Evening star., 1935-06-16
BIZ JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.
via Mail from Holland.

lector's paradise. 1t has peculiar ad-
Vantages as seacoast country. largely
engaged in maritime trade and pos
= sessing colonies in especially interest
ing parts of the globe. One of the
most important postal gates of Europe,
1t has cultural ties and economic re-
lationS with America, Australia, Africa
and the Far East. Dutch sailors and
traders 90 everywhere, and to Holland
D.. each Spring and Summer come
thousands of tourists, many of whom
81 are amateur or professional philate-
lists. Innumerable social forces thus
work together to make the stamp
marts of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and
g The Hague. notable, but even in much
smaller towns there are active ph1la-
telic centers, most of which are as
ISOLATED in national federation
recognized by government, educa-
tional authorities and press-W. p.
Costerus Pm, Edam, president.
Perhaps, however, the most con-
y vincing manifestation Of the popular
enthusiasm for stamps is that OF the
National Postal Museum, maintained
by the crown at IL Kortenaerkade,
The Hague. The director is DR.. j. D.
= Tresling, kindly and scholarly gen.
tleman who is familiar with postal
history in general as well as with
: the science of philately in all its
various aspects.
Established in 1929, the museum Is
open to the public Wednesday and
Thursday Of each week from 10 to 4
and every second Saturday Of the
= month from 2 to 4. Stamps on dis
play run the full gamut from the
earliest of Dutch and Dutch colonial
issues to the latest. Supplementary
material includes post cards, envelopes,
postal forms, post boxes, post office
signs and an excellent philatelic
library.
DR.. 1resling naturally believes In
collecting as an educational recreation
and argues that collectors should have
definite cultural profit from their study
of stamps. He deplores the speculative
tendencies of those who gamble In
philatelic values and compares the
dangers of such a policy with the
nerils Of stock market manipulation
Hollands experience with the tulip
craze several hundred years ago, ne
said, causes us to be skeptical of too
much booming of stamps. A single
bulb once at the height Of the fever
sold for the equivalent OF mouse
garden, furniture, all complete. But
eventually the inevitable crash came
and tulips now sell only for what they
really are worth
A universal code of fair dealing IS
wanted in the philatehc world. Dr.
,Tresling continued. In America, as
in Europe. 1 suppose unhappy Incl
dents occasionally occur. Collectors
and dealers should have an accepted
standard of exchange for the guidance
of all concerned. Honorable practices
are necessary in stamp buying, selling
and trading as in other varieties OF
business"
The exact number of collectors IN
the Netherlands, the director ex-
blamed. would be difficult to estimate.
.But there are at least 10000, pos
.-sibly rs, 900"
.. Reports concerning the gift stamps
distributed by Postmaster General
Farley, Dr., Presling remarked. we're
4orfnted in Dutch newspapers and were
widely discussed in philatelic circles
In Holland.
The director speaks perfect English
and will be glad to welcome at the
museum Office any American collec-
tors visiting The Hague.
Stamp prices in Holland are reason
able, the quality of specimens con-
sidered. A cult of perfection exists
everywhere, and damaged copies are
not offered by reputable dealers. The
off-center character of United States
stamps reacts against their popularlty'
The center of philately in Amster-
dam. as it happens, is the open-alr
bo,Irse. held every Wednesday ana
Saturday in N 2. Voorburgwal. Es-
tablished in 1924, it is the mecca OF
collectors and traders of all grades
and ages. and on occasion as many as
l 900 men and boys are present.
small grove of trees shelters the croWo,
end business is brisk as individuals
. move from group to group along the
+ pavement. The whole assembly stlrs
constantly and q hum of voices nils
the air, but there Is no excitement
! n Quiet dignity pervades the scene.
Z ! ]. Romijn, a veteran phllatellSt
/ Who speaks English with the merest
trace of an accent, welcomes American
pilarims, He expressed surprise that
the bourse idea has not caught on
in cities like New York, Chicago and
washington, where he believed 1t
would be even more successful than
in Holland.
The Silver Jubilee number OF the
. Stamp Lover, edited by Fred j. Mel
vile and dedicated to King George w.,
probably is the best philatelic souvenir
of the present celebration In Great
Britain. It is a handsome brochure,
bound in silver, finely printed and
abundantly illustrated. Contents in
- -clude: Some Notes on His Majesty's
Stamp Collection" by Robert Curzon;
soaThe British Postage Stamp OF 1884,
=. by Frank B. Wooford; "The Stamps
of India in King Georges Reign" by
Sir Norman c. Macleod; Falkland
Islands. by B. S. H. Grant; The
. Australian Commonwealth" by R. j.
Bird; Barbados" by Valentine Rip
pon; "Postmarks of King Georges
Reign" by Guy R. Crouch; Georgian
Stamps of the Union of South Africa, !"
by Lancelot A. B. Sharpe; Jamaica, "
by L. C. C. Nicholson; The Isles OF
the Pacific" by Donald Mcdonald;
colbert and Ellice Islands," by S. J..
Rutter; "a Stamp Lover in Thursday
Island" by H. G. Simpson; THE EN-
pire Stamps of King Georges Reign
by John ireland; AN Empire Chain
Of Jubilee Stamps by Mr.. Melville,
and other articles.
Austria has a new 2sch stamp, green,
showing an oflcer and two soldiers of
the national army. It is on white
wove paper, no watermark, perforated
12h, and was manufactured at the
government printing works, Vienna.
The new Dutch Indies charity
stamps, issued for the Christian Mill
tary Association, were designed by +.
Wagner and printed in photogravure