VALUABLE STAMPS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 196, 19 August 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

VALUABLE STAMPS.

Every stamp .collector lives in the hope of some day making- "a great find," and it is wonderful how many :of such finds there are even at this late day, says "Harper's Bound Table." It is now nearly sixty years sfnce the first stamp was issued, and it is between forty and fifty years since stamps were generally used, . As an instance of how old stamps [.are coming- to light, the writer's exI perience is rather interesting. In one week he saw the following- : — A collection of about 200 stamps in air old torn and dirty book was handed him by a gentleman who had made the collection Avhen he was a boy. About 175 of the stamps had been badly damaged in the handling and | by the glue which had been used to 1 affix the stamps to the leaves' of the | blank; book, and among them were : quite a number of good stamps, cata- : logging to-day from 4/ to £ 3 each. Of the remaining- twenty-five, which ; were in good order and practically in mint condition, one was catalogued at £10, one at £5, three at £2, and the balance at various prices down to £1. A liberal offer for the book was refused, and the chances are that the gentleman will begin another collection. A collection of about 150 stamps in shocking condition was shown to a dealer. Only one stamp in the entire book was worth anything to the dealer, who tried to buy the collection, but could not, although he offered to place a fair price on it if the owner would agree to sell at that price. The dealer intended to offer £4U, but the | owner refused to place a price on his | collection or to agree to the dealer's terms. ' Two days later the dealer obtained the stamp from another collector, who had purchased the collection for a few dollars. The one stamp | in the collection was the Hawaiian ■ 1851 issue of the so-called Missouri stamps. It Avas in beautiful condition, and is' now in the hands of a ! collector, who paid a very large price for it. A A large publishing house in New York city recently received in payment of a small bill a portion of a ! sheet of United States 2 cent 1879 ■ issue, and a large block of the 1879 3 cent, together with a number of the 1873 6 cent and 10 cent stamps. They were all in the same condition as ■ when oi'iginally issued over1 twenty • years ago. In looking over a lot of rubbish in the attic, a friend of the writer found an old collection which he had made ■ in 1565, all in good clean condition. ■ The finder has now two boys of his 1 own, and one is an enthusiastic stamp 1 collector. ■' ' A gentleman in a shipping office ■ found a bundle of papers in reference ■ to a shipment from New York to Aus- ■ tralia in 1851. No- envelopes • were j used by the writer, and on the letteivs ■ were a fine lot of 12 cent.and 10 cent , United States, and, still.more valuable, >| a lot of Sydney views of New South Wales.