Evening star., 1949-07-17
Stamp News
By jones Waldo Foweett

~f~S "SSAs
logue Of First Day Covers, pub
lished by the Washington Press,
43 William street, Newark, N. j.,
at so cents a copy. The booklet,
containing 81 pages OF data, is
priced at cost Of manufacture.
It represents a scholarly as well rs
generous labor of love.
Ernest A. Kehr. writing In the
New York Herald Tribune, says:
While collectors persistently re-
fuse to mix politics and philately,
there now Is widespread move
ment afoot to boycott the flood
Of adhesives issued by the soviets
for Russia and all satellites. The
movement has been inspired be-
cause the stamps are simulta-
neously intended for sale to un-
suspecting Americans to raise dol
lar funds for the promotion Of
communism and embody deliber-
ate errors Of fact. ..
Russia has been using postage
stamps to propagandize its politi-
cal, revolutionary and military
theology since 1923. .sand after the
Soviets seized control of Bulgaria,
Rumania. Hungary. Yugoslavia
Poland, Czechoslovakia and a few
lesser territories. stamps from
these lands followed the Moscow
pattern.
Even this was tolerated with
out protest In stamp circles until
the Soviets began prostituting
their stamps. 1t is well known
that Moscow presses have pro-
duced more stamps in q month
than are postally necessary in
year. but except to apprise the
average collector. no society or
club made any effort to boycott
sales. However. now that designs
are Intentionally made to attract
American sales and to falsify his
torical facts. collectors all over
the country are up in arms.
"A favorite stunt is to release
set to honor the greatest figures
in various cultural or scientific
fields. Half the set portrays uni
versally accepted leaders in these
fields and includes at least one
American and one Englishman;
the rest of the set honors persons
alleged to be equally famous. but
whose names are not recorded
outside Communist history.
"Other Soviet stamps have paid
postal tribute to Russians, who
invented the airplane, discovered
the Behring Straits or other con-
tributions universally attributed
to other persons. Philatelists pro-
tested last year when Laurent
Kosir was portrayed on a set of
Yugoslav stamps as the inventor
OF postage stamps Collectors
know that stamps were the idea
of Rowland Hill. whose adhesives
were issued in England IL years
before Austrian adhesives were
used in what now is Yugoslavia
and II before the first imperial
Russian stamps were printed"
Mr.. Kehr lists groups of spe-
cialists in the stamps of Czecho-
slovakia. Hungary and Poland
who now refuse to collect the cur
rent issues of those countries be-
Ecause they allegedly carry Com
munist propaganda.
British post offices are using the
slogan cancellation: Mind How
You Go on the Road''-in aid of
national campaign to reduce
the number Of highway accidents.
An editor in Nigeria printed
story to the effect that Sweden
was issuing a series of stamps pic
turing cabinet ministers. The
transparent hoax promptly was
disavowed in Stockholm. But
philateltc magazine published the
fake as true and several American
stamp columnists blindly followed
suit. 1t may be months or even
years before the echoes Of the
canard die away.
Thomas s. Charrney, S753 Ar
mitage avenue, Chicago At. ILL.,, is
seeking data relating to Abraham
Lincoln during the time he was
postmaster at New Salem, III. The
future 18th President served from
May I. 1888, to May 80. 1886.
New members Of the Pentagon
Philatelic Society include Col.
Frank A. Petit, It. Col. Stacy w.
Clapp. jr.; 1t. Col. E. E. Hallinger.
1t. Comdr. Bernard A. Fleck,
Corpl. Robert E. Clark. Corpl.
Phillip s. Shut. Earl K. Burdick,
Isadore Kleiner and Mary L. Glib
lin.
Edith M. Fisher, writing in the
Hackensack. N. j.. Bergen Evening
Record, says: The trend in stamp
collecting seems to be changing
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