PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 54

PHILATELY.

Bt Peluee.

The gr^at international stamp exhibition, to be held in London this month, promises to far eclipse anything of its kind ever held before. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales lias approved of the design for the^ medals which will bo presented in the various classes. These medals will contain on one side a portrait of his> Royal Highness, with the inscription "H.H..H. the Prince of Wales, K.G., President of the Philatelic Society, London," while on the obverse it Is proposed that the arms of the City of London shall appear, together with an inscription showing the name of the successful exhibitor and the class in respect; of which the medal is awarded. .H.R.H. the Prince of Wales has also signified to the committee his willingness to present one gold medal and one silver medal for the two best exhibits shown by ladies, and such offer has been gratefully accepted by th^ committee. The a^atos et4l» lii Hi

number) ■were offered for sale by auction O'l the 23rd February, by'Mr W. Hadlov/, who very kindly gave his services J>nd placed himeelf at the disposal tl.e Executive Committee, and, judging from the prices obtained, a very keen competii tion it must have been. It is perhaps regrettable thai none of the Continental and American dealers could ccc their way to take lip a btall. In an annexe facing, and copnectad with, the main-vhall, on the ground floor, .10 stalh are planned, and these were sold to the following dealers:—* Upset For 1. Mr 13.. L'Estrange Ewen .. '£65 £100 2. Messrs Stanley Gibbons, Ld. £65 v £75 3. Mr O. Marsh £25 £50 4. Messrs P. L. Pemberton & Co. £35 £55 5. Messrs H. Griebert & Co. .. £45- £60 6. Messrs Bright & Son .. .. £45- £60 7. Messrs Bridger & Kay .. » £40 £55 8. Mr W. T. "Wilson t £30 £52 9. Mr D. Field £85 £85 10. Mr W. H. Peckitt £6.> £90 Five other lots were also offered for sale, these being in one of the roome on tho first floor, access to which Js not .only obtained by means of & staircase, but also by a lift. These stalls were bought by the. under-mentioned- dealers, and realised the following prices : — Upset For 11. MesSTa C. Iviasen &r Co. .. £20 £27 10a 12. Mx W. Morley, £30 £27 10s 13. Messrs Bridger &,3£ay .. £15 JE2O 14. Messrs Btidger & Kay . . - £15 £22 10s 15. Messrs' Stanley Gibbons, Ld. £15 £22 10s £802 10s was thus realised; which, should' go a- long w.ay towards the expenses of the exhibition; nevertheless, it must be considered a large rent for the privilege of only nino days' trading. ' * _— _ _

In forming a email general collection it is well to ignore all varieties of paper, perforation, and watermark— just take the design of the stamps. It is as 'well to iuclude a& two varieties stamps that are perforated and imperforate, even when of similar design and colour. Be particular in hinging your stamps, keep your books clean and tidy, and whenever you can replace a stamp- by i finer copy do so without fail. It is aJso a. good rule for a young 1 collector (o keep an account of what his collection has cost him, so that if he wishes to sell he will know about what he should get for his album. The moat suitable albums for a collector at this stage are " The Century Album" or " Improved Album." both of the postajm stamps of the •world, in one volume.' with all prominent varieties included, minor varieties being entirely omitted. \

The native messenger of India is a curious character. JHie collecting proponsities are wonderful, and the postage stamps upon letters entrusted to him to po3fc at one timo appealed to him as no inconsiderable triflei. By those who am strangers to our hobby we ,havo heard this <■ it-dividual quoted .as an illustration of a philatelist, but frcm this /we have always, vigorously dissented, .on more grounds than one. He is not particular as to the condition of his stamps, and although he may be fairly described as a specialist in unused. , original gum to him pwsente no special virtue, it being quite sufficient so long as the stamps are fairly fresh in appearance to- warrant their being sold again for postal purposes. That lie is a type of stamp collector nobedv will deny, and least of all those who have had 'he fortune to live any time in India. To combat this tendency on th& part of tho natives, - the practice of pen-stroking the stf/nps aftei they have been affixed to the envelope has been in common use in India for many years, and has been found to be very efficacious, for, in common with most stamp collectors, the natives draw tho lino at pen-marked specimens, hence they havf been left severely alone, and the recipients have been denied the pleasuro of paying double ncstape on delivery. We see that tho privilege has been withdrawn, and ihafc henceforth no pen-marking is to be allowed. It remains to be seen whether the present eoneration of native' mesengers have inherited their fathers' love for unused stamps: if so, we may confidently look forward to a eet of unpaid leHer stamps in the- near future — and who will venture to clißi-acleris^ sur-h an issue as unnecessary? — Philatelic Record.

Purrhass your stamps fro*n reliable firms. This is most important. You will &cc lo(s of offe-r-s of st«a,nipi3 at 25 or 50 Joer cent, under catalogue, but most of theco aro made by people who do not understand 1 stamps, and who may quite unknowinsly offer you reprints, fakes, and mended stamps which are. of course, ■valueless. Buy from firms who have made a study ■of stamps for many years ; you will have to pay a little more, but you won't l>e "had." and find your collection full of irubbisli. Small dealers are the bane of philately.

NEW ISSUES.

Brazil. — A correspondent of "L'Echo d« la Timbrologie." in Brazil, sends tha* journal sorno details conce-rnirM? the new issues for ordinary and for official service. In size tho stamp* will measure 24mm hv 21mm. The regular postage stamps will bo. a portrait serios, the notabilities picLuredl thereon being Ari«tides Lobo, Benjamin. Constant, Pedro Alvares Cabral (the discoverer of Brazil), Admiral Van den Kolk, Deodoro do Fonseca, Floriano Peixoto, Prudente de Moraee, and Campos Salles, while some of the high values will bear an. effigy of Liberty. The new service fctamus will be of uniform design, similar tx> the " 300 reis Emperor's head stamp of the issue* of 1878, but with a portrait of President Prodrigues Alve6 in the place of that of the late Dom Pedro. The printing of the new stamps hae been entrusted to the American Bank Note Company. New South Wales.— The following values of the New South Weles Btamps have just been issued on crown end A paper — viz., l,d. Id, 2d, 4d, 6d, and Is. The remaining values will be put Da- eale as the old stocks run out. Greece. — The Journal tfea Debate has recently announced' that the Greek Government will commemorate the Olympio Game;j of 1906 by a special series of stamps* -The; issue, it ie stated, will represent an amount? of 200,000 drachmae, or about £8000 English money. _ Norway. —I hear that fhe - new 6&mps are expected in the beginning of July n»xtr. The higher values— viz., lkr, 1.50kr, and 2krr-wiH be the first, to be printed, so a« to avoid a fsesh edition of the provisional , stamps bf these values now in. use.

At Redfern (New South Wales) on the Ist inst. a man named M'Gifford was fined] £20, in default four months' imprisonment*

— — The reliability and durability of tyres depend mainly on the way in which the car is driven. Excessive wear is caused by letting in the clutch suddenly, by stopping abruptly, by taking corners fast, and by neglecting to steer clear of road metal where possible. It is also advisable, when patches of road metal cannot be avoided, to "de-clutch momentarily while the liind wheels are passing over the patch. ——The prioe of motor bicycles at Home has dropped nearly one-half within the past two years, and there are some who believe that before long a motor cycle will be Obtainable for the same price as an ordinary machine. Very likely ; and for those seeking an. inexpensive form of death, the 10-guinea motor bicjole ghould be difficult ■ tft fesa^