Evening star., 1935-05-26
BY d. H. DAVENPORT.

vAMES WALDO wCET T,
writing from London, sends the
1 following interesting philatelic
comment:
Great Britain is stamp conscious
as never before IN nearly century.
The steady increase of popular in
terest in philately during the past
five years has come to natural apex
in the enthusiasm created by the ap-
pearance of the jubilee commemora-
tives, brought out to mark the twenty
nth anniversary of the accession OF
King George v. When the home
set" Of four values appeared Tuesday,
May 7, the highest peak of excitement
was reached. Every post office and
postal station in the United Kingdom
was stormed by crowds of people. With
in few hours 30,0O0,000 of the new
issues were sold, and the initial de-
mand represented only a fraction OF
the total sale-the rush still continues.
Meanwhile. jubilee visitors, includ-
ing thousands Of colonials and many
Americans, have flocked to the Lon
don and provincial dealers. Shops
are doing an unprecedented business,
and the press is filled with stamp
stories and stamp advertising in un-
paralleled quantity. Even the movies
are contributing TO the extraordinary
boom.
Nor is the excitement limited exclu-
sively to British Empire aspects OF
philatelic expansion. The United
States. likewise, has a share in public
attention. Show windows in towns
like Southampton, Salisbury and
Exeter, as well as in London, are dis
playing the National Parks, Mother s
day and Century of Progress issues
side by side with the latest produc-
tions of the dominions and crown
colonies. Stocks of American stamps
however, are scanty, and dealers can
not push" them as they certainly
would If the supply was greater. The
difnculty, they said, Is that of getting
well-centered and lightly Cancelled
specimens.
But appreciation of recent United
States issues is enhanced. rather than
deleteriously Influenced. by the scarcity
A best designs" contest, conducted
Dy Gibbons Stamp Monthly 10 de-
termine the popular judgment of the
designs Of 1884, resulted in the choice
Of IL favorites, among the number
being the Mothers day stamp. third
place. the Scent parks Mount Raj
nier) stamp. eighth place, and the l.
cent parks (Yosemite) stamps, ninth
place-a fine acknowledgment of the
work of the Bureau Of Engraving and
Printing.
The recent Philippine Island set. II
may be mentioned parenthetically
also has been applauded by British
collectors. Stanley Phillips says "spe-
cial praise Is due" the designer.
A somewhat poetical expression Of
the jubilee spirit is that of Fred j.
Melville, who writes in the Stamp
Collectors Fortnightly: Never be-
fore in the history of the world and
OF philately has any event scattered
so wonderful shower of silver rain
as the stamps-some $50 of them,
perhaps more-that have been issued
from the Britain at home and the
Britains that are spread over the face
of the world.
Many years ago the late Sir John
Henniker Heaton used to speak of
sticking the empire together with a
penny postage stamp. A postage
stamp is small thing, but it is big
with symbolism. and In the unanimity
with which the dominions and colo
nies have sent forth their postage
stamp tributes we read the empires
pride in the Kings Majesty and ali
the peoples rejoicing in this memo
rable occasion in the life and reign
Of the Philatelist King"
The Eighth London international
Stamp Dealers Bourse is in session
Americans attending include Eugene
Klein. Harry L. Lindquist and Emil
Bruchig.
Ernest Byrce, eminent Australian
philatelist. has promised his assist
ance in arranging the Australian sec
ciety Convention Exhibition, to be
held at the National Museum, Wash
ington, next August.
The second commemorative postage
stamp to be issued this year will be
placed on sale here Friday.
The new stamp is being issued in
connection with the California Pacific
International Exposition, which opens
at San Diego Wednesday, in celebra-
tion of the 400th anniversary of the
discovery of the Pacific Southwest by
the noted Spanish explorer, Coronado
Printing of the stamp, q 3-cent
value, was begun at the Bureau OF
Engraving and Printing last Wednes-
day-just seven days before it will be
placed on initial sale at San Diego
and by nightfall 100000 were dis
patched by plane to the West Coast
Postmaster General James A. Farley