Evening star., 1932-01-01
Line of $500 PhiIateIists
Waits as Station Opens
for First u. S. Sales.
EARLY CANCELLATION
ADDS TO SERIES VALUE
Fess and Bloom First to Purchase
Sets Portraying Washington.
Huge Mail Anticipated.

Despite the fact it is New Year day,
postal officials estimated more than
100000 pieces of mail would go out
from the central post Office at North
Capitol street and Massachusetts avenue
today, as thousands Of philatelistS
stormed the stamp windows to obtain
first issues of the George Washington
Bicentennial commemorative stamps,
placed on sale here today in advance
of any other city in the country.
Long before post Office clerks arrived
to open up" this morning, hundreds OF
patient stamp collectors, anxious to Sc
cure early cancellation marks on first
day covers" were waiting in line. APP
proXimately $500 were in line when
the stamp windows were opened at
7:30 am.
Fess and Bloom First to Buy.
the United States George Washington
BiCentennial Commission, was given the
honor of being the first purchaser of
the new stamps. Postmaster William
M. Mooney acted as salesman and pre-
sented the Ohioan with a complete set.
Representative Sol Bloom of New York,
associate director of the commission,
was the second purchaser of the stamps.
Others who participated in the cere-
mony incident to the advent of the
new series included Third Assistant
Postmaster General F. A. Tilton, Assist
ant Postmaster w. H. HayCock and M
L. EidsneSs, jr, superintendent of the
Division of Stamps of the Post Office
Department.
The stamps, ranging In denomination
from y cent to 10 cents, were placed
on sale here under special order from
the Postmaster General and philatelists
everywhere have deluged the Pest ONCE
Departments Stamp Division with re-
quests for first covers. The fact they
were released in Washington a day
ahead CT any other city considerably
enhances their value among stamp
collectors.
Mount Vernon Envelopes on Sale.
In addition to the special issue of
stamps. a series of stamped envelopes
depicting a view of Mount Vernon in
place of a likeness Of George Wash
ington on the stamp, also went on rale.
Saturday both stamps and envelopes
may be purchased at every first and
second class Postoffice throughout the
country
Special police details were assigned
to handle the crowds at the city post
Office this morning. Plain clothes men
also were scattered among the crowd
as an additional precaution. Many
thousands of dollars changed hands in
stamp transactions during the day.
Because of the heavy demand for
the first covers the Post Office Depart
ment announced some time ago it
would not undertake to handle mail
requests for cancelled commemorative
stamps, and officials said the response
today justified their decision. The de-
partment would have been absolutely
unable to take care of the thousands
Of requests, they declared.
Dealer Rents Nearby Store.
The local post office made special
preparations for the anticipated rush
of stamp collectors and extra tables
were placed in the lobby of the build
ing The customary staff of clerks
was swelled by the addition of help
from other departments not cuStomarily
functioning on New Year day.
Private dealers, however, made ar
rangements, in some cases on eXten-
sive scale, to place in the mails thous-
andS of covers bearing the new stamps
One dealer from New York rented
store on North Capital street and en-
ployed Is clerks to handle more than
100000 stamps and 10000 stamped
envelopes, for first cover cancellations.
In addition this dealer had arranged
to dispatch 1000 registered letters to
all parts of the United States and
Europe.
IL Likenesses Depicted.
MANY Of the first-day covers pre-
pared by the stamp collectors depict
patriotic representations of various
phases of the life of George Wash
ington.
The first issue Of the stamps, each
Of which has one of the u best-knoWn
ikenesses of the First President, in
cludes $500, 100000 Of various de-
nominations and it is estimated IA
OOO,OOO,OOO will be issued during the
bicentennial year.