Evening star., 1944-07-23
Otanps
By James Waldo Fovcsft.

moved from the sales list OF the
Philatelic Agency at the close Of
business July 18: SC, Golden Gate
Exposition, 1899; &c, Wyoming
Statehood, 1910, and &c, Coronado
New Mexico, .940.
A stamp to aid the campaign for
United States Cadet Nurses, spon-
sored by the Public Health Service,
will be requested Of President
Roosevelt.
Collectors need not be surprised
If the projected Philippines "con-
quered nations" stamp shows the
scene Of the last stand of the Amer
lean defenders of Corregidor.
Philip H. Ward, jr.. of Philadel.
phia, referring to last weeks dis
cussion Of saving stamps on cover
rather than separated therefrom,
writes: Every word that you say
is true, and I can assure you that
had the Gibson stamps been of
cover, they would not have brought
20 per cent of what they brought
as covers. For instance, a SC New
York was on first-day cover and
sold at $240 Of cover it would
have brought possibly $50 A SC 1847
used on the Hudson River Mail
Steamer brought s415, while as an
off-cover copy it would have
brought possibly $50. A 9oc 1857
on cover sold at $4,000 and of cover
possibly would have brought $50.
Copies of the 24c 1869 on cover
brought s400 and s575, whereas of
cover these stamps would have
brought about $25 apiece. I
could point out several hundred
similar illustrations.
Scott's Specialized United States
Catalogue already lists prices for
United States stamp mint, used and
on cover. The present trend to-
ward collecting entries conceivably
may result in the extension of the
same logical principles to foreign
stamps. A Penny Black, 1840, Great
Britain, obviously is worth more on
an envelope than Cancelled but de-
tached from the cover on which it
served.
B. w. Kumler of Kensington, Md,
writes: Il learn that collectors are
being converted to collecting covers
instead Of used stamps off cover.
My slogan is: Covers are stamps in
action; they have complete story
to tell, while many used stamps have
only smudge of ink for their ex-
perience. In my own collection I
now have covers from SOL different
subdivisions of the earth, past and
present"
Apparently, both stamps and cur
rency manufactured in Washington
are being used by American troops
in France; but the military authori-
ties are alleged to frown upon any
comment on the subject The To-
peka Capital and the Baltimore Sun
printed stories with pictures which
the censors did not like.
Shakespeare uses the word
stamp" % times, stamps" 4 times.
The De Gaulle committee in AL
|giers is bringing out high value
!semipostal stamps which may not
be admitted to the standard cata-
Ilogues Of the future Even when it
has been recognized officially by the
United Nations. volunteer group of
individuals, however patriotic, is
not de facto government. Mean.
while, the attempt to exphit the
philatelic public is racket
nothing more and nothing less.
Even the colonies of Great Brit
ain. it seems, are not above issuing
postal adhesives intended almost ex-
clusively for sale to collectors gull
lible enough to be willing to buy.
Ascension Island in the mid -Atlan-
tic, for instance. has been provided
with wartime edition of an old
series including: 12p, violet and
black. Georgetown: 1p. orange and
black, Green Mountain; lap. red
and black, Georgetown Pier: 2p, red
Grange and black, Green Mountain;
3p, black. Long Beach; 4p, ultrama-
rine and black, Green Mountain; 6p.
blue and black, Three Sisters: lsh,
dark brown and black, Georgetown;
2sh 6p, carmine and black, George
town Pier; ssh, light brown and
black, Long Beach; Josh, red violet
and black, Three Sisters.
For the 13 scraps of gummed
paper thus described, a philatelic
purchaser would be expected to
cough up" about $40 in American
money.
The only theory on which such
extravaganza could be justified
would be that of believing that some
other collector soon or late would
be foolish to the point of paying
even more for the same set of labels.
Meanwhile, the postal authorities
of the Crown Colonies in London
should be ashamed of themselves.
Perhaps they are.
SoollS1l ~. plil~
latelic curator of the Smithsonian
Institution, has clipped the stamp
columns, news articles and editorials
about stamps printed in The Star
ever since 1882, and the fruits Of
her industry now fill Is large scrap
books.
Red Cross stamps are to be is-
sued by Chile, Colombia, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador. Nicaragua, Peru
and possibly someday the United
States.
The Collectors Club of Washing.
ton will meet at the Thomson
School, Twelfth and L streets NV,
Tuesday evening at 8, and the
Washington Philatelic Society will
stage a golden jubilee program for
the Postage Stamp Division Of the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
at the Lee Sheraton Hotel, Fifteenth
and L streets NV. Wednesday
evening at 8. Public invited In
both instances.
STAMPS AND COINS.