FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

Evening Star, Issue 23100, 28 October 1938, Page 15

FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

fßy Philatelist.]

The following extracts are from a work entitled ‘ This Book-collecting Game/ by A. E. Newton, and show how closely akin book collecting is to the hobby of stamp collecting;— “Book collecting is a grand game. Anybody with ordinary intelligence can play it; there are indeed people who think that it takes no brains at all; their opinion can be ignored. No great amount ,of money is required, unless on© becomes very ambitious. It can be played at home or abroad, alone or in company; it can even be played by correspondence. Everyone playing it can make his own rules—and change them during the progress of the game. It is not considered cricket to do this in any other game. “We book collectors each of us ride an animal differing, in some respect, from every other animal; but we are alike in this: that as we put it through its paces and explain its good points to our friends we are enjoying life to a degree that a man without a hobby knows nothing of. The exercise keeps the breath of life in us long after we have outlived our usefulness. Whether this be a good thing or not let our heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns say. “ In any case, a man’s joy in collecting depends not so much on the size of his bank balance as on his emotional sense.” Concerning the purchase of items that may not become rare and valuable for 50 years, Newton goes on to say: “And then where shall I be?” Adding: “ Reader, it is for my Maker, and not you, to answer this question; I put it to you merely as a matter of courtesy.” “ Books are intended to be read; the collecting of them is only an incident in their lives as it is in ours. “In general I try never to put a book upon my shelves for which I have to apologise either to myself or to my friends.”

THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. Glancing through his illustrated catalogue, the collector will observe that the first half of' the Straits Settlements list appears to be mainly composed of surcharged provisionals. The colony’s total in the large ‘ Gibbons ’ is formidable, containing no fewer than 126 items (not including minor varieties) from 1867 to the end of Queen Victoria’s reign. This is condensed to 69 standard varieties in the same firm’s ‘ Simplified Catalogue,’ and 80 in •♦the Whitfield King 1 Standard.’ Taking the revised 70 to 80 different stamps in the course of 34 years for an important colony is not excessive. The impression col-

lectors get—that the Straits Settlements stamps consist merely of surcharges —is largely due to the fact that the issues were “loaned” for use in other States, and had to be earmarked accordingly in order to protect the local revenue.

CAUSATION OF SURCHARGING. Surcharges were prevalent in early years in most of our Eastern colonies —but they were not created, as some philatelists imagine, just to make new varieties for collectors. The reason for their existence was a simple one, and might easily have been remedied earlier. In dependencies like the Straits Settlements, Ceylon, and Hongkong, the Post Office does not hold the main stocks of stamps, but has to indent for them as required from the Treasurer’s department. The stamps being printed in London, the Post Office was liable to run short of certain denominations if the Treasurer’s office omitted to replenish supplies. This was the principal reason, though not the only one, why it became necessary to resort to the makeshift of surcharging. THE “ CROWN AND CENTS ” ON INDIA. In the case of the Straits Settlements, it eo happens that the colony’s very first issue consisted of Indian postage stamps surcharged with an Imperial Crown and the denomination in cents. This was very convenient, for the colony, when administered by the Government of India, had used the Indian stamps without surcharge. The “ Crown ” overprints were made in London by Do la Rue and Co., and are practically free from minor varieties