STAMP COLLECTING

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 206, 28 May 1938, Page 6 (Supplement)

STAMP COLLECTING

By

Dennis Barry

Now that the many small islands in the Pacific Ocean are becoming important as bases for trans-Pacific airliners, and governments are discussing the ownership of these islands, stamp collectors are gradually becoming more and more interested in the stamps from Oceanica as the southern Pacific is called in many albums. Practically all the islands are divided among the British, French, American, Dutch and Japanese. While all issue stamps, either for a single island or for a group, these are merely all colonial stamps. The exception is the group known as the Friendly Islands, or perhaps better known to philatelists as Tonga'. This group has its own queen, Salote, portrayed on the latest issues. The islands of the group form a protectorate of Great Britain but rule themselves. The stamps are mostly pictorials, with many overprints when certain values were exhausted. Tonga has issued stamps since 1886. Stamps for the British Solomon Islands, Brunei, Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, New Guinea, New Hebrides, Niue, North Borneo, Papua and Samoa' are issued by Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia. x France issues stamps for its colonies in the Pacific. Most of them, including the many small islands made famous by recent motion pictures such as “Hurricane” and “Mutiny on the Bounty,” are grouped under French Oceanica; but for New Caledonia? and New Hebrides, which it rules jointly with Great Britain, France also issues stamps, as it does for Wallis and Futuna Islands. The United States has no special stamps for Hawaii, Guam and the naval base of Samoa, but has special stamps for the ’Philippine Islands. Holland groups all its Pacific ocean possessions under the stamps territory of the Dutch East Indies. Japan has no special issues for the former German Pacific Ocean Islands, Caroline, Marshall, and Mariana, which it now possesses. Portugal has one island left in the Pacific ocean of its once large East Indian empire. Timor is now the only Portuguese colony in Oceanica.

While the British and French stampissuing colonies in the Pacific listed above are those issuing stamps at present, there have been other colonies, also issuing, which have in recent years been included in the postal administrations listed. ROMANTIC THEMES

During this year two Royal weddings have been commemorated by the printing of new stamps, and both these issues have received wide publicity; but it is seldom that two countries within such a short space of time have issued such stamps as have. Egypt and Greece. Both stamps portray happy couples, but the Egyptian issue is the more striking of the two, although the Greek stamp gains much from its pleasing simplicity. It is surprising how few countries have chosen to issue such commemorative stamps. Bulgaria, Italy, Japan, Monaco, and Tonga were hitherto the only lands in which romance had crept into philately. It is certainly noB a very good start for the romantic collector, but surely an unusual collection could be made of these stamps of romance. PORTRAIT IN STAMPS

One of the most unusual portraits ever painted (or perhaps I should say, “stuck together”) is that of the Swedish American philatelist, Mr. Hans Lagerloef; it is a most successful picture of the rich man who has been so generous to the Royal Swedish Postal Museum. When it was completed about twelve years ago the portrait was an excellent likeness. It was done by the Swedish portrait painter, Professor Axel Jungstedt. who spent approximately six months on this arduous and exacting task. The artist first painted a portrait in oils, and then proceeded to make a larger copy in stamps, matching the colours of his original painting with the greatest care. Swedish and American stamps were mainly used in the composition, and it said that to get the natural flesh colour, some extensive varieties of the Swedish “official” series had to be used. FORMOSAN STAMPS

Not long ago China carried out its first air raid on Japanese territory, bombing the island of Formosa; the damage caused was not great, but with this bold essay by China, an uneasy feeling swept through the Japanese empire. This mountainous island in the Pacific Ocean was at one time much in the philatelic news, when, about 40 years ago, the Chinese locals were keeping New Issues editors busy. In 1874, the Japanese landed on Formosa to chastise the fierce natives for having killed some Japanese soldiers. China threatened that if they were not off the island in 90 days there would be war. Great Britain interposed and the sailors withdrew. Twenty years later, war broke out, and in 1895, China was forced to give Formosa to Japan. But assisted by Chinese troops the islanders, commanded by Lui Tung Fu (lender in 1885 of the Black Flags), created a great deal of trouble in the South.

