FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

Evening Star, Issue 22880, 11 February 1938, Page 3

FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

[By Philatelist.]

Club Meeting. The Dunedin Philatelic Club resumed its meetings for the present year last Thursday evening in the Y.M.C.A. rooms. There was an attendance ot 28. Two new members were elected. The gathering was of an informal nature, no papers being i-ead. Displays were furnished by four of the members. Mr H. A. Comrie showed two sheets of subject collections, one entitled ‘ Ships ’ and the other ‘ Tho Work of the Engineer.’ A third sheet comprised the complete Coronation issue of Newfoundland. Mr C. N. Cooper exhibited about 20 covers with early New Zealand and Australian stamps affixed. Mr A. A. Ancell exhibited five sheets, three of which comprised Cyprus, one New Zealand, and one Great Britaiu. Mr J. D. Inglis’s display comprised his col-* lection of Brazil. This occupied 13 sheets. Most of tho sheets exhibited were neatly mounted and made a good show. A Dutch auction was held, and most of the items offered found buyers. Stamp sales as between members brought the evening to a close. Stamps of Other Countries. Brazil has four new stamps of large format in two designs; they are most attractive. The 200 reis, chocolate and steel blue, and 2,000 r, green and carmine, each carry a picture of Munroo Palace; the 300 r, orange and deep green, and 10,000 r, violet and blue, a view of the botanical gardens at llio de Janeiro. Cuba has issued a series of 23 values for tho benefit of American writers and artists, and these stamps were placed on sale for three days only, October 13, 14, and 15, after which the stamps ‘ remaining unsold were overprinted “ 5.V.P.,” indicating “ without postal value.” Moneys received through the sale of these stamps were turned over to a fund to .encourage and promote international cultural endeavours. France commemorated the opening of the new highway at'Savoy by issuing a new 90 centimes stamp. The stamp pictures the new highway at Savoy, which has an altitude of 2,769ra and is reputed to be the highest road in the world.

Italy issued a series of stamps of 15 values commemorating the birnillenary of Emperor Csesar Augustus. This series of stamps was also issued in honour of an exhibition in Rome, formally opened by Premier Mussolini on September 22. Liechtenstein pictures a peasant’s house in a hilly rural sotting on the new srp issue, one of a series of pictorial stamps. The colour of this new stamp is bright green. Nicaragua has issued a new miniature sheet of stamps in honour of the anniversary of Columbus’s birth, and the sale of these small sheets was first made on October 12. Peru issued a series of stamps of four designs to commemorate the first InterAmerican Technical Aviation Conference, held at Lima, Peru, September 16-23, 1937. Seychelles will soon issue her longheralded set of pictorial stamps. There will be 15 values of three designs. Seychelles is a British colony consisting of about 100 islands in the Indian Ocean near the east coast of Africa north of Madagascar. These islands aro said to ■be the only tropical islands composed of granite. They have been in British possession since 1794, when they were captured from the French. In 1810 Seychelles was attached to the colony of Mauritius, and in 1903 created a separate colony. Victoria, the capital, is a port and a coaling station. The islands export vanilla, nuts, oil, etc. The total area is 156 square miles. The 2,9, 25, and 50c and 1.50 Rs values of the new stamps picture a Coco de mer Palm; the 3, 12, 30, and 75c and 2.25 Rs depict a giant tortoise which makes its home among the islands; the 6, 20, 45c, IRs and 5Rs depict a fishing canoe or pirogue. Turkey has issued a series of stamps to commemorate the opening of the second Congress of Turkish History at the ancient palace of Dolma Bagtsche at Istanbul. The stamps were issued September 22, and consist of the 3 kurus violet, 74k rose carmin, 6k blue and 124 blue-black. Manchukuo has commemorated the national capital, Hsinking, under the first five-year construction plan with an issue of four postage stamps. Two values of this set picture a building and the national flag of Manchukuo surrounded by branches of a laurel tree and a kaoliang. The other two values bear the picture of the sun and clouds, below which are buildings and a peace bird. A laurel tree is shown on the right side.

United States Issues. So far there have been announced only two new stamps for 1938, a stamp to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the settlement of New Sweden in Delaware, and' another commemorating the ratification of the United States Constitution. In the recent competition held by the Treasury Department among artists for a design for the 1 cent value of the forthcoming Presidential series 1,122 sketches were submitted by different artists. Miss Elaine Rawlinson, youthful artist of New York City, was declared the winner. In this series there will be 12 newcomers when this set is completed; it will include portraits of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, William' Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, and Calvin Coolidge. The idea of the scries originated with President Roosevelt last year, and for a while such a set was expected to appear soon. But there were too many commemoratives already ordered, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was too overburdened with work to get these out in 1937.