FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

Evening Star, Issue 22525, 18 December 1936, Page 2

FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

[By Philatelist.]

The monthly meeting of the Dunedin Philatelic Club was held in the Y.M.C.A. rooms on December 10, there being present 33 members. Three new members were elected. The main business of the evening was a talk by Mr J. W. Thomson on ‘ Waterfalls on Stamps. 1 Displays were furnished by Mr D. Malcolm and Mr A. Clark. Stamp sales as between members brought the evening to a close. The following interesting article by Lieutenant-colonel G. MacMahon, entitled ‘ The Tyranny of Condition,’ appears in the October number of ‘ Gibbons’s Stamp Monthly ’: —“ The subject of condition has not been so prominent of late, though a year or two ago this ‘ hare ’ was being hunted with great intensity. Such a standard of condition was being advocated as essential that, if taken literally, the average collector might well throw in his hand and give up what would seem to be an unequal contest. That the better the condition of the stamp the more desirable it is there is no' question ; but in this preference for the immaculate many reasonably good copies are apt to be condemned and as a consequence rejected. The stamp that is in any way damaged or so heavily postmarked as to be unrecognisable is not an acquisition to any collection, but there is a class suffering perhaps from some slight imperfection, and where the general identity of the stamp is not materially affected that is being jettisoned under the new and rather exacting requirements of condition. All classes of stamps cannot — for obvious reasons—be judged by the same standards. Many of the early types, as we know, are seldom found without some slight defect. They may bo, nevertheless, most desirable pieces. It seems a pity that in stressing the importance of condition, which within reason is quite justified, the tendency has been to set what seems an unnecessarily high-water mark, detrimental in a way to the general interests of philately, both for the collector and those who cater for him. It may bo very well for exhibition purposes or

displays to insist on superlative specimens, but much as we may admire them and take a pride in their possessino, they are not always available or even possible to the great majority. While _ attaching the fullest value to condition, we need not take it to such extremes as to make it difficult for the ordinary collector, or preach a doctrine that would of necessity put many desirable items out of his reach. The question admits of wide interpretation and has many aspects. Some of them are quite apparent, others appeal to the expert and require special competence for their recognition. To be a good judge of a stamp is one thing, but to be merely fastidious is quite another. The former shows knowldege. whereas the latter is often evidence of the reverse. The importance of discrimination in regard to used stamps is quite understandable owing to the varying degrees of condition in which they may be found; but it is difficult to see the application in the same way in respect of mint stamps, often made in connection with the overprint being off centre or the stamp itself being badly centred. If the stamp is in mint state, and genuinely so, this ought normally to be sufficient. Inaccuracies of printing or of centring make for varieties, and do not, strictly speaking, affect the ‘ condition ’ of a stamp. The point, if insisted on, would obviously rule out misplaced surcharges, inverted centres, etc., which in point of fact are much sought after. In any case, whether following the dictates of fashion or popular fancy, the question of centring should not, I think, be considered under tho heading of ‘ Condition.’ There is a certain divergence of opinion as to what constitutes mint condition in a stamp, and when it becomes merely ‘ unused ’ I have seen it stated that a stamp ought not to be described as mint once it has had a hinge attached. This, though it may or may not be considered correct, is surely being too punctilious. It is, of course, a matter of opinion, and collectors form their own views. In constant handling and the process of time a stamp may lose that initial freshness and bloom usually associated with stamps when mint, aud it may then be more accurate to describe it as ‘ unused.’ Those who have lived abroad in very damp or hot climates know tho difficulty of preserving mint or unused stamps with original gum. Though not an integral part of tho stamp (many of tho early stamps were issued without gum), it has been made a proviso, and so presumably must be accepted. The f a( -t•. however, that this and many other deficiencies can easily bo made "ood nowadays to oblige (?) collectors should detract from attaching too much importanco to these extraneous details.” (To be continued.)