The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-02-19
STAMP SHOW
DRAWS MANY
But Allen Smith Fails 10
Learn Why People Make
Collections Of Them
By H ALLEN SMITH
United Press Staff Correspondent

United Press Staff Correspondent
NEW YORK, Feb. 10. (UPG-
Efforts to ascertain what makes
a stamp collector collect stamps
went for naught at the natlona!
stamp exhibition in RADIO w!
here because of the immense
crush of humanity.
Your correspondent, whose con
nection with stamps. has oeen lL.ti-
tied to the application OF tongue
to gluey side, visited the 9Io,,
100000 exhibit for the purpose
of finding out, for the lew u
US who steadfastly refuse to pc
come ascinated by Zurich Split
Fours. Just why anybody would
assassinate his grandmother lor
a Zurich Split Four. =,
Your investigator reports. WIN
extreme humility, that the only
good the trip to the national
Stamp exhibition did him, was to
remind him to mail those two
letters Mrs. Smith gave him Tues
day. One was for the gas COM
pany. ,
A young lady who has charge
of the exhibit explained volumbly
that more than 10000 persons
have visited the exhibit to date,
and that a policeman was tramp
led underfoot on the opening
day.
"People," she said, care max
ing up excursions on trains to
come in and see the stamps. One
philately excursion train came
in from New England. Day be-
fore Yesterday and before they
hit grand centeral terminal they
had snapped $50 stamps"
The young lady said she is not
interested in stamps at all, but
she has provided herself with a
fund of information concerning
philately. King George, it seems
has been collecting stamps for
many years.
"Pre 81 d ent Roosevelt" she
went on, sis our most eminent
collector. Secretary Ickes and
many others in the cabinet are
phi.atelists."
The most famous stamp in the
world, it was learned, is a Bril-
fish Guiana Black Penny, issued
in 1856. This stamp was pur-
chased by Arthur Hind of upstate
New York for $37,500. 1t sold
for six shillings in 1872 ($1:53
at current exchange.) Mr.. Hind
is now dead and his widow stead
tasty refused to sell the poorly
printed scrap of paper.
The thousands of stamp addicts
who were attending the exhibit
ton came prepared to learn the
difference between the stamp
used for bored prisoners on Dew
IFS Island The most important
item Of their equipment seemed
to be a magnifying glass, of the
type used by retired army col
onels to read their morning gaz-
cites.
Flabbergasted by the turmoil,
this correspondent finally decid-
ed to step up, bravely, and mas
ter at least one of the thousands
Of stamps.
He picked out a stamp con-
cerned with the singing tower of
Lake Wales, Fla, without artifi-
cal coloring. The catalogue ex-
planned that Lake Wales has the
highest altitude of any point in
Florida-200 feet in it's stocking
feet.
This proved a poor selection.
In addition to a singing tower,
there was a bird busting it's
feathers, and a piece of board.
Your correspondent was able to
identify the bird at once as
red-headed wood-pecker. A plank,
or board, which lay in the fore
ground, proved battling. In de-
speratlon he rushed to the booth
occupied by Sir William Feed
ling, one of the foremost auth
critics on stamps that were car
ried by homing pigeons.
Sir William had magnifying
glass and like the gentleman
they say he is. he returned to
the glass case with the reporter.
examined the singing tower of
Lake Wales, Fla. without arti-
fetal coloring, and, coming upon
the piece of plank, or board, ex-
planned:
"That is a croze. which is a
groove in barrel stave onto
which the head fits"
Your correspondent fastened
to the Lexington Avenue subway.