Evening star., 1948-10-31
Stamp News
BY james WoIdo Fowcett

BY james "
James H. Bower, secretary of the
Pentagon Philatelic Society, has re-
ceived the following letter from
Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg: 81
am glad you are giving vigorous at
tention to this business of com
memorative stamps It is per-
fectly obvious that this production
line has resulted in. reducing com
memorative stamps almost to the
basis of a travesty. This does not
mean that the various commence
rative issues-judged individually
and by themselves-are not worthy
and susceptible OF legitimate de-
fense. But it does mean that the
issuance of Commemorative
stamp should be reserved for those
rare occasions which rise to the
national dignity of historic impor-
tance. I think 1t would be a great
Improvement in the congressional
process if-instead Of passing indi-
vidual acts for individual COM
memorative stamps'-all such pro-
posals were held up In the first in
stance until the appropriate House
and Senate committees would re-
port one bill covering all of the
commemorative stamps for the
next fiscal year. This would permit
q comparative study of the pro-
posals and would tend to eliminate
the less worthy and thus to, reduce
the total output. I would think that
the Postmaster General would have
a keen interest in some sort of
stabilizing limitation on 'commemo-
rative stamps. I know that per-
sonally would be greatly interested
in any recommendation he made
along this line. Furthermore, I
think majority of Congress would
lend sympathetic ear"
AL Burns, editor Of Western Stamp
Collector, Albany. Oreg., died of a
heart attack on October q. He had
been an active force in the field of
philatelic Journalism for many years
and was known throughout the world
for his writings. Weekly Philatelic
Gossip became an important stamp
publication under his direction. He
brought to his work a cultural back
ground Of distinction and will be
remembered as a scholar as well as
a stamp enthusiast.
Walter Stone Scott, IT, interna-
tionally known authority on stamps,
died at Sarasota, Fla, Friday. He
was the son of John Walter Scott,
from whom the Scott catalogs and
albums take their name. Among the
philatelic estates which he appraised
and auctioned were those of Col. E.
H. R. Green, Arthur Hind, Robert
S. Emerson, Senator Joseph S.
Frelinghuysen, William West, John
c. Williams, Roger Stefan and Her
nand Behn.
Max G. Johl says that the Forest
Fire cancellation dies in use at
Atlanta, Boise, Minneapolis, New
Orleans, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake
City, Portland, Me, and Portland,
Greg, are installed in Universal ma
chimes, while those at Baltimore,
Indianapolis, New York,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Mis-
souAa, Mont, are on International
machines.
None Of the famous gift" stamps
of the New Deal are included in
the Harold L. Ickes collection,
scheduled to be sold by Edison J.
Fifield in New York November 1919
and November 1923. The whole
tremendous accumulation will be on
display at the Offices of H. A. Rob-
lnette, 300 F. street NV, next
Friday.
Local banks no longer lend money
on mint United States stamps. The
explanation is that bank examiners
found philatelic collateral too tedi-
Gus to check over. At least that is
what the banks say.
The Scent Rough Rider stamp Is
one Of the prettiest in long while.
1t probably will be very popular.
Six stamps for an equal number of
national parks may be issued next
year.
The Scent Will Rogers stamp,
first asked for few days after his
death on August Is, 1885, finally will
go on sale at Claremore, Okla, on
Thursday, and here on Friday. It
definitely is the result of campaign
which originated among philatelists
and succeeded at last through the
constructive cooperation of Post
Office Department officers.
Stamps Magazine for October %
contains an interesting article on
the Wright brothers by Joseph c.
Horan.
A collection of Hawaiian stamps
assembled by Ferrars H. Tows was
sold at auction in New York by Carl
E. Pelander recently and crossed
s53,274.
Dr. Synman Rhee, president of
Korea, is portrayed on a 5-weun
blue Stamp of that country recently
produced at Seoul.
1t is curious fact but one that
cannot be denied that Jacob Perkins,
inventor of the steel engraving
process by which the best stamps
are printed, never has been honored
in a stamp. He was an American,
born at Newburyport, Mass, July 8,
1866, and self educated until, at 10,
he was apprenticed to a goldsmith.
His master died after two years and
Jacob carried on the business until
1877, producing many novel designs
in gold beads and perfecting meth
Cd of silverplating shoe buckles"
The State Of Massachusetts en-
ployed him to make dies for copper
coins, and about 1890 he devised a
to cut and head nails and
tacks in single operation. A law
suit respecting this latter gadget
impoverished him, with the result
that he turned IN altaoether differ