The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-20
From the Los Angeles Times.

From the Los Angeles Times.
wv HAT is believed to be the most
NJ extensively papered room in
w the world Is an apartment in
the residence of Charles Whitfield King
of Ipswich, Eng 1t is papered with I'M
used postage stamps with a face value
of $4,000 and an actual commercial value
of about $4,000.
Mr.. King is dealer in postage stamps
at Ipswich, having begun to collect
stampts when but a lad OF 10 year sof
age. His business had grown to such
proportions that it is declared he is able
from his stock of 100000, COO stamps to
supply at a single order twenty tons of
stamps.
For many years Mr.. King devoted con-
siderable time to the culture of orchids,
having at one time overo15o0 rare speci-
mems. Then he turned his attention to
Gala lilies, crossing many species and
developing some most wonderful varie-
ties.
1t Is in his country home "Morpeth'
that his most unique conception in. the
form OF q room papered with unused
covered with stamps and rooms papered
with used stamps are not unknown, al
though quite rare, but Mr.. Kings library
is the only apartment on earth decorated
with stamps never used for postage.
The room is about fifteen feet square
and of the usual height The stamps ex-
tend from floor to ceiling, forming even
the border. The work of transferring
the stamps to the walls occupied the time
of an expert decorator eleven hours each
day for nearly one hundred days. APP
proximately $4,000 stamps were used,
there being forty-eght varieties and
many denominations. The stamps were
not merely stuck on the walls in blocks
of strips with only the purpose in view
OF covering up the white walls, but ac-
cording to plans and designs worked out
by Mr.. King were arranged with view
to producing an artistic and pleasing eff
feet.
Most beautiful and elaborate designs OF
an imitation mosaic have been produced
by the employment Of stamps OF certain
colors, which, remembering the nheness
of the designs and engravings and the
delicacy of the shadings. have produced
a result exquisite beyond the power OF
words to adequately protray.
Some idea of the beauty of wall
wrought in bright stamps, each type
of the highest skill of the engraver, may
be obtained by an inspection of the
frames showing samples of stamps and
United states paper money in the treas
ury building at Washington. These two
great frames are divided into panels pro-
duced by the arrangement of revenue and
hostage stamps fresh from the bureau of
engraving and printing. At any time of
say persons may be found before these
frames on the main floor, at the south
entrance, overlooking the White House,
and as the visitors gaze their admiration
is voiced in explanations. Commissioner
of Internal Revenue Yerkes declares ex-
perts have assured him the frames are
worth $4,000. ~
The stamps used by Mr.. King in the
decoration of his library We're from the
countries of Argentine Republic, Samoa,
Bergedorf Lubbock, Hanover Servia,
Cuba. Roman States, Philippines. Alsace
and Lorraine and the United Kingdom.
OF the famouse stamps of the Roman
States with the crossed keys and tiara,
emblematic of the authority of the Pope
of Rome, which are of wonderfully brill
liant coloring. no less than 1850 copies
were used.
The actual face value of the stamps.
$4,000 represents only a fraction of the
commercial value of the stamps Many
OF them are worth ten times their face
value, having become rare since they