Evening star., 1936-11-01
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT

Fred w. Allen, writing in Stamps
Magazine for October 81, says: There
has been much discussion pro and
con in the philatelic press concerning
the accumulation of mint United
States stamps in large quantities Of
sheets. In a recent issue Of Western
stamp collector, Don Kendall conducts
survey of 100 collectors to deter
mine what percentage are interested
in the hobby from speculative view
point. His findings are that practi-
calfy so per cent are collectors or
accumulators who plan to sell even
tually at a profit.
ANY prominent dealer will tell you
that it has cost him many hundreds
Of dollars and taken years Of expert
ence to become successful in the
business Of dealing in stamps. Yet We
find thousands of collectors who
blindly plunge in and buy from the
Philatelic Agency and post ofiices with
the calm assurance that they are
some day going to unload at q profit.
I would hazard statement that since
1880, the amount Of speculation has
increased to such a degree that for
every dollar invested before 1890 for
mint United States with the express
intention of holding the stamps and
later selling at profit. 81 900 has been
spent.
In 1925 We used to figure that
there were a million stamp collectors
in the country. In 1890. We boosted
this by few hundred thousand. To-
day We have an idea that there are
perhaps two million people interested
in stamps to the extent Of saving the
same-but ask the editor of this paper
how many collectors there are in this
country who will subscribe to a maga-
zine. He will place the present figure
at approximately $4,000. The point I
am making Is that for every one hun
dred so-called collectors, there are not
more than two who have the slightest
inkling of how the stamp business
operates. With such a situation, it
isn't hard to understand what is
happening.
I'VE have enjoyed a rising market
in stamps since 1925. What started
it more than anything else were the
commemorative issues which began
with the Pilgrim. AS they became
more numerous interest increased.
When newspapers took hold of. pub
licity for stamps a snow ball had
Just started to roll down the hill.
Snow that lay in front of it grew
deeper and deeper as new issues in
creased, as radio publicity came into
being and as the Post Office Depart
ment made the issuing and selling of
stamps to collectors a business, rather
than simply an accommoda ton. The
snow ball is still rolling, but the
descent has started to level of. In
time the snow ball will come to q
standstill and gradually will begin to
disintegrate. If I were radical In
my opinion of the situation, I would
probably say that the snow ball would
come to a sudden halt and burst
into million pieces-but no, there
is too much to cushion the disintegra-
ton of the snow ball to ever have
this come about. The scarce stamps
are going to be scarcer.
When any hobby, sound as it may
be, develops into fad, then is the
time to predict collapse in popu-
larity. The American public is noted
for its dropping fad like a hot
potato. The stamp fad will be dropped
just that quickly by those who are
not interested as philatelists, but
simply as spectators. Then the un-
loading will begin and we will have
a glutted market-not the older and
desirable issues from the Morse Amer
ican back to 1847, but material since
1880. This. I feel, will be a weaken
ing influence, but not one that will
seriously affect sound values to any
marked degree. What, then, is meant
by sound values? It means stamps
that can only be found by a bit of
hunting, and not ones which every
Tom. Dick and Harry can produce
in sheet form"
The Office of the Philippine Trade
Commission, Barr Building, announces
that the available stock of Arnacal
overprints has been exhausted and
that no further orders for the first
anniversary series can be expected.
Third Assistant Postmaster General
Clinton B. Eilenberger is seriously i'll
at his home at Stroudsburg, Pa. He
has been in defective health for sew
eral months, but it was hoped that he
soon would recover sufficiently to re-
sumo his duties.
Rumors to the effect that the Post
Office Department is considering the
discontinuance Of pre-canceled stamps
are inaccurate. The subject has beer
discussed from time to time for many
years, but no action has been taken
and none is contemplated at present
The Army and Navy heroes series
still remains in a condition of sus-
pended animation.
Chester L. Lankford has added to
his collection a block of four of the
25-cent Niagara Falls stamps so deer
in color as to be remarkable. The
plate from which it was printed, ap-
parently, was overloaded" with dark
green ink.
Local cover collectors are arranging
for election day cancellations Tuesday
Washington markings will symbolic
the voteless condition of residents oi
the District of Columbia.
Plans for the Second American
Philatelic Congress are maturing un.
der the management Of Eugene Klein
president, American Philatelic Society
and Donald w. Martin, chairman oi