The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-22

ter for q good phflatslfst to turn hum
dreds of pounds into Thousands within
q comparatively short time. For In
stance, one collection which cost orig
ineily $500 pounds. was sold twenty
years later for $500 pounds. In an
other case 10000 pounds was paid for
collection which originally cost $500
Of cases on record Of collections doub-
ling in value within from four to eight
years. .,.
After twenty or thirty years one may
anticipate selling carefully selected
specimens at an even greater profit.
For instance there IL a case on record
of collection made during thirty-
seven years. at q cost altogether OF
only 50 pounds, which was sold for
5000 pounds. Another collection which
originally cost $50 pounds was sold at
ter twenty-seven years for 1000
pounds. Thus II will be seen that
stamps are often more profitable than
bricks and mortar as investments.
Another striking illustration of this
fact 10 provided by the TAPPING collec-
ton at the British Museum. 1t was
left to the nation by Mr.. 7. K. Tap
ling some years ago, and was valued
at no less than 100000 pounds. Today
the price set upon 1t Is 10000 pounds.
Some say. 1t is the finest collection In
the world. but II the statement that the
stamps possessed by NJ. LIE Renoutiere
Won Ferrary, of Paris, are worth near
ly 100000 pounds, Is true, that regard
ing the TAPPING collection can scarcely
be correct. The famous French coliec-
tor 10 said to have spent, since 1870,
100000 pounds upon his collection. and
his annual expenditure with one ftrm
alone averages from 1900 to 1000
pounds.
Two years ago the collection OF r.
Breitfuss, Russia's most important col
lector, was sold for $4,000 pounds. and
there have been other important sales
during the last ten years, in which
from 10000 to $4,000 pounds has been
realized on various collections.
1t is, of course. well known that
amongst British collectors the Prince
OF Wales occupies q prominent position.
Exactly what his royal highness' col
lection Is worth has not been made
public. but In view of the fact that five
years ago he paid 1,450 pounds for a
specimen OF the two-penny blue Mauri-
titus, 1t Is apparently one OF great
value. II Is not generally known that
the Prince OF Wales secured this stamp
over the head of the German Postoffice
Museum. which sent an agent here to
secure ID at any price. At 1,400 pounds
thus the >stamp came into the royal col
lection.
Even this. however, is not a record
price for one stamp, for two years pre-
viously the German Postal Museum
paid 1878 pounds for q specimen Of the
blue Mauritius.
The Earl Of Crawford 10 one of the
most enthusiastic philatelists in the
country, and amongst the gems Of his
collection Is a complete sheet of the
rare English penny black stamp with
the letters "v. r. on the upper cor
ners. Altogether there are 22e of these
stamps. each of which Is valued at
pounds.
1t Is remarkable how the price OF
single stamps increases. For instance
pair of Zurich stamps. bought by the
VI. Breitfuss already referred to in 1881
for 4 pounds, are now worth close up
on $50 pounds. while Saxony stamp.
bought two, yeara previously for
pounds, Is worth 100 pounds. and col
lection of Spanish stamps, bought in
1873 for 10 pounds. is worth zoo pounds
As showing the enormous business
done In foreign stamps. 1t might be
mentioned that a small strong room at
one representative Arms headquarters
contains more than $4,000 pounds worth
of stamps, pasted into stock books and
numbered. There are 10000 names of
customers in all parts of the world on
the books Of this Arm, for whom about
$4,000 catalogues of British and 10000
of foreign stamps are prepared annual