Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1922-09-08
ANY OLD STAMPS?
Might Not Be Bad Idea to Rum
mage Through the Attic.
Fortunes Have Been Made by Lucky
Possessors Of Envelopes Long
Regarded as Worthless.

A Journalist hobnohhinr with the
c"Gnosctn,i gathers that even In
sto!id America there are many thrills
in stamp collecting. got into cunfal,
with some of the big league profess
slonals of stamp collecting, the New
York brokers Of big houses that buy
and sell stamps of every value from
the sort they purchase literally 10y the
ton and handle with scoop ShovclS, to
The rnritieS that are handled yinyprly
with little tongS. like precious Jewels
Charles Phelps Cushing writes in Les.
lies
In high Vaulted room. walled and
rooted with glazed white tiles. like Il
cellar grill room or hyh-c ciiinged
subway station-thouyh il opened on.
TO IN" sidewalk of II Sunlit side street
III uptown New I"rk-"nc Of these
professionals told me stories Of the
adventures Of "lluwniian blues" old
anecdotes made timely by the record
price that Ferrary stamps recently
fetched in Paris.
missionaries" the trade calls this
Hawaiian issue, he said. because they
were printed In day when American
clergymen invaded the ''S:.ndwich''
islands to convert the natives to
Christianity. Every relative or known
correspondent Of those evangelists,
any one To whom letter that bore
one OF those rare stamps might have
been sent. has been traced by profess
Sl"nal collectors seeking new finds
"A few years ago." the professional
collector related. I'VE knew Of only ten
copies of that first issue Then in IN
old schoolhouSe in the islands two
more turned up by accident 4 visitor
to that Sch0olhouSe noticed under
some peeling whitewash in the corner
nm old yellow envelope. He pulled 1t
out Of the plaster and found on it two
blue scraps OF paper, each worth a
small fortune"
Another story of Hawaiians- this
time concerned with genuine copies but
not SO rare an issue, relates Of a bar
gain made from New York by mail
through California agents. A repre-
sentative Of one OF the big eastern
stamp agencies man Of the type
that baseball would describe a. q
"semipro," worked on a Los Angeles
newspaper and had stamp collecting
on n commission basis as a side line.
He received word one dny to investi-
gate rumor that retired farmer
and his wife possessed letters from q
to Hawaii in the SOS.
On the day that he received the let
ter the agent was too busy to go out
to the place. Il little bungalow In the
distant suburbs. But the following
afternoon he was able to get away and
motored out in his flivver Just as he
drew up TO the place the front door
opened and three broad smiles greeted
BIN; tie first two on the features OF
the old couple. the third. with some
thing OF malicious triumph in 1t, on
the face Of a rival collector.
"roo late. BILL" sang out the rival
"We've just closed the deal. Gimme n
lift back to town and I'll tell YOU all
about 1t on the way"
1t seems pa hadn't been sure they d
saved the letters from Uncle Ezra
but ma remembered where They'd
stored them in the attic
A week or two later the representa-
tive returned to the bungalow and
handed pa check. The old gentle
mans face hlanched when he saw
what II read and he dropped dowr
limp on 10 the porch swing and nearly
tainted. He and his wife were fal
from we'll TO do and that check fol
$4,000 meant comfort for them to the
end OF their days.