FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

Evening Star, Issue 21717, 11 May 1934, Page 3

FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

[By Philatelist.]

Hqw many collectors, outside of the specialist, take the trouble to use their catalogues, in conjunction with current philatelic journals and annotate them accordingly? Knowledge is power; therefore study the catalogue. Make notes. Interesting figures are quoted from time to time in your stamp journal relative to the number of copies issued of some desirable stamp, and other similar details, many of which are worth transferring to the margin of one’s catalogue for future use. The well-informed collector always has the advantage in either buying or exchange deals. How many of the readers of this column collect the stamps of Iceland? With a population of over 100,000 souls, of which a-quarter of them inhabit the capital, Reykjavik, they are a law-abid-ing, educated, God-fearing Lutheran race, not Eskimos as many people think. Iceland is an independent country, united with Denmark, and its stamps are a Very interesting group, particularly the latter-day pictorials. Why not collect them P They would make a fine show. Another interesting country is Egypt. The designs of its' stamps, illustrating as they do so much of antiquity, offer a tremendous scope for annotation. How instructing would a collection be which contained information relative to the Sphinx, the Pyramids, the Colossi of Thebes, the Rock Temples of Abu Simbel, the Temple of Karnak, Amenhotep, etc. The currency of the country also offers a field for research and writing up. It commences with paras and piastres, forty paras being equal to one piastre. In 1888 a new currency of milliemes was introduced, ten milliemes' equalling a piastre. After , 1914 • the word “ piastre ” no longer appears on the stamps, and all values are expressed in milliemes. In 1924 a stamp was issued with the denomination of one pound. This is the Egyptian pound of 1,000 milliemes, of similar value to the English pound of twenty shillings. He serves philately best who most efficiently administers to the needs of philately. The rarities are the glory of 'stamp collecting, but the common stamps are its backbone. To collect stamps is a joy; to know your stamps is a lasting satisfaction. Stamp collecting alone can vividly portray the story of civilisation, and yet fill the mind with the delight and fascination of a well-directed drama. Judge the collector’s love of philately not by the number and kind of stamps that be has in ■ his collection, but rather by the manner in which he displays them. There is no one correct way of -building an interesting stamp collection, but there is more than one wrong way of building an uninteresting one. The happiest moments that an album of stamps can give are those that fill the mind not only with the contentment of possession, but with zeal to complete another should the first be lost.—‘ Bits of Philatelic Wisdom,’ by Bernard R. Sznek. Egypt.—Rather an expensive set of commemorative stamps, with a face value of over £2, has made its appearance. This is called the Postal Union Congress set, and the numbers, especially of the higher values, are very limited. I certainly urge acquisition of some of these, as I think they will have a big future, particularly the 500 m and £l. Falkland Islands.—lt is rather interesting to note the prices now being asked by the fortunate dealers who happen to have a few of the late commemoratives in stock. Gibbons have increased their catalogue figures to double face, and even at this I am inclined to think the set is very reasonable to-day. Uruguay.—Two air stamps have made their appearance in the shape of the recently issued Seventh Pan American Conference, triangulars, 17c and 36c overprinted for air mail. A total issue of 12,000 pairs,-in miniature sheets of six, was made. _ Bearing in-mind that the cult of air post collecting is rapidly overhauling everything else, and also the fact that triangulas, such as these, are always most popular, this pair will undoubtedly become something really good in the near future. HAYTI’S NEW ISSUES. The most interesting new issue is the full set of ordinary post stamps from Hayti, its first new general issue for nearly ten years. There are seven values, ranging from 3c to 2g50, with designs largely to commemorating the life and work of Henri phristophe, one of the three leaders in the country’s struggle for independence in the early years of the nineteenth century. Christophe was a full-blooded African negro who in 1806 became “ provisional leader of the nation. Political differences with other rivals for power led him to retire to the north of Hayti, where he founded the new “ State of Hayti.” His principal opponent, Petion, appointed himself President of the Southern “ Republic of Hayti.” Later Christophe proclaimed himself “king” of his territory, and it was during his reign that there were built the great castle “ Sans Souci ” and the Citadelle, that are illustrated in the stamp series. Sans Souci, now in ruins, was a magnificent castle, intended at the time of building to equal in size and grandeur any castle in Europe. It is excellently shown on the 25c value. An aerial view of the Citadelle is shown on the two air stamps that are complementary to the series. It was built in a dominating position among the mountains, the actual location being at the summit of the Bonnet-a-l’Eveque, 2,600 feet above sea level. It was built regardless of cost, aad, it is said, at the expense of the lives of many thousands of labourers. Its enormous size may best be gauged from the fact that the main gun corridor, the Galerie du Roi, shown on the Ig st,amp, was 300 ft in length. The Citadel was never occupied, for shortly after its completion the State of Hayti was reabsorbed into the southern Republic. The remaining designs are as follows:—3c, President Vincent; 50, Aqueduc de Prince ; 10c, Fort National; 50c, Chapello de Christophe, Milot; 62Jc, Batterie de Vallieres. NEW ISSUE FOR SARAWAK. Sarawak is to issue an entirely new series of stamps. There will be a full range of twenty values, from 1c to ten dollars, and each will bear the same design, a portrait of the Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke. The portrait will be flanked on each side by carvings of bamboo.