Evening star., 1940-06-23
Bv James Waldo Faacceff.

By James Waldo FazcceH.
Will Germany demand indemnl-
fication for the famous Ferrari col
lection of stamps?
The story which prompts this
question perhaps is not known to
the younger generation of American
philatelists and therefore may merit
retelling.
Philippe la Renotiere Won Ferrari
was an Austrian, born in 1848. From
boyhood onward he was an ardent
stamp enthusiast. Great family
wealth enabled him to buy the
rarest specimens. At the time of
the outbreak of the first World War
his philatelic property, stored in his
residence in Paris, was the most
comprehensive and the most notably
valuable in existence. The owner
had announced that the entile COL
lection was pledged to the postal
museum in Berlin. 1t had been his
intention to give it to the German
government for preservation and eX-
hibition there.
But when hostilities began in
1914. Ferrari retired to Switzerland,
where he died at Lausanne in 1917,
Meanwhile, the French authorities
broke into his home and seized his
precious albums. Their contents
were sold between June, 1921, and
November, 1925. Bidding continued
through IA separate auctions, 80
days. The total amount realized
was over 100000 francs.
Among the rarities marketed were:
British Guiana, 1856, l cent
Cunique), bought by Arthur Hind of
Utica. N. Y, for approximately
6.OO0-'the rarest stamp in the
world; Hawaiian Islands, 1851, 2
cents; Mauritius, 1847. I'd and Id:
Baden, Ok, green (error; France,
1849, 15c, tete beche pair; United
States postmasters' PROFESSIONALS,
Boscawen, 1886, 5 cents tunique)
and Lockport, 1916, cents (unique)
The German claim for an indem-
nifty, if filed at all, probably would
be based on the contention that
Ferrari's stamps we're sequestrated
because he was an Austrian subject
and because he had expressed his
desire to enrich the Berlin postal
museum with the gift of his col
lection.
Modern Stamp Collecting" the
final book to come from the pen OF
the late Fred j. Melville. "interna-
tional dean of philatelic writer's,
has been published by the English
Universities Press, Ltd. London. The
text runs to 316 pages, and there are
6S pages of halftone plates. Chap
ter headings include: Outline of
Postal History THE Issue of Post
age Stamps" The Collectors Access
sories," Starting Collection" ar
rangement and Writing Up"
STAMPS That Puzzle Beginners, "
"Variety the Spice of Philately, y
"Curiosities, Errors Stamps as
an Investment" Great Britain, y
The Empire Overseas" European
States and Their Colonies Some
Eastern Lands United States of
America" Confederate States,
Hawaiian Islands" Postage Stamps
in the Making" "Remainders, For
geries and Frauds" "Specialising,
Postal History and Postmarks, y
Commemorative and Charity
Stamps and Souvenir Sheets" War
and Peace" The Air Post" "The-
matte Collections" Societies and
Clubs, Congresses and Exhibitions, u
"Some Famous Collections" THE
Philatelist's Library" and "The
Stamp Collectors Vocabulary"
A foreWord to the book refers to
the volume as "a fitting climax to
a life spent in the study of philately
in all its aspects :. Always fine
journalist, he (Mr. Melville) was
able from the first to put the case
for stamp collecting before the pub
lie in an easy, attractive style, and
even the Philistines began to look
forward to his articles, for his news
instinct never failed. Few writers
can have gained so many friends
in so many corners of the world
and philatelists everywhere found
him an ineXhaustible source of in
formation. 1t may be that only the
experts will realize how much care
full research has gone to the making
of this book. The authors aim was
TO interest all classes of stamp col
lectors."
The Idaho commemorative, to be
placed on initial sale at Boise July
3, was designed by William K
Schrage. Engravers of the die
were James R. Lowe (vignette) and
John S. Edmondson Qettering).
Four stamps in homage to the
troops of the Australian Imperia
Force are to be released by Australia
on July Is. Denominations are
2, 3 and Cd.
The National Stamp News fol
June "a reports: The long-awaitec
trans-Pacific inaugural flight from
San Francisco to Auckland, New
STAMPS.
STAMPS -COINS-AUTOGRAPHS
Bought and Sold
HOBBY SHOP
716 18th st. NV. District 1875
UYENO'S STAMP SHOP
1903 Penn Ave NV Met QO1 d