Evening star., 1942-01-11
AMONG THE STAMP COLLECTORS
News OF the Phatelc World Its Interests and PeopeRevew of
the Stamp Press-List of Local Meetings.

are invited to say so. Letters on the
subject may be addressed to Harold
r. Ambrose, Senior Administrative
Omcer to the Postmaster General
It is not unlawful to list or to
describe stamps issued by enemy or
occupied countries since December
I. The Trading With the Enemy
Act does not mention philatelic ma
terial, and the boycott initiated by
the Scott Publications, Inc, is
entirely personal character.
Now that the first wave Of hysteria
has passed. the average collector
probably will be content with a less
passionate attitude. No American
should buy the recent mint stamps
OF Germany, Italy or Japan or
those of the governments they con-
trol-but there is no danger in re-
porting such philatelic news as may
be obtainable from Axis territory
nor any risk in reading such reports.
In the interest of the future pros
perity of the one universal hobby
known to the human race, there Is
need for sweet reasonableness
even now when it is so popular and
so convenient to be extravagantly
emotional.
A Washington dispatch to the
New York Sun, published December
26, says: Inquiry at both the
Treasury and Post Office Depart
ment indicates that the operation
of the Trading With the Enemy Act
will not prevent the publication In
newspapers and philatelic journals
of illustrations and descriptions of
postage stamps emanating in enemy
or enemy controlled countries of
Europe or other foreign countries. :.
1t Is said by those legal authorities
who would be called upon to decide
such matters that there does not
appear to be any reason why news
papers should not be permitted to
print illustrations and descriptions
of postage stamps of enemy coun-
tries, holding unoff1cially that such
procedure could not be construed in
any way as giving aid or comfort to
any nation at war with the United
States.
Harry L. Lindquist, writing in
Stamps Magazine for January 10,
says: There are people who are
high-strung and who feel that it is
patriotic duty to keep themselves
on edge and, incidentally, keep
everybody else in the same condi-
tion. AS matter of fact, such per-
sons are great menace to the gen.
eral well-being at the present time.
So encourage your friends to take up
stamp collecting as a sedative and
calmly and courageously face the
problems that come up"
Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News for
December % declares: This maga-
zine desires to caution its readers
against letting the war situation
poison the hobby. There is no
relationship between the obviously
insane actions of Japan today and
the fitness or unf1tness of collect
ing Japanese stamps issued even as
late as 1900 to 1910. The abject
submission of Fascist Italy is hardly
a legitimate excuse for not collect
ing the stamps of Sardinia or
Bomba Heads If one likes either of
these. The aggrandizing mischief
started by Germany can hardly be
a legitimate reason for casting out
or neglecting collection of Wurt-
temberg or Bavaria or even of 10th
century German Empire. We, there
fore, caution our readers not to let
present feelings disrupt their phila-
telic pleasure"
Linn's Weekly Stamp News for
December q says: Many dealers
who remember the last war say
that philately was a means of re-
taxation; also they say that many
newcomers will enter the collecting
field Further, collectors can
expect higher prices because of a
real shortage of material"
Philatelic Agency sales for De-
cember were $54,64121.
In England the invention of en-
velopes usually is attributed to S.
K. Brewer, a stationer and book
seller who was engaged in business
at Brighton about 1880. The story
goes that he had on hand certain
pieces of paper which were too
small for ordinary use. Accord
ingly he devised small envelopes
and had metal plates made for
cutting them to the desired shape
and size. They caught the fancy
of the Brighton ladies, and his
orders so multiplied that he finally
had them made for him by Dobbs
& Co., London. This was the be-
ginning of the trade"
But the tale of Mr.. Brewers en-
terprise is challenged in behalf of
several other claimants. William
S. Walsh, in his Handy Book OF
Curious Information" says: THE
idea of postpaid envelopes origi-
mated early in the reign of Louis
XIV of France, with M. de Valfyer.
In 1853 he gained the royal ap-
proval for the establishment of a
private post and placed boxes at the
corners Of streets for the reception
of letters enclosed in envelopes for
the purpose. Valfyer had also sold
artificial formes de billet, or notes
applicable to ordinary business
communications, with blanks to be
filled up by pen with such special
matter as the writer desired. One
such billet, by a fortunate misap-
plication, has been preserved to our
time"
There also is in existence at the
State Paper Office in London a let
ter addressed to the Secretary of
STAMPS AND COINS.
FREE-THE STAMP FINDER
Al