NOTED PHILATELIST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 11

NOTED PHILATELIST.

VISITOR TO AUCKLAND. FELLOW OF ROYAL SOCIETY. A world authority on philately, Mr. A. 11. Pettifer, of Sydney, is visiting Auckland. Mr. Pettifer is a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of London and is one of the 12 of its 499 members who have had the privilege of inspecting the famous collection of King (ieorge V. This collection passed into the hands of Edward VIII. and then to King (ieorge VI., who regards it as a national one. It is housed in tiOO volumes, is confined to stamps printed in the British Empire and is considered to be worth about £250,000. Mr. Pettifer lias made a special collection of stamps on which designs of waterfalls and ships ap]>ear. During a lifetime of travel he has collected some 1.1.000 stamps, but lias no idea of their value. His philatelic work in his home country, Australia, earned him one of the three Melbourne Centenary Philatelic Medals issued in 1934. The other! two were awarded to King (leorge V. I and to Field Marshal Lord Milne. The most valuable stain]) in the world, said Mr. Pettifer. was a one-cent British Cuiana. printed in 1849. There were only two of these known to be in existence. Regarding speculations, Mr. . Pettifer stated that considerable J amounts of money changed hands for I stamps sold overseas. In Sydney he j had seen a set of Xew Zealand coni--1 merce stamps, with a face value of 1/2 sold for 10/. At the present time the same stamps were realising 3/(1 a set. The expert mentioned that when the , Jubilee films were carried to Australia by aeroplane the.package carried stamps 1 worth £72. If any of the packages of : Coronation films to be flown from Kupland to America bore stamps they I would be eagerly .sought by American collectors.

Mr. TVttifer return* to Sydney on Tuesday liv the Awatca.