Evening star., 1942-12-06
Among the Stamp Collectors
Neuvs of the PhIaec World Its Interests and People
By James Waldo Fawceff.

NeWS OF Ihe FH
BY James Waldo Fawceff.
According to a Toxic broadcast
Japan is about to issue two addi-
tlonal stamps of a propaganda
character. One will show a tank at
Bataan; the other will depict Nip
ponese. air forces attacking Pearl
Harbor.
Marion Ambrose, 10, sister of Maj.
Harold F. Ambrose of the Army pos
tai service. died in the Cocoanut
Grove fire in Boston.
Sterling T. Dow is the author of a
study of the postal history and post
marks of Maine, soon to be published.
1t. Col. Eugene r. Brennan of the
Once Of Censorship is reported to
have said: "All traffic in censorship
labels and seals is Objectionable "
But that does not mean that persons
who collect such markings will be
shot at sunrise.
Stamp collectors interested in
books about the French colonies in
Africa are advised that the Library
of Congress has published a list of
references on that subject compiled
by Helen F. Conover. The text in
cludes SO pages of fascinating titles.
The American Library Associa-
ton, Chicago, has printed book
list on Our Neighbors to the
South"
Sales in the Philatelic agency
from its establishment in 194l until
July /, 1912, totaled SIS 5,051,947.
The annual Christmas party of
the Collectors Club of Washing
ton will be held at the Thomson
School, Twelfth and L streets NV,
wednesday evening, December o.
Admission is to be by gift of can
ned goods, clothing, shoes or money
for families in need.
Five stamps to commemorate the
centenary of the University of Chile
soon will be released by the Chilean
postal authorities at Santiago.
Sergt. Maurice E. Moran, Marine
Corps combat correspondent, writes:
There's more romance in a post
age stamp than there is in that
beautiful blond you dream about but
seldom see-and you can take the
word of Corpl. Roy ]. Becker, U. S.
M. c. r., 80, for that.
Becker of st. Louis, Mo- is a
philatelist-stamp collector to the
men in the street-and should know
whereof he speaks when he links
romance to the little square paper
adhesives with the disagreeable
taste.
THE marine has been collecting
stamps for 10 years. 1t started as
hobby and has become an avocation
as lucrative as collecting bonds. Roy
has 100000 stamps in his collection
which, if they don't rank him as
champ place him we'll up on the
challenger list among stamp COL
lectors in the service.
bSChEl llCSlldlSS W tllS
value on his collection But to show
that it is not just an empty pastlme,
he points out that some of his
stamps, for which he paid so cents
or less some while ago, now are
worth more than So established val
ues.
His stamps include those from
virtually every country, extant and
eXtinct-the latter those gobbled up
temporarily by Hitler. Sixty-nine
British crown colonies are included,
among them some of the exotic is
lands where Americans today are
fighting the Japanese.
Roy possesses stamp from
Tonga, where the mail arrives about
once a year in tin can tossed over
side from a tramp steamer and
picked up by "a native boat. He also
owns one from Pitcairn Island,
famed haven of the mutineers of
H. M. S. Bounty.
Becker established contact with
another stamp collector in Hong
Kong. He received a Hong Kong
stamp inclosed in letter written
shortly before the Pacific war start
ed. Hong Kong was lost when the
letter arrived.
Patience and persistence are
needed to make good in the stamp
collecting hobby. Roy worked two
years. writing countless letters, in
his efforts to obtain stamp from
Mozambique in Africa, He finally
made the connection through
physician.
Stamp collections often are made
on 'hoss-trading' theme. There Is
a worldwide stamp collectors club,
of which Becker is member. Men,
bers are listed by name, profession,
country, ETC. Their philatelic pedi-
grees also list the number of Ian
guages they speak, the stamps they
possess and specialize in, and
letter usually determines whether
and what issues they are willing to
swap with their correspondents in
other countries.
Becker also has developed into
somewhat of an autograph collec-
tor. as sort of side hobby to stamp
collecting.
His collection of autographs in
cludes those of such world-famed
figures as President Roosevelt, ex-
King Carol of Rumania Gen. Franco
of Spain and many others. The
collection is missing Hitlers auto
graph but as Roy says, Who in -
would want that?"
Stamps, however, are Beckers
first love-the autographs just hap
pened to come along.
THE mucilaged squares sometimes
skyrocket in value to astronomical
figures, especially when there is
only a small issue or when there is
STAMPS AND COINS.
COINS, American and foreign: gold, silver.
antiques, cameras; highest prices. Hepner,
s02 18th st. NV. DI. 266S.
DAILY STAMP AUCTION