Evening star., 1933-09-10
~ JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.

4u0 EIludttllC AScuCy IcPOlI " elo
3,6S0,000 of the 1-cent and 2,625, ,00l
Progress Philatelic Society
stamps were sold at Chicago August 25
the business for the day reaching
At the main office of the agency
Warrington, 1895 individual orders
were filled August %, representing $685.
900 worth of sales.
The total value of the special issue
10 the Government to date has beer
approximately $4,000.
A few sheets of each denomination
still are available at the agency.
As soon as Congress reconvenes
effort will be renewed to secure legis-
lation permitting the philatelic illus
tration of United States stamps. Col
lectors have been handicapped by the
existing regulation prohibiting the
reproduction of stamp designs, and
the necessary reform should be ap-
proved without further delay. Presi-
dent Roosevelt is said to be favorable
the Treasury Department has no OBJ
lection, and the Post Office Department
has been friendly to the idea since its
Inception. The American Philatelic
Society at its annual convention passed
Lieut.. Col Charles S. Hamilton and
Mayo Dudley, Washington, led last
years fight and probably would have
succeeded in their campaign had 1t
not been for the opposition of the Col
lectors' Club, New York, and a small
group Of dealers.
The New York Times on Friday
printed q story to the effect that the
design Of the new N. r. A. stamp has
aroused second furore among stamp
continued: The latest contention Is
that the stamp constitutes an aspersion
upon American business interests. H.
L. Iindquist, publisher of the Collectors
Club Philatelist and of the weekly
magazine Stamps, said that letters re-
ceived from all parts of the country by
&ooe periodicals complained that the
y. r. A. stamp depicted capital out OF
6tap with every one else.
The Times also printed a dispatch
eeom washington quoting Michael l..
eidzness, superintendent, division OF
StAmpe, Post Office Department, in con-
fradiction of the "out-of-step' notion.
He declared the stamp will not be with
drawn. The design had President
Roosevelt's approval as well as the in
dorsement of Postmaster General
Farley and Recovery Administrator
johnson.
A new stamp in commemoration OF
the battle and massacre OF the Alamo
IN the Texas War for Independence has
been requested by representatives Of the
Lone Star State. If authorized by the
Post once Department authorities. 1t
doubtless will be issued March 6. 1896,
Aho cenfenory of tho fapoOlc copf1irt
Carter Glass, jr Of Lynchburg, Va,
son of Senator Glass and newly elected
vice president of the American Phila-
telic Society, was initiated into stamp
collecting by his brother Powell, who
as boy enjoyed a philatelic corre-
spondence with the late Gar of Russia
Mr.. Glass specializes in Lindbergh
covers and general airmails, but he also
has an interest in the wider fields OF
philately. He is secretary of the Lynch
burg Stamp Club and president of the
Virginia Philatelic Federation.
The Minneapolis Journal says edi-
torially: Its great world. There are
men who sit on hard boards in blaz-
ing sun in the hope of seeing man
with a stick knock a base ball over a
fence Others freeze at foot ball games,
or sit hours IN q swamp tat great eX-
pense) to shoot at a duck, or drive a
white ball into sand traps and weeds,
or stand on chairs and shout at political
conventions.
'Then there are philatelists. They
collect stamps. They meet in annual
conventions.
Not all the poise, gentility, polite
ness, good manners and dignifled bear
ing Of the country is centered in these
organizations, but goodly part OF 1t is.
Men who will 60 across the United
States totget look at rare stamp
they have heard about do not travel
in punches on special trains, with brass
bands and with blue and gold banners
on the sides of the Pul1rnans. Yet these
conventions bring together many dis
tinguished men. Outstanding names in
business and professional life 30 on the
hotel registers.
Stamp collecting is a pastime. or
possibly a science. 1t is one Of the
healthy signs that men do such things
as a relaxation. Some of the vociferous,
back-slapping element may wonder
what can happen at philatelists' con-
vention that's exciting, but if the
philatelists themselves get kick out
Of it, why worry?"
A new philatelic magazine. Stamp
and Cover Collecting, will appear No
Distz Printing Co., 100 East Cary street,
Richmond, Va, and edited by August
Dietz, veteran philatelist.
Weekly Philateic Gossip for August
10 contains an article by Paul H. Keat-
ing which may be commended to the
thoughtful consideration of independent
collectors 1t deals with the minority
opposition to the proposal to Eberalize
production of the designs of United
States stamps.
EN- Hunt, writing in Stamps, says:
obviously, the Post Office Department
cannot and ought not to cater to the
interests of stamp collectors" But it
happens that the Post Office Depart
ment can and does cater to the in
terests of stamp collectors" and is
richly repaid for its trouble The
Philatelic Agency alone did business in
1932-1933, and ordinary Offices
throughout the country sold to COL
lectors at least again as many stamps
for which little postal service was rem
dered. 1t has been conservatively es-
timated that the stamp-collecting
hobby is worth approximately s1,000,-
600 a year to the Government
Don Grieve, writing in the Cleveland
Plain Dealer, says: Some time ago !
made brief mention of the difficulty
of finding perfection copies of recent
issues of United States stamps. I knew
that the percentage of fine copies was
very small, but it has been just re-
Gently that have been able to draw
any definite conclusions. In sorting
over thousands of current stamps
have found that on the average you
can expect to find the following figures
in every 100 stamps: Fine copies. per-
fectly centered and lightly Cancelled, 3
to 5; good copies not perfectly CEN
tered, but the perforations do not cut
into the design, Is to 90; perforated
initials and torn stamps, 10 to II. The