Evening star., 1937-03-21

because Of the great interest shown in
it by visitors and collectors, plans are
already under way for the enlarge
ment OF the room
But don't think the plain, ordi-
nary postage stamps you and buy
each day amount to an insignificaut
annual business. Last year P. M. G.
Farley's men sold s49l ,677, ,040 worth
OF stamps, sl9,9l1, $50 of postal cards
and s44, ,450, ,159 of stamped envelopes.
Inc New York Herald-Tribune saws.
The efficiency of modern Government
engraving and printing plants and the
routine of meticulous examination to
prevent errors in stamps has at least
kept many error varieties out of circu-
latlon. Only recently plate No 1855,
from which Scent Army stamps were
to have been printed, was destroyed
because of some defect.
Yet there are still errors which
every collector, lacking the means to
purchase such items as the airmail
mverts, can secure-errors in design
Tor which the printers are not respon-
sible. The classic example of this type
of error is found on the l and 2 cent
varieties of the Columbian issue of
the United States. The first stamp,
depicting Columbus in sight of land
shows him clean-Shaven. He wears a
full beard. however. on the second
stamp, which shows the explorer land
ing in America.
These slips still occur in spite of
careful research in old records and
picture collections. Close inspection
of the scent Morse American stamp,
issued in 1925, shows an American flag
flying at the masthead of a Viking
ship. In 1882 the Philippine Islands,
intending to depict the Pagsanjan
Falls near Manila, selected a picture
of Vernal Falls in the Yosemite Ma
tional Park by mistake Canada, in
1888, issued stamp in honor of the
first complete crossing of the Atlantic
by steam vessel On the scent stamp
the Royal William, which was a
paddle wheel ship, is shown as a
screw-propeller vessel.
only last year at least two stamps
were issued on which collectors i'm
mediately found errors. The truck on
the New Zealand Chamber of Com
merce set bears license plate number
valid only on passenger cars. Ber-
muda yachtSmen were chagrined to
discover that the second denomina-
ton, which was supposed to show a
Bermuda yacht, carried an American
boat instead A picture Of the Viking,
6-meter sloop owned by Kenneth
birmingham of Bermuda, winner of
the Prince of Wales Cup, had been
selected for the design. In some way
g. picture of the Lucie, similar boat
owned by Briggs S. Cunningham Of
Southport, Conn, was sent to the
designer, and sea-going philatelsts
promptly pointed out the mistake when
the stamp appeared"
Only 1863 copies each of the IS, $40
and $40 denominations Of the State
Department Official stamps OF 1873
we're issued.
Wes. M. Tryon has been appointed
historian and librarian of the Govern
ment Printing Office Stamp Club.
From H. E. AtWater, financial Su-
perintendent, Post Office Department
of Canada, comes an announcement
reading. "a new non n-cOnlnennOrati tive
regular issue Of Canadian postage
stamps, bearing the portrait of His
Majesty, King George vi, will be avail
able at the philatelic division of this
department on and after April i, in
the following denominations: One
cent, green; two-cent, brown; and
three-cent, red, all single size.
Orders for these stamps in mint
candition may now be sent to the
philatelic division, financial branch,
Post Office Department. Ottawa, Can