Evening star., 1940-08-25
AMONG THE STAMP COLLECTORS
News of the Phatec World Its Interests and PeOpe-Revew of
The Stamp Press-List of Local Meetings
Bv James Waldo Faucet.

DJ James " Ub0O HUWCCIts
The value OF the Farley gift
stamps Of 1888 and 1884 again Is
being debated in Congress and in the
press. Full reports Of the renewal
of the unsettled discussion and edi-
torial comment on the same have
been carried by The Star during the
past several weeks.
Revival of the controversy traces
back to letter written BY Secretary
Of the Interior Harold L. Ickes to
DR.. Harry Woodburn Chase, chm-
cellor of New York University, read
ing in part as follows:
81 inclose some stamps for the
philatelic auction for refugee relief
that you are promoting.
THE series of blocks Of four i'm
perforate (NationaD Park stamps
are the So-called FarleyS, but with
a difference that will be noted. Every
stamp collector knows that when the
regular issues of Park commemora-
tives were printed there were also
printed q small number of imper-
forate stamps upon fromc the
same dies (platesO. I bought two
complete sets of these imperforates
that we're gummed I still have one
complete set of these gummed i'm
perforates, but the other set have
cut into to some extent in order to
send to my stamp collecting friends.
Some of these have gone through
the mails. For instance, have
used these stamps as postage in let
ters sent to President Roosevelt for
his collection, and I have similar
set of my own. The ones that I
gave away was with the provision
that they be not sold. There is
probably one exception to this. I
traded some of these stamps for
others that I wanted. but my in
formation Is that even the ones so
traded have not been sold. Accord
ingly, it will be seen that there were
only 200 of each of these gummed
imperforates issued I still have in
my possession probably $50 OF each
denomination. I am also sending
you a miscellaneous assortment of
other stamps without even stopping
to check on their value.
IF you can use any Of these. we'll
and good: If not. would appreciate
1t If you would have them returned
to me-"
This communication was published
in New York on August 10 and was
read by Senator John A. Danaher of
Connecticut on the floor OF the
United States Senate on August 49,
In reply, Senator James F. Byrnes
OF South Carolina announced: Il
have the authority Of the Secretary
of the Interior to say to the Senator
now that II he will pay the
Secretary this afternoon what Mr..
Ickes paid for those stamps-which
Nould amount to but few dollars
he will turn them over to the Sen
ator this afternoon upon delivery of
the money"
But Mr.. Danaher did not accept
the challenge so expressed and so
conveyed. "Up to half an hour ago."
he retorted. those stamps were
worth s187 500 in the collectors mar
ket. Now they are not worth the
$3.50 they cost Mr. 1ckes."
Meanwhile. representatives of the
Post Office Department, as quoted by
the New York Herald Tribune, Au-
gust II, let it be known that the
stamps which the Interior Secretary
had might we worth s250.000, II Mr..
IckeS uonfed tn sell them -
The debate when later it moved
from political into philatelic circles
brought out certain facts apparently
not appreciated by either the Senator
from Connecticut nor his colleague
from South Carolina.
Doubtless there can be no final
verdict until the administration of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
has terminated next year or in
ls45 or l94s or 1853 or whenever sub
sequently he may retire from the
White House.
Ralph F. Bernays Of Pasadena,
regional director of the American
Philatelic Society for the Western
States, is expected to arrive in Wash
ington in a few days. He now is
motoring in Canada with his wife
and daughters, Marie and Janet.
William S. Branch, secretary of
the Rotary Club of Orlando, Fla.
writes: "At least 40 years ago, when
just a small boy listening to the
village band, I remember hearing
that the name of the March King
was originally John Philipso, of
Portuguese origin, and that the in
itials U. S. A. were added to form
the three-part name as afterward
used. Many years after I read and
heard contradictions of that 'fanci-
full tale and although have known
personally many former members OF
the Sousa band. and even though our
local band leader was a soloist with
him, have never been able to find
out the facts"
Readers possessed of information