Evening star., 1940-06-09
AMONG THE STAMP COLLECTORS
News of the Phatec World Its Interests PeopeRevew
The Stamp Press-List of Local Meetings
By James Waldo Fa,Ocen.
What effect will the second World

This question, naturally enough,
is being asked by many Americans
who have legitimate interest in the
answer.
But the problem with which these
collectors are concerned probably
cannot be solved at present 1t may
be months, even years, before it
can be said with confidence that the
great conflict now raging has helped
or hurt philately.
Meanwhile a backward glance
might be helpful.
Reference to SCOTS Standard
Postage Stamp Catalogue for 1910
shows that the immediate influence
of the original struggle upon the
stamps of the principal nations en-
gagged in it was relatively inconse-
quential. The familiar Germania
series of Germany begun in 1900,
continued unchanged until the COL
lapse of the imperial government
and the establishment of the repub-
lie. Apparently, the Socialists had
no objection to the old design. The
National Assembly series (Scott's
los to 108) were released, but the
new compositions could not be re-
garded as genuine replacements
Rather. they merely supplemented
the regular set until the period of
initiation was initiated with the So
called "numeral of value" and
workers issues of 192l-1923.
With the like consistency, Great
Britain remained faithful to the
King George V stamps dated 1912
1918 and 19l3-19l8 (Scott's 159 to
1867, while France was loyal to the
"sower without the SUM- and lib
erty and peace" labels of 1906-1907
tScott's 1874 to 14D. Some of the
latter, it is true, were printed on
paper of poor quality. usually gray
ish and containing bits of fiber" in
1917. Otherwise. there were few
alterations. Most of the wartime
covers which now are priced as
fragments of history" are franked
with common adhesives. The en-
battled states were too busy to think
about new issues merely for the sake
of novelty and the commercial po-
tentialities of charity and semi
postal issues had not yet been real
lied.
But the most ordinary stamps are
interesting and valuable when they
are attached to authentic mill
tary correspondence, diplomatic ex-
changes, official advertisements,
personal letters to or from soldiers
in the field. The covers themselves
are worthy of study; their markings
often are dramatic in character.
So. too, the provisional stamps of
the several different belligerents for
territories occupied by their troops
are possessed of a certain curious
fascination. Included in this classi-
fication are German stamps over
printed for use in Belgium, France.
Poland. Rumania, Stonia, Latvia
and Lithuania; British surcharges
on the stamps of the German COL
onies; French occupation overprints
on the stamps of Hungary and the
German colonies: Rumanian sur
charges on Hungarian stamps:
Italian occupation stamps of Aus
tria, etc.
A special chapter in the chronicle
OF IAN age of confusion" was that of
Fiume, the city on the Adriatic
which belonged to Hungary, was
claimed by Yugoslavia, seized for
Italy by Gabrielle d'Annunzio and
boasted approximately 300 different
postal adhesives between 1918 and
1924.
Far more important, however.
were the issues of the new nations
set up by the victorious Allies after
the Armistice of November II, 1918.
Included among these states were
Poland, Czecho-S -Slovakia, Finland,
the Baltic countries, Danzig: soon
followed independently by the Irish
Free State (Eire), the Vatican City
and Manchukuo.
The German kingdoms of Bavaria
and Wurttemberg meantime disap-
peared. With them went Serbia and
Montenegro and the several con-
stituent parts of the Soviet Union
w AAASAA ooC dlld lCll III lS1O-S. LIE
Saar, administered by the League
of Nations from 1920 to 1895, re-
Joined the Reich by the will of IAN
overwhelming preponderance of the
population" Stamps reflected all |
these mutations They also may be
considered souvenirs of various
plebiscites, like that of Schleswig in
1920. for which postal facilities were
required.
But the issuance of new stamps, |
the production of overprints and
surcharges, brought about by the
first World War must be Judged for
Its philatelic significance in con-
junction with another development
namely. the accidental or willful
destruction of great quantities of
adhesives already extant when the
strife commenced. The invasion of
Belgium, for example, resulted in
the burning of dealers stocks (at |
Louvain, especially and of collec-
tors properties. Many English |
philatelists joined in a boycott of |
all German and Austrian labels,
tearing specimens from their al
buns in a patriotic frenzy which |
was as expensive as it was exub-
Grant.
Less tragic, however, was the ac-
cident which led to the sale of the
Ferrari collection by the French
government. 1922-1925. The owner
had intended his vast holdings to go
to the Postal Museum in Berlin.
Instead, it was auctioned in Paris
to the infinite advantage of in
vestors in stamps who had been
waiting for just such proof of the
value OF their possessions. Bids to-
tailed 26,482,964 francs.
Obviously, in matters philatelic
good sometimes grows out of evil.
The average collector, nevertheless,
prefers peace to mass slaughter and
Its connotations of sorrow, even if
STAMPS.
Inaugural Voyage "Seapost" Cover s. s.
s.u~