Evening star., 1945-01-07
stamps
By James Waldo Fasccetf.

King from the Post Office Depart
ment after 81 years of service
brought to public attention the fact
that there exists in the department
a file of documentary data covering
every stamp ever issued.
Mr.. King himself undoubtedly
knows more about what is in that
file than any other person living. A
department rule prevented him
from discussing the subject and still
would interfere with any discussion
of it that outsiders" might attempt
to persuade him to permit.
But stamp collectors have the
right to be interested in the matter
and it would seem that responsible
philatelic writer's might be allowed
to inspect at least those documents
whose nature is such as to involve
no so-called official secrets" worth
preserving undisclosed.
For example, it would be interest
ing to know whether or not there is
any truth in the oft-repeated report
that New York publicity agent
high-pressured" the Post Office
into bringing out the Edison incan-
descent lamp stamp of 1929 and was
paid a fee of $4,000 by the electric
| light industry for his services in that
connection.
Other questions which have arisen
from time to time and still are
unanswered include; Why was the
portrait of the Harding stamp
changed in 1890? What is the true
| explanation of the sc Kosciuszko
STAMP of 1888? Who really thought
Up" the Byrd Expedition issue of the
same ~ear, originally intended to
be sold only at Little America?
Whence came the ornamental bor-
ders of the Wisconsin commence
rative of 1894? Why was the &c
MARYLAND stamp printed in red in
stead of purple? Who insisted on
the carnations of the Mothers Day
issue? Why was the Crater Lake
stamp introduced into the National
Parks series at the last moment?
Is it true that the Michigan stamp
OF 1885 was requested by the press
agent of the State tourist trade
organization as a booster" device?
Why was Houston shown as an old
man and Austin as a relatively
young man on the Texas-Alamo
stamp of 1896? Is there really a
galloWs IN the design Of the San
Diego issue? Who insisted that the
Boulder Dam stamp should not bear
the legend Hoover Dam?
/ The story of the Susan B. An
thony issue never has been written
completely, 1t was frankly a po-
litical stamp, but nobody can be
sure who fathered it. Another
adhesive still under cloud of mys-
terry is the Thirteenth Amendment
anniversary label of 1910. allegedly
requested by a Washington radio
evangelist.
Collectors who have noticed that
the portrait of the First President
was made to do an about-face in the
Army 1c stamp of 1886 would ap-
preciate being informed why. They
likewise would be delighted to hear
an accurate explanation of the
missing star of Gen. Robert E. Lees
portrait in the &c Army commence
' rative
t Still more of an unsolved problem,
/ however. is the reluctance of the
' Department to bring out the stamp
= in homage to Lafayette, promised
/ on so many occasions. .ass.
. Another question which Mr.. King
I might answer, if he could talk, is.
I Why was the Government of the
s United States unwilling to honor
$ Sir Rowland Hill at the centenary
of the first postage stamp in 1910?
All sorts of excuses were given, but
; the truth never yet has been re-
D vealed.
!; Neither has anybody outside
learned who figured out the scheme
of putting portrait of Benjamin
' Franklin on the half-cent stamp
and one of Martha Washington on
the 112-cent stamp of the presi-
, dental series. SO as to insure
Thomas jefferson appearing on the
. Scientific most commonly used is
sue of ali
Other questions are: Who did the
, editing" of the design for the s.
. cent Washington Inauguration
stamp of 1889? Whence came the
idea of the baseball stamp? Where
did Sousa get the uniform he wears
in the2-cent Heroes of Peace label
of 1910? Why was the Pony Ex-
press stamp rushed through" with
such hectic speed? Who chose a
: part of Botticelli's Primavera for
the Pan-American Union issue? Was
the eagle OF the Scent Victory stamp
"swiped" from the merchant ma
rine? What is the story behind
I the scent Lincoln-Sun Yat-sen
stamp? Why was it proposed to
D change the number of the :locomo-
: tive in the Scent transcontinental
r railroad stamp? How did it hap
: pen that the actual sending of the
first message was barred from re-
! production on the telegraph GEN.
, tenary stamp? Where did the movie
industry stamp originate?
The latest mystery is: Why has
the beautiful scent Korean stamp
= pttli WttlluEdWIl lTOfIl JIl6 FNlldUel1C
! Agency list after less than two
months?
Quite probably all of these many
questions could be answered easily
enough by any writer having access
to the tile. 1t is not suggested that
there is anything sinister about any
of them. But it is true that the
whole story never has been told
about any stamp and yet well might
! be without harm to anybody.
,Es The Collectors Club of Washing
ton will meet at the Thomson
School, Twelfth and L streets NV,
on Tuesday evening at 8, when v. v.
Weiergang will exhibit his prize
winning collection of the stamps of
the Danish West Indies.
Morton o. Cooper will display
selected examples of rare 10Th CEN
tury U. S. covers at a meeting
of the Washington Philatelic So
| ciety at the Lee Sheraton Hotel,
Fifteenth and l. streets NV,