Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-11-26
stamps
By James Waido Fawceff.

By James Waido Favceff.
Who invented the adhesive post
age stamp?
Robert L. Ripley, in his drawing
Believe 1t or Not" published In
the Washington Times Herald and
many other newspapers on Tuesday,
November 81, claimed the honor for
Sir Henry Bessemer. A telegram to
the cartoonist in New York on the
same date read: "Philatelists COM
monty credit Sir Rowland Hill with
the invention Of the postage stamp.
Are they mistaken"
In reply, November "a, Mr.. Ripley
wrote: II know there is a popular
belief that Sir Rowland Hill invented
the postage stamp. But the belief Is
fallacious. Sir Rowland himself adj
mitted that it was not he, but Sir
Henry BeSsemer, to whom the credit
is due. Sir Henry, for whom tho
famous process of Bessemer steel Is
named, invented a bit of paper bear
ing stamp, glutinous wash covering
its back, which by the application Of
little moisture might be attached
to the back Of a letter'-in q word
the modern postage stamp"
Meanwhile. the Library of Con.
gress had been asked to check, and
Miss Janice Harrington Of the Divi-
sion of General Reference and
photography had been assigned to
the inquiry. AS a result of her
researches, Robert G. Gooch, chief Of
the division, now reports: TN COM
pliance with your request, we have
consulted the volume entitled Sir
Henry Bessemer, F. r. S.: An Auto.
biography London. Offices of En-
cheering, 19o5 and have found that
in 1888, at the age of 20, young
Bessemer invented method of TAX
ing copies from antique and modern
basso-relievos that enabled him to
stamp them on cardboard, thus pro-
duclng thousands of embossed copies
OF the finest works of art at a small
cost. The facility with which he
could make a permanent die, even
from a thin paper original, made
him realize that there was not a
government stamp or a paper seal
OF any corporate body that could not
be forged in few minutes BY an
INSCRIPTIONS person; and he began
to consider whether a new sort of
stamp could be devised which could
not be forged,
After explaining his experiments,
with numerous proofs of the ease
with which stamps could be forged
to Sir Charles Presley, Chief of the
Stamp Office, Presley was convinced
that the government was being de-
1rauded OF thousands of pounds of
revenue each year and urged Bes-
semer to work out the principle of
his invention more fully. The result
was stamp of circular design.
about 242 inches in diameter, and
consisted of the garter, with the
motto in capital letters surrounded
by crown. Within the garter was
a shield, with the words Five
Pounds and the space between the
shield the garter was filled with
perforations in imitation of lace.
The Stamp Office authorities
were greatly pleased with the new
design and decided to adopt it,
and offered Bessemer the position of
superintendent of stamps in lieu of
monetary award from the Treas
ury. Bessemer hurried to tell his
tancee of the position which seemed
TO assure his future and enable him
to marry. When he showed her his
new parchment stamp and ex-
planned how it could not be re.
moved from the parchment and used
again, she answered: Yes, I under
stand this; but surely, If all tho
stamps had a date put on them.
they could not at future time be
used again without detection When
ne realized the truth of this state
ment and considered that movable
dates were possible by drilling holes
IN the steel die then in use and At.
ting into each a steel plug or type
With sunk figures engraved on the
ends, he felt duty bound to notify
the Stamp Office of this simple and
efhcient device. Needless to say, the
new scheme was preferred to in
augurating the more elaborate plan
which Bessemer had devised. so that
his first plan was abandoned and
ne was Informed that no new super.
lntendent of stamps would be need
ed because the old dies, old presses
ana old workmen could be EMPLOYED
and the changes involved would be
slight.
Thus it happened that Bessemer
never received any compensation
OF any kind and he declares that the
secret OF his first invention has been
carefully guarded to this day."
From all of which the average
collector may conclude that perhaps
Mr.. Ripley Is correct in asserting
that Sir Henry Bessemer invented
the adhesive postage stamp and that
1t likewise is fair inference from
the data quoted that he had some
thing to do with inventing the
standard canceling technique and
machinery still used. But Sir
Henry did not publiclze his inven-
| ton and there is no present evil
| dence to show that Sir Rowland
Hill ever heard of it, Therefore it
is conceivable that Sir Rowland in
dependently invented the adhesive
postage stamp which, in the form Of
the famous Penny Black of May 6.
1910, actually started "the worlds
most popular hobby"
Readers interested in the subject
are invited to write to the Stamp
Editor of The Star.
Chile's Red Cross issues are 40c.
burning lamp against the Red Cross
symbol, green, red and black, and
1.80p, similar design, blue, red and
black.
| Venezuela will have a baseball
stamp shortly.
The Collectors Club of Washing.
ton will meet at the Thomson
School, Twelfth and K streets NV.
| Tuesday evening at &.