The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-22

Line of Stamp Making-humanta's
 Issues the Newest-0Iistakes That
 Make Some VaIuable-OIympic Stamps
 of Greece.
 One more set of commemorative pos tage stamps has appeared, these lat est arrivals being issued by Roumania, which has taken advantage of the fact that the year 1906 is the fortieth of the accession of Prince Charles and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the change of the country from prin- cipality to a kingdom to sigalize the dual event.
 Commemorative stamp issues have become so fashionable that they now embrace hundreds of varieties, with great range of value. There are so many of them, and as a rule they are so artistic in design and so interesting from a historical point of view that ! certain persons made a speciality of their collection These stamps are nearly always larger than the regular issues, and more elaborate in design.
 The first stamps of this nature to be used by any country were those is- sued by the United States in 1869. These included denominations of 1, ?, 1 8, 6, 10, 12, 15, "A, 30 and 90 cents. They were beautifully engraved, all in diff ferent colors. The one cent stamp showed the head of Franklin, the first Colonial Postmaster General and also the first under the federation of the | federation of the States. The two cent stamp bore a post horse and rider, | the three cent had locomotive and the 12 cent an ocean steamship the the whole set Illustrating the advance of the postal facilities The 10 cent stamp bore the head of Washington, after Stuarts painting; the 15 cent re- presented the landing of Columbus, from the painting by Vanderlyn, while the 24 cent showed the signing of the l Declaration of Independence, copied from the Trumbull painting. The 30 cent stamp bore the United States coat of arms, showing an eagle with outstretched wings and grouped flags at either side, This stamp was In car- mine and blue, and one of the hand somest ever issued by any country The 90 cent stamp showed the portrait of Lincoln.
 These are the rarest of all the com memorative issues, and a, complete set of 1860 unused is worth several thou sand dollars.
 This set was made remarkable by reason of errors in printing, which oc- cured in the denominations of 15, "A and 30 cents. By mistake the flags on the latter stamp were printed upside down, and this error gives such a stamp value of more than $500 when cancelled. The picture of the land- ling of Columbus on the 15 cent and the picture of the Declaration of Indepen- dence on the A cent were also invert- ed in several instances, and the defect now makes the latter stamp worth $2OO and the IS cent variety unused worth ten times as much.
 It is said that an inverted specimen of the go cent value was printed, and this was listed in the catalogues for many years, but there is no known specimen, although it is quite certain that such an error came from the press. lat is supposed that they were never allowed to get into circulation.
 The next commemorative stamps to be issued were those n the centennial year of 1876, which appeared in the shape of stamped envelopes. These stamps were of large size, in two colors red and, green but both of the same design. This showed a post horse at the top, with rairoad train under meath. Above was "1776," while at either side of the word Postage" were "U" and "S."'Below the train was the value, Three cents," and still further below '1S76."
 In 1892 Argentina came into the field with a commemorative stamp celebrating the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492; and then followed the series of Columbian stamps, issued by this country during the world s fair at Chicago, It was from this set that the nations of the earth readily conceived the Idea of issuing commen- orative stamps
 The Columbian issues were of the
 denomination of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15, 30, 50 cents and $1 $2, $3, $4, and $5. All
 of these stamps bore representations of scenes in the life of America's dis
 coverer.
 In the same year Venezuela issued a commemorative stamp almost simi- | In. t,, ,J k1
 ination of the Columbian stamps The resemblance was so marked that the Venezuelan stamp not infrequently :, went unchallenged through the United
 States mails.
 Tn 1894, 1895 and 1898 Portugal came out with three commemorative is.
 sues. The first of these was known a. the Don Henry Celebration" stamps
 and marked the centenary of Prince Henry the navagator The 1895 issue commenorated the seventh centenar!
 of the birth of St. Anthony of Padus
 and bore the figure and scenes in thu life of the saint on the face and La tin prayer on the back. The 1898 issu celebrated the four hundredth ami versary of Vasco da Cana, and tn, designs principally showed the eXplor ; CTS ships at sea in varying scenes. Bulgaria in 1896 issued a set of pos
 tai labels to celebrate the baptism 0
 Prince Boris in the Greek churcl 5 and in 1901 and 1903 two other type
 of commemorative stamps, the latte of which showed a battle on a steel
 mountain side.
 Belgium issued a set in celebration of the Brussels Exposition in 1896 an l in 1897. British Guiana issued stam . for Queen Victoria's jubilee, as di