Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-09-28
Stamps Worth Fortunes.

From the Philadelphia North American.
That there is a United States scent
postage stamp which is worth $40, 900,
a price exceeding the highest figure
ever paid for a stamp of any country,
may seem surprising to people not of
the postage stamp collecting cult; yet
an American collector offers that sum
for a copy of the Annapolis, Md, post
master 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 its 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 it in point of value is a Speci-
men Of the 2-penny Mauritius stamp,
for which the German Postal museum
is said to have paid SO ,022. After this
ranks the 1-penny Mauritius stamp, for
which the Prince of Wales not long ago
paid $1,000.
This highly valued bit Of paper shows
in one corner a circular black stamp, in
the center of which is an eagle with
expanded wings. One of its talons
grasps a branch, while the other holds
three arrows. In the beak is held a
sprig of olive or palm.
At the top of the stamp is the in
scription, Post Office" and at the bot
tom, 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 Postmas-
ter Martin f. Revell in 1916. w. A.
Castle, of Philadelphia, formerly owned
the only known specimen.
There is nc series of postage stamps
held higher in esteem by the collectors
than the postmaster stamps, which in
clude between ten and fifteen general
types. They were the of
the regular United States stamps.
on March 3, 1916, an act was passed
by congress establishing the uniform
postage rates Of 5 and 10 cents, but the
postmaster general was not authorized
to issue postage stamps until March 3,
1S47. In the meanwhile the postmasters
of certain cities had stamps prepared
and sold them to the public without
authorization. They were sold at a
slight advance to repay the postmaster
for the cost of production.
The signature of the postmaster APP
pearcd on the stamp TO snow that pay
ment Of postage had been made. The
postmaster of New York and his dep
uties used their initials in marking the
stamps the New Haven postmaster
wrote his name; so did the postmaster
Of Baltimore. The Alexandria post
master numbered his stamps. and the
famous Brattleboro issues bear a fac
smile Of the postmasters initials.
Postmaster stamps were first Issued
in New York city by Robert H. Morris.
There was but n denomination, D
cents. but there were many minor va
~rieties. The Endorsements, always in
red ink, are "R. II. NJ" for the post
master, and "A. c.. W." for Alonzo c..
Monsoon, an assistant.
The design Of the stamps shows the
head of George Washington. At the
top on the extreme left and right cor
eners, are New" and York while
underneath is Post Office" AT the
bottom is Five Cents" The general
color was blue. One variety is worth
$50 unused and $25 used. While none of
the varieties is high priced, still all
bring from $40 up.