Evening star., 1935-09-29
ksVsfI@N NSRA ~ ~
1A|
Ia izzSlEN21k2&sSXE
BY JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.

N
BY JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.
Eugene Klein, president, American
Philatelic Society, in few days will
have an announcement Of the utmost
importance to the stamp collectors Of
the Nation.
Secretary of the Interior Ickes at
tended the ceremony incident to the
first printing of the Boulder Dam
stamp at the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing Monday. Others pres
ent were: Senator Key Pittman Of
Nevada. Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury L. w. Robert, jr.; Elwood
Mead, director, Reclamation Service;
Victor S. McCloskey, jr., designer of
the stamp, and Alvin w. Hall, director
Of the bureau. Representing the Post
Of1ce Department there was group
including Second Assistant Postmaster
General Harllee Branch, Third As
sistant Postmaster General c. B. Eli
enberger, Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Smith Purdum, Deputy Third
Assistant Postmaster General Roy M.
North, Superintendent of the Division
of Stamps Robert E. Fellers, Assistant
Superintendent of the Division Of
Stamps Robert C. King and Publicity
Director Harold F. Ambrose.
Twelve plates were specified for use.
The numbers were 2l455 to 2l466, in
elusive. Fnst-day sale arrangements
are limited to Boulder City, New, to-
morrow, but Washington cancellations
will be available Tuesday and are ex-
pected to be of superior value.
The stamp, as announced several
weeks ago, is Scent denomination,
purple in color, fat-bed type without
straight edges. 1t is intended to COM
memorate the dedication of the great
est engineering work of its kind ever
attempted by man.
President Roosevelt is said to favor
q Navy day stamp. If authorized it
should go on sale Navy day, october
q. The U. S. S. Constitution would
be an appropriate theme.
The San Diego Exposition stamp
has not been popular. Requisitions
for it have ceased, and the Post Office
Department has 100000 copies on
hand. 1t is indicated that about half
of these remainders will be sent to
New York for quick disposal, the
balance to be turned over TO the
Philatelic Agency.
Weekly Philatelic Gossip sums up
the attitude of certain patrons in a
spirited editorial: The Philatelic
Agency was originally intended to
serve the stamp collector, and had
1t not been for the support given it
by stamp collectors and bona fide
stamp dealers in the beginning it
could never have survived. Therefore
1t owes its very existence to the group
of persons who made it possible in
the first place. 1t still owes its future
existence and prosperity to those same
people who first contributed to its
support
On the other hand. it is fair to
say that there is far less criticism of
the agency now than there was a few
months ago The work of the Office
appears TO be up to date at last.
The books of the Byrd Expedition
have not been CLOSED and audited -
On the contrary. the expedition Office
still is doing business.
It also is untrue that the Byrd
stamp was on sale at the Philatelic
Agency for two years. The date of
initial release was october 9, 1888,
and the date of removal from the
agency list was December /, 1884
one wear, one month and twenty
days.
Mr.. North is authority for the fol-
lowing figures: 12,896.950 regular-type
Byrd stamps issued; 7,16l,oo6 dis
carded and redeemed; 5,735,944 sold;
$4,000 covers Cancelled at Little
America: 39l 900 stamps on hand at
the agency when sale was terminated.
Scott's 1886 catalogue quotes used
comics of the National Park stamps as
follows: 1c, 500; &c, S.02; SC, SOB;
&c, s.O4: SC, s04: &C, SOC; &c, s.O7;
SC, sos: &c, sos; and l0c, SOC. There
fore. it is fair to conclude that can
celed set is approximately as valu-
able as a mint set newly purchased
from the post Office.
The New York Sun yesterday said:
"After long wait the new pictorial
series of Western Samoa has appeared.
The designs are the work of three
Wellington artists, namely j. Berry,
l.. c. Mitchell and w. j. Cooch, and
consist of the following scenes and
colors; I'D, apple green, Samoan girl
seated on q woven mat; Id, claret ana
black, view of Apia, government
seat. with Vaea Hill in the background;
ID, red, orange and gray, tropical river
scene; 212d, blue and gray black,
Samoan chief and wife; 4d, coffee and
blue gray, Samoan canoe and house;
Sd, petunia. Vallima. home of Robert
Louis Stevenson: 1sh, beech brown
and violet, tomb of Stevenson; 2sh,
purple brown and green, Lake Ianuto;
and 3sh. brown and mineral blue.
Falefa Falls"
Liechtenstein has a new stamp
showing the portrait of Princess Elsa.
The value is 2fr, orange brown.
Spain announces a series to COM
memorate famous journalists; also
single stamp in compliment to sci
entific expedition to the Amazon.
Belgium's mourning stamps for
Queen Astrid will be released shortly.
Fufand has begun pictorial series
assigned 70 advertise the beauty of
the national terrain. The initial is
sue is 5g, Piaskowa Skata near Cra-
cow.
Bulgaria contemplates series in
honor OF the revolutionary leader
Hadji Dimitri. There will be only
. limited printing.
There are three new values OF the