Evening star., 1945-02-18
1tanPs
By James Waldo Fayceft.

AAAN A0AA0WAi6 N0Ab01 AAA dRpCdl Gil
IN the Schenectady, N. Y, Gazette
for January II and is reprinted in
this place because it fairly, though
with some minor inaccuracies, rep
resents the increasing demand for
the reprinting Of the scent Korea
stamp:
Comparatively trivial matters
sometimes have widespread ram
if1cation-and the recent issue of
the United States stamp honoring
Korea may come in this category,
The developments so far-while
differing from those of about a
decade ago with what are known
as the Farley imperforates'-have
something in common that calls for
explanations.
Few persons, aside from the
5000, 900 or 100000 of stamp COL
lectors or philatelists in this coun-
try, remember the Farley incident.
Washington had issued a number of
commemorative stamps, including
some depicting our national parks.
They were In the usual form-per-
forated and gummed.
Mr.. Farley, then Postmaster
General, was not stamp collector
and hence failed to realize the
'enormity' of his 'offense' when he
had few sheets prepared without
performations or gum and distrib-
uted among some Government off,
cials, including President Roose-
velt, who is philatelist of note.
When the collectors of the Nation
learned OF this there was an in
slant ahd emphatic protest-for
the imperforate stamps constituted
a distinct variety, there were but a
lew hundreds of them and their
price threatened to soar to unheard
OF heights. Every specialist in the
stamp world would want these
varieties and would pay heavily for
the privilege of owning them.
ITO bring them down to the
proper price, within the reach of
every collector and not of only the
wealthy few, Washington decided to
issue unlimited quantities. This was
done, the imperforates were placed
on sale, and every collector in the
world could buy them at face value.
This promptly ended the possibility
OF few stamps specially issued be-
coming among the philatelic
worlds greatest rarities.
Something over year ago
Washington decided it would issue
commemorative series of stamps
to honor the countries conquered
by the Axis These were, to men
ton a few, France, Belgium, Greece.
Norway and Poland. Each stamp
bore as its central design the flag
OF the country represented in nat
ural colors. When the dozen Euro
pean nations had been recognized.
the Schenectady Stamp Club led the
way with the suggestion that Korea.
IN Asia. whose independence had
been promised by the Allies. be also
honored with a stamp. Other sup
port was forthcoming and the issue
was authorized. A few months ago
the stamp appeared.
Following that, strange things
happened. Although it was believed
the same quantity of stamps was
printed for Korea as for the other
conquered nations, many collectors
asserted they could not obtain
copies from post offices which re-
ported their supplies had been ex-
nausted Immediately. Then re-
Gently and suddenly the Philateuc
Agency in Washington, which still
has on hand quantities of the stamp.
issued for some of the other coun-
tries, reported the sale of the
Korean stamps had been stopped
and no more could be obtained.
coupled with that, dealers began
TO oner Korean stamps at from so
70 100 per cent over face value,
something unheard of in the stamp
world. And this with a stamp
placed on sale but two months ago
and which was obtainable for onlv
short six weeks.
Already collectors have voiced
protests to Washington and are
asking that the mystery of the
missing Korean stamp be unray-
eieo. Some have demanded tnat
washington, which has the plates.
PRINT more SO they will be available
to every collector.
While postage stamps, as such
are OF interest only to those who
wish to mail letters and to collec-
TORS, there are many outside the
ranks OF philately who would like to
know what happened There is
something peculiar about the
The Passaic Stamp Club, Passaic,
N. j, has Joined in the petition
LOT second edition of the Korean
aoneslve. Individuals who have
signined their agreement in the
same appeal include: H. E. Allen
president of the Fearn laboratories !
Chicago; Miss Beulah v. Bowers
burns Lake. British Columbia, Can
ada; Mrs. Geraldine T. Fitch. ANA
THO, Tex; Mrs. H. F. Moffett. Sa-
wanna, III; Miss Marilyn Soline.
Dlnuba, Calf; DR.. and Mrs. r K
smith, Norton, Kans.; Thomas Nc
Geachie, Lorain, Ohio; j. V.N. Tai
mege, Maxton, N. c.; Mrs. Julian
is. Wadsworth, Jacksonville. III, and
Miss Alice Hunter, Lancaster. Ohio.
Reports to the effect that Harry
l.. Llndquist, president of the Ma
tlonal Federation of Stamp Clubs.
is "lukewarm" in his support of the
campaign for the reprinting of the
Korean stamp were contradicted
yesterday by Mr.. Lindquist himself
IN phone call from New York,
Secretary of the Interior Harold
L. Ickes has ordered an investiga-
ton OF the whole operation of the
Philippine Philatelic Agency. Com
plants concerning it are alleged to
have been frequent and numerous,
Meanwhile, the IA reprints ordered
from the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing are not going on sale.
The Collectors Club of Washing
ton Will have an auction of foreign
and domestic stamps and covers at
the Thomson School, Twelfth and