Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-19
Mistsllanous 8raaing.
STAN PS.

STAMPS.
The United States Has the Best In the
II World.
Among the thousands Of persons
who visited the extremely interesting
exhibition Of postage stamps held last
year in the Hall Of the Horticultural
society at Westminster. there may
have been a few who realized for the
first time what a hopelessly difficult
and complicated business the collect
I ing Of postage stamps as a hobby has
become. The long rows Of glass cases,
each of them filled with beautifully
clean and fresh specimens, as bewild-
ering in quantity as in variety Of COL
or, in differences of watermark. in
minute detail of perforation; speci-
mems of essays, Of proofs, Of patterns
submitted for royal approval, Of err
| rors, Of locals: above all, Of complete
new sheets Of stamps so rare as to
| make the obtaining Of a single used
specimen an occasion, for humber COL
| lectors, to be marked with a white
stone-the effect of the juxtaposition
Of such galaxies Of rarities must sure
ly have been, even the connoisseurs,
little depressing in its completeness.
II the layman, unversed in the mys-
tteries of watermarks and perforations.
add to that sense of depression the
realization that what Is apparently
complete is in fact incomplete: and
| that every month increases the num-
Der Of issues which must be added to
q representative collection, the futility
Of trying to keep up with the postof-
fees Of all the different countries Is
plain enough-or 1t Is plain enough for
the average person. In the eos and
| 70's almost anybody could make a good
collection Of the stamps Of the world;
today 1t may take a man Of means to
make-that is, but-a decent collection
Of stamps Of a single country.
According to a catalogue which has
just been published by an Ipswich firm
of stamp dealers, the total number OF
postage stamps issued by govern
ments UP to Jan. / last was 20,496, Of
which 6,153 belong to the British en-
pire and 14,343 to the rest Of the
world. The issues of Europe amount
to 1851, those of Asia to 1886, Africa
has issued 4469 America 1858. the
West Indies 1887, and Oceania 1,4S5.
These numbers exclude varieties diff
fering only in the matter OF water
mark, perforation, and so on, also local
stamps and those issued by any other
authority except government. II these
varieties were included-and there are
many collectors whose chief interest
Is in minute variations-the foregoing
numbers would probably be at least
doubled, which is a consideration that
could only be inspiriting to the en-
thusiast But If no one would think OF
attempting a complete collection Of the
whole 10000, a general survey Of a
fairly representative collection still
makes a rather interesting review, as
forming some kind Of an index not on
bly to the history, but also to the tastes
and predictions of the different peo-
pies Of the world. More than that;
for it would not be difficult to. draw
inferences from looking at fairly
complete collection Of stamps as to the
history Of civilized mankind during the
past century. History, Of course,
could be read to some extent from the
portraits on many of the issues; 1t
would not be difficult for instance, to
draw a contrast between the histories
of France and England during the
years since 1910. The happiness OF
the country that has, at all events on
it's postage stamps, no history could
hardly be more surely guessed at than
by noticing the fact that on the Brit
ish stamps the same young queens
head appears unaltered on every stamp
from the black "V. R." penny Of 1910
to the issues Of 1902, when the first
British stamp was struck bearing the
head of king. AS sharp contrast
to that era of calm and prosperity, look
at the quickly varying issues OF the
years which followed the adoption by
France Of the prepaid postage sys-
tenn in 1S49. First comes the wreath
ed head of Liberty, but for three years
only. In 1852 an issue appears, still
bearing the words "Repub. Franc" but
impressions of the old head of Liberty
the portrait Of the President Louis
Napoleon. Next year the same head
is on the stamp, but with the inscrip-
ton altered to Empire Franc; ten
years later the same head Is crowned
with laurel Eighteen years more, and
the newly engraved stamps of the en-
pire give way to rough, autographed
impressions of the old head Of Liberty
those are the stamps struck during the
siege Of Paris. Six years Of recupera-
ton followed, and then you get the
restful design of the familiar issue OF
Peace and Commerce" succeeded by
the designs Of the current stamps or
which perhaps the most prominent Is
the graceful figure Of a girl sowing,
the emblem Of the ideals Of a quiet and
contented peasant proprietary. Agri-
culture, indeed, has always held a
foremost place in the minds of design
ers of French postage stamps, the So
called Head of Liberty" which Is the
centre of the first and many succeed
ing issues, being in reality the head