FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

Evening Star, Issue 22684, 25 June 1937, Page 2

FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

[By Philatelist.] I have two letters from America—one from a boy nine and a-half years of age. who wishes to exchange stamps with someone in New Zealand. Any collectors who want an address write to “ Philatelist,” and enclose a stamped addressed envelope. AN ALARM IN THE ’NINETIES. In earlier times collectors became much alarmed at the spread of the practice of issuing commemorative and other stamps not strictly required for the ordinary administration of postal business. In the latter part of last century new issues brought an addition of 400 to 500 varieties a year. There were collectors and dealers who thought this growth in the total number of the world’s stamps would injure, if not actually end, the popular hobby. A number of well-meaning philatelists formed a body with an alliterative title —the Society for the Suppression of Speculative Stamps. Their object was to pillory unnecessary issues and get dealers and collectors to leave them severely alone, so that Governments seeking to make money out of the collector would find the game unprofitable. The society did not last long, but it did to some extent discourage the countries that -were most lavish in this direction. One or two issues of the period actually involved the Governments concerned in losses instead of the gains expected. Some—like the St. Anthony issue of Portugal—were so successfully opposed that the authorities soon withdrew them and destroyed the balance of stock. The result was to raise the stamps to a premium on the market, whereupon collectors were sorry they had not laid in a few! THE VOGUE OF SMALL SETS. The S.S.S.S., as the society was known, did not sufficiently take into account the fact that the majority of amateurs collect for pleasure- they do not pursue their hobby to order, or in conformity with set rules, but act according to their fancy and interest. While the society was endeavouring to teach Governments that excessive output would kill their own goose, the annual increase of stamps grew apace. From 400 or so a year in the ’nineties, we now get nearly 2,000 new stamps per annum; and far from lessening the popularity of the hobby, these issues are continually swelling the ranks of collectors. Most of these stamps are attractive in theme or design, and of modest denomination. Whereas a full set of the Columbus commemoratives of the United States cost over £3 to buy at tho post office when current in 1893, Washington is nowadays doing a gigantic business in small commemorative issues, costing from 3 to 10 cents apiece. ENGINEERING STAMPS. Engineering designs on stamps have a special interest for boys. No matter what branch of engineering they favour, our readers will find hosts of stamps suitable for inclusion in collections formed to illustrate it. Railway engineering is a typical example. There are designs available to demonstrate every- phase of tho development of the locomotive, from Stephenson’s “Rocket” to modern Diesel-engined streamlined rail coaches. The “Rocket” itself has not been illustrated on a stamp, but a representative of its type is to he seen on the 6 pf. value of Germany’s railway centenary series, issued on July 10, 1935. There were three other extremely fine designs in this series, the 25 pf. and 40 pf. values showing streamlined articulated Diesel-en-gined railcar units as used on the Ber-lin-Hamburg and Berlin-llanoverruns respectively, and tho 12 pf. showing a streamlined xteam locomotive. Altogether there avo well over 100 firstclass railway designs on stamps, and any reader who sets out to make a complete collection will find it a most absorbing task. Ships and shipping is another engineering subject of great possibilities, and developments from early days to modern times- can be excellently portrayed.

Egypt’s International Navigation Congress issue of 3926 provides an interesting picture of an ancient Egyptian slave galley, taken from a picture on a piece of statuary found in the Temple of Deir-el Bahari. An early Viking galley is depicted on the 5 a. value of Iceland’s Parliament Commemorative series of 1930, and a Carthaginian galley is shown on the Tunis I f. stamp of 1906. Modern ships are shown on several stamps. For example, the 1 f. 75 Belgian anti-tuberculosis issue of 1929 gives a very fine picture of Antwerp Harbour crowded with shipping. France issued a special stamp on April 23, 1935, to celebrate the maiden voyage of the Normandie. One of the most striking of all shipping stamps is the lid value of the Falkland Islands centenary issue of 1933, however. This is a really beautiful seascape, with a whale catcher as its central feature.

Naval vessels also figure largely on stamps, one of the best pictures being of the modern cruiser Averoff on the 3 dr. value of Greece’s 1927 issue. The 6d value of Jamaica’s 1921-9 issue shows a view of naval ships of the British West Indian fleet in harbour at Port Royal in 1853. Ships of Nelson’s time are shown in action on the 4 dr. value of Greece’s 1927 series commemorating the centenary of the Battle of Navarino. Italy, Turkey, Japan, Columbia, and Uruguay are other countries that have issued stamps bearing pictures of naval vessels.

Aviation is the outstanding engineering subject of the up-to-date stamp album. There are literally hundreds of stamps Available for an aviation collection, and man’s gradual attainment of

almost without omitting one single chapter of the stoiy. These stamps show balloons, airships, seaplanes, and aeroplanes in all phases of development. To begin with there is the mythological flight of Icarus and Daedalus depicted on the Greek air mail series of 1935, and Leonardo da Vinci’s man-power machine, shown on the 50 c. and 7 1. 70 values of an Italian commemorative issued in 1932.The first machine of the • Wright brothers is shown on a United States commemorative stamp issued on December 13, 1928, and the “ Gee BeeH racing machine is illustrated in a Latvian issue of 1933. The most recent aircraft shown are the Cierva Autogiro, seen on Spain’s 2 p. of 1935, and the Dornier do. X., shown on the 13 m. and 15 in. values of Egypt’s Aviation Congress series of 1933. Charliere’s balloon is shown on Latvia’s 13 s, stamp of 1932 and, at the extreme of modern development, w© have Professor Picard’s stratosphere balloon on the Belgian series issued in November, 1932, to commemorate this great ascent. The airship built by Santos Dumont in 1897 is shown on the 200 reis air stamp issued by Brazil in 1929. Thi» ship bad a capacity of 6,354 cubic feet, an amazing contrast to the Graf Zeppelin, so Frequently encountered on stamps, which has a total capacity of 3J million cubic feet! Bridge building is another import, ant engineering topic that is excellently covered in the stamp album,Typical subjects that come to mind, illustrating different phases of development, are the 1 fr. value of the current Cameroon’s issue, showing _ % primitive native-built suspension bridge slung across a forest stream, and the Sydney Harbour bridge illustrated on Australia’s commemorative issue of 1932. Quebec bridge is shown on Canada’s 12 c. issue of 1928, and. the beautiful Niagara bridge shown on the 5 c. of the United States 1901 issue commemorates the Pan-American Exhibition at Buffalo.