In March of 1895. these rebel islanders formed a parliament in Tainan, the southern capital, and declared themselves a republic, with Lui Yung Fu as President. Since there was no direct connection with the Chinese Government. the Black Flag Republicans, as they called themselves, voted for a special issue of stamps. In July, three values appeared and their use is said to have been compulsory on all mail

that passed from the customs to the mainland. These labels were hand-stamped from a silver die and show what is supposed to be a tiger rampant (the emblem of the rebels) in the centre. The native characters at the top read, “T’ai wan min chu groo”—Taiwan (Formosan) Republic of the people; the vertical left column had “Ssu dan ssu”—a postage stamp; the right column expressed the value and the numerals were applied in the top half of this panel separately, after the stamps had been printed. ALSACE LORRAINE

Few territories have been the subject of more disputes than have the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, on the borders of France and Germany.

For a long time before the Thirty Years’ War, Alsace had been under the control of the Hapsburgs, but in 1648, the King of France annexed the province under the Treaty of Westphalia. In 1766 Lorraine was annexed by Louis XV.

As a result of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the two provinces were taken over by Germany, and not long after the German occupation a series of seven stamps was issued for use throughout the territory during the war.

The stamps’ design was extremely simple, consisting of only the figures of value in the centre, Postes above, and Centimes below. Surrounding this, and extending to the edges of the stamps was a frame of solid colour. The background was composed of a burelage network which can be found in two positions: with the points of the net upright, or inverted. Stamps with inverted network are much rarer than normal specimens.

The stamps of Alsace-Lorraine were reprinted in 1885, and all values have been extensively forged. Nearly all the reprints and forgeries have inverted network. Originals are recognisable by the fact that the distance between the P of Postes and the inner edge of the frame is always between three and three-and-a-half millimetres. In all reprints and most forgeries the P is nearer than that to the frame. SHIP STAMPS OF LAST YEAR

There are many collectors who find an added zest to stamp-collecting by specialising, developing a collection on certain unusual lines. To such collectors, ships on stamps provide a splendid subject for such discrimination and to all those whose philately shows naval tendencies, 1937 was in the nature of a prolonged field day. Arab dhows were shown on issues from Aden and Mozambique, and from the latter came also the “San Gabriel,” Vasco da Gama’s flagship, and a dugout canoe. Austria had stamps depicting an early paddle steamer and modern river passenger and cargo steamers. Germany, in her Charity set, showed a lifeboat,

a lightship, fishing smacks, a sailing ship, a train ferry, tugs, the Bremen, and other modern ocean greyhounds. South-west African lid. stamp showed a liner, an Indian issue, a mail steamer; a shipping scene at the Bund, Shanghai, came from China. A PRE-ISSUE CHANGE

The new United States postage set, featuring all presidents, has had a preissue change. The values of 35 cents and 40 cents have been replaced by 21 cent and 24 cent denominations; this changes the order of the presidents as previously announced, with Cleveland on the 21 cents, Benjamin Harrison on the 24 cents, William McKinley on the 25 cents, and Theodore Roosevelt on the 30 cents stamps.. It is also reported in connection with stamp activities in the United States, that special airmail cachets are being used by the United States post office at Kitty Hawk, N.C-, and Dayton, Ohio, to mark the national airmail week and the 20th anniversary of the carriage of airmail. United States airmail rates have grown from a 218-mile run from Washington to New York, to 63,000 miles now flown by United States airmail aeroplanes on scheduled routes. NEW ISSUES

Bahamas, Mauritius. Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Trinidad have issued, or will issue soon, their new King George VI stamps . . . New Caledonia, French Pacific ocean colony,.has issued three airmail values. . . Russia recently released four stamps to mark polar conquest by Russian scientists . . . Five values for an aviation fund have been issued by Belgium. They show the young King Leopold 111 in an aeroplane . . . Ecvpt issued special stamps for the leprosy congress . . . . Poland issued special stamps to mark the 150th anniversary of the United States Constitution . . . Lithuania will shortly release two miniature sheets with surtax for war orphans and war veterans . . . Venezuela has honoured n composer. Teresa Carreno, with a new stamp . . . Sweden has issued five stamps to mark the anniversary of the "ounding of New Sweden in America in what is now the State of Delaware.

Wilcox. Smith and Coy., 14 Manse St.. Dunedin, New Zealand (the oldest stamp firm in Australasia). Send your stamps to us. Highest prices paid. Retail, and air. Buying and selling lists free. Estd. 54 years.—Advt.