniform
postage rates of 8 and 10 cents, but the
postmaster general was not authorized
to issue postage stamps until March g.,
1s47 In the meanwhile the postmasters
of certain cities had stamps prepared
and sold them to the public without au-
thorization. They were sold at a slight
advance to repay the postmaster for the
cost Of production.
The signature of the postmaster ap-
peared on the stamp to show that pay
ment of postage had been made. The
postmaster of New York and his dcpu-
ties used their initials in marking the
stamps; the New Haven postmaster
wrote his name; so did the postmaster
of Baltimore. The Alexandria postmaster
numbered his stamps, and the famous
Brattleboro issues bear a facsimile OF the
postmaster's initials.
Alexandria's postmaster stamp is one
of the great rarities. 1t was issued in
1916 when Daniel Bryan was postmaster.
The design is typeset with a circular
ornamental border.
Within this, forming another circle,
the words Alexandria, Post Office"
and inside of the second circle is 20
Paid" This stamp is found only in
black, but the cancellation is band
stamped in red. Az this variety is sell
dom offered for sale, it is difficult to
estimate its value.
Next come the Baltimore stamps. They
were issued between 1916 and 1S49, during
the incumbency of Postmaster James M
Buchanan. Two values were printed, 8
and 10 cents, of numerous varieties, every
one of which is extremely high priced.
Each of these denominations Is in
black on white and black on blue. The
design is extremely simple, consisting Of
a narrow rectangle of faint lines, with the
signature of the postmaster written over
the printed value.-New York Sun.