Evening star., 1949-01-23


week to add to the number OF de-
mands for new commemorative
stamps of doubtful national sig
nificance. Resolutions were intro
duced calling for stamp to mark
the 160th anniversary Of the tex
tile manufacturing industry, a stamp
for the 50th anniversary OF the Ma
tional Jewish Hospital at Denver,
stamp for the dedication OF Theo-
dore Roosevelt National Memorial
Park, a stamp in honor of Joseph
Lee, sr. 1882 2-1930, sociologist, and
a stamp to symbolic the reunion
of the Blue and the Gray.
Also a resolution for a stamp to
puhlicize the Bovine house at Flush
ing, N. Y, as "a national shrine to
religious freedom and tolerance.
Legislation providing for free post
age for members of the armed forces,
hospitalized veterans and senders
of gift parcels to foreign countries
likewise has been proposed.
A bill is pending for the publish
ing of a history of the coins and
currency of the United States, which
well might be expanded to include
stamps which quite as definitely are
national securities and legal tender.
Roy M. North probably will be
sworn in as city postmaster this
week. His former place as Deputy
Third Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral may be filled by Robert E.
Fellers. superintendent of stamps
for the past 16 years and widely
known to the philatelic public. This
would mean that the superintend-
ency would become vacant, and a
logical candidate for the position
would be Herbert S. Chamber
lin, long assistant superintendent.
Meanwhile, a successor to the late
Samuel r. Young as executive as
sistant to the Postmaster General
may be appointed. Harold F. Am
brose, now special assistant, is in
line for consideration. Other changes
in the Post ONCE Department may
include promotions for John A. King,
now superintendent of registered
mails, and w. Gordon Bell, who
has been acting city postmaster
pending Mr.. North's approval by
Congress.
Karl o. Spiess, Fairfax, Va, is
puzzled about the Sc Moina Michael
stamp. He quotes Representative
Paul Brown of the 10th district of
Georgia as saying There is no
doubt that Miss Michael was the
founder of the Memorial Poppy. I
know that the Buddy Poppy is sold
by the Veterans of Foreign Wars,
but Miss Michael is the founder of
the poppy sold by the American Le-
gion."
The design of the stamp, Mr.
Spiess contends, includes the V.
F w. poppy, patented in 1924
Readers having further information
on the subject are invited to COM
municate with him directly.
The SC Everglades National Park
stamp is the best investment buy at
the Philatelic Agency.
Writing in the Journal of the
Society of Philatelic Americans for
January. S. G. Rich declares that
every advantage claimed for steel
engraved stamps has turned out to
be llusory." This method, devel-
oped by the American inventor
Jacob Perkins. and first employed to
print the Penny Blacks of Great
Britain in 1840, according to Mr.
Rich, was adopted because. of sup
posed protection against forgery.
." Yet as far back as 1885,, Mr.
Hulot, who printed the French
stamps for their first 26 years. pro-
duced so excellent an imitation of
the British engraved Penny Black
that the British authorities admit
ted it could not be told from the
genuine by any one without a mag
nifying glass and detailed examina-
tion. This strictly honest forgery
which was never used for dishonest
purposes, was made by ordinary let
terpress printing from an electro
type Of a cameo-engraved die"
Mr.. Rich further argues: THE
United States has had no line-en-
graved stamped envelopes, No for
geries of the Typographical enve-
lopes and cards to defraud the
postal service have been reported.
No; 1t was the line-engraved &c
1894 and the line-engraved &c 1923
adhesives that were the subjects of
postal forgeries."
The alleged superior beauty of
steel engraved stamps also, Mr.. Rich
insists, Is really chimera" and
"the modern Swiss and French CO.
lonial stamps, produced by roto-
gravure, certainly take the palm
away from any line-engraved items.
|. Line-engraving is an old-fash-
ioned and expensive, slow process.
/. Why, then, is line-engraving
continued? For the best of all rea-
sons: A vested interest. II our
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
were to shift to rotogravure or let
terpress printing, the staff of line
engravers, siderographers, plate
printers. ETC., would lose their jobs.
But we collectors need not fall
for the misleading propaganda in
favor of line-engraved production
of stamps Indeed. who of us would
not say without exception that the
STAMPS AND COINS.
MINT SETS and books by country on ap-
proval. References please. Jackson Stamp
Service. Box 22, College Park. Md.
STAMPS-COINS--ACT