Evening star., 1940-02-11
Bv James Waldo Fa,vceff.

An important feature OF the Post.
age Stamp Centenary exhibition al
the National Museum in May viii
be the first public showing of the
greatest rarities of the postal sta.
tionery collection of the late A
Eugene Michel, bequeathed by him
to the Smithsonian Institution
This was announced yesterday by
DR.. Alexander Wetmore, assistant
secretary, and Mrs. Catherine l.
Manning, philatelic curator.
Mr.. Michels collection, 1t was dis
closed, arrived in Washington on
Wednesday. The shipment included
Is different packages, total of 148
uniform looSe-leaf albums with let
ter-size leaves ranging up to 300 in
one binding and with one to four
specimens mounted on a page. Each
specimen is inclosed independently
IN an onion-skin pocket and may be
removed or replaced instantly as no
paste, hinges or other mutilatine
devices are attached directly. An
alphabetical and chronological filing
system permits any desired speci-
men to be located in less than is
seconds. The albums are extensible
from 1-inch minimum to about q
inch maximum thickness. If placed
side by side, they would form a
row about Is feet long.
The collection is limited to Gov
ernment-stamped postal stationery
IN the from of envelopes, letter
cards, post cards and newspaper
wrappers with stamps imprinted di-
rectly upon the cover or mailing
piece" 1t is approximately 81 per
cent complete for all listed varie-
tles-"an achievement seldom at
tanned in any major philatelic un-
dertaking." About 10000 individual
specimens are represented in inde-
pendent mountings. Some of the
rarities catalogue over $1,000 each,
Many of the best items formerly
. were in the famous collection Of
the late Count Ferrary. The listed
catalogue value of the whole -ac-
cumulation is between $4,000 and
$50,000, but considerable number
OF the specimens could not be pur-
chased at this time at any price.
Mr.. Michel, in correspondence
with DR.. Wetmore last year, de-
chred that the collection reflects
SO years Of intensive and cumu-
lative effort. The desirability of
its preservation intact by a postal
museum" he said. may be inferred
from the fact that the London
(British) and Berlin postal mu-
seums have and highly prize similar
but smaller collections"
Prominent European philatelists,
according to Mrs. Manning, have
placed the Michel collection among
the worlds best five Of its kind. OF
the other four one in France prob
ably is only slightly inferior and, if
a careful check were made, the
Michel collection would probably
rank third or possibly second in
importance. 1t is a priceless aux
tliary to any collection of adhesive
stamps. A complete record of
postage stamp designs must include
postal stationery.
Aside from the stamps themselves
the Michel collection, with all speci-
.mens entire, offers exceptional op-
portunities for study of cancella-
tions, postal routings, paper textures
watermarking, sizes and trim, hand
writing during the last 100 years, etc.
There is also historical interest in
the many evidences Of foreign de-
velopments of Importance. For in
stance, two of the specimens were
salvaged from ships sunk by Ger
man submarines during the World
War"
Mrs. Manning will select the ma
terial to be shown at the centennial
exhibition. A complete list of the
specimens chosen will be announced
in advance of the opening.
The designs for the teachers Sc
quence of the Heroes of Peace"
stamps were released on Thursday
and reproduced in The Star the
same day.
Don Houseworth, writing in the
International Stamp Review, st. Jo-
seph, Mo-, says: ''The premature re-
lease of new stamps, unless curbed
at once, can wreck the first-day
cover business of the Post Office De-
partment." The whole authors Sc
ries, he reports, went on sale ir-
regularly at Des Moines, Iowa.
According to the Chicago Herald
American for January q: Com
memorative stamps in the future
may be issued in smaller quantities,
and may be offered for sale at the
Philatelic Agency for shorter time.
These are the major indications re-
sulting from preliminary confer
ences between officials of the agency
and the Stamp Division over the
problem of how to expand stamp
sales at the agency, which have been
steadily dwindling. Federal
authorities are anxious to stimulate
the agency's stamp business, and
they believe that the best way to
do it might be to make the stamps
little more rare by issuing not
such large quantities of them and
restricting the period of their sale
at the agency. Stamp spectators,
whose large purchases from the
agency have decreased sharply, may
be induced to buy up large quanti-
ties, if the period of sale is reduced,
officials believe"
New applicants for membership in
the Washington Philatelic Society
include: Rear Admiral John W..
Wilcox, jr.. Balboa, Canal Zone;
Harry Allen, jr., Cornelius Chaplin
jr., and Stuart o. Harrison, Rich
nond, Va.
The airmail collection of Col. Vim
cenzo Coppola of the Italian EN-
bassy is to be sold at auction by
STAMPS.
COLUMBIA STAMP SHOP
34O6 14th st. NV.