Evening star., 1940-12-29

1861 large quantities Of stamps we're
on hand in the Southern post Offices,
so that it again became necessary
to demonetiZe all of the previous
issues of stamps, as in many cases
there could not be any accounting
for the postmasters' stocks in the
seeded States. 1t may be said,
officials in the South that they did
account for their Offices up until
the day of secession and before
their Offices were seized by the new
government. OF course, new stamps
had to be issued in 1861 to replace
those demonetized, and so that year
new issue appeared, or rather two
issues, and herein lies one of the
great mysteries to students of United
States stamps, for many years after
the stamps appeared it was dis
covered that the designs of the first
issue had been modified in the Sec
ond one, but no official record or
explanation of this change has been
found. From 1866 to 1873 all of our
stamps were grilled, a grill being
an embossing applied on the stamps
by means of steel roller. BY this
method the surface of the paper
was broken, allowing the canceling
ink to soak into the stamps, thus
preventing the cleaning of the
stamps and their use a second time.
Stamps also exist, printed at
about this period. with another in
genious device incorporated in their
makeup. A powder cap similar to
those used in toy pistols was placed
in each stamp, and when the stamp
was struck by the canceling clerk
it exploded, tearing the face of the
stamp and very effectively prevent
ing its reuse. These devices were
later abandoned as impractical"
DR.. Louis c. West of Princeton,
N. j., was a philatelic visitor in
Washington last week.
Stamps portraying physicians are
discussed by DR.. K. F. Meyer of San
Francisco in Mekeel's Weekly Stamp
News for December %.
When the Germans took Dun
keroue, SOC rose REQ and soc deep
blue stamps of France were crudely
overprinted with an inscription
which translates Occupied Terri
tory"
A few sheets of 1910 Christmas
Seals show a white IS" on the blue
field below the cross of the 56th
seal.
Many stamp collectors save their
Christmas cards as an interesting
sidelight to ordinary philately.
DR.. Frederick A. Weiss is the au-
thor of an illustrated article on
Physicians and Chemists on Post
age Stamps" printed in the Merck
Report for July.
Christmas greetings are gratefully
acknowledged from the following
philatelic friends: Roy M. North,
Robert E. Fellers. Mr. and Mrs.
Harold F. Ambrose, Mr.. and Mrs.
Isaac Gregg, Capt. Otho Lsrkin
Rogers, Mrs. Myrtle c. Shaughnessy,
Mrs. Thomas c. Gale, Miss Gla dys
Hall, DR.. and Mrs. Emil F. Ferdi-
nand, Mr. and Mrs Newbold NJyea,
Mr.. and Mrs. Russell Hastings Mill
ward, Mr.. and Mrs. Robert D. Byrf1es,
Bella Scholtz. sr; Mr. and Mira
Thomas R. Henry, Sidney F. Barrett.
Otis Beall Kent. Mr.. and Mrs. B.
Jean Raleigh, Mr.. and Mrs. Pierce
w. Hangge, Art Burger, Mr.. and Mrs.
Milton H. Cullen, Miss Irene M. Pts
torio, Robert B. Patton, Elmer C.
Pratt, William Irvine, 3D.; Miss
Wilda Townend, George B. Sloene,
Mr.. and Mrs. Ralph Carpenter, Miss
Dorothy R. Fisk, Willard Otis Wylie,
Mac H. Sanborn, Mr. and Mrs. Alvin
R. Meissner. j. o. Peavey. Rev. Mr..
William H. Tower, Miss Agnes JOHN
son, Clifton Olmstead, Mr.. and Mrs.
John j. Ferber, Mr.. and Mrs. j. E.
Guest, Mr.. and Mrs. Howard Elliott,
Mr.. and Mrs. Harry F. Dunkhorst,
Col. and Mrs. Spencer Cosby, Mr..
and Mrs. Philip Simms Warren, Mr..
and Mrs. David D. Caldwell, Philip
H. Ward, jr.; Robert L. Chapman,
Franklin r. Bruins, jr.; Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph A. Herbert, jr.; Robert C.
Bilsborough, Miss Mollie Lewis, Miss
Mary w. Covington, Mr.. and Mrs.
Ralph Bernays and family, Mr.. and
Mrs. Yves M. Tryon and family, Louie
c. Bean, DR.. and Mrs. Ellis Haworth.
DR. and Mrs. John T. Hill and Alvin
w. Hall
The only stamp meeting of the
week is that of the Stamp Club Of
the Air, Station VOL, scheduled for
tomorrow evening at 8:15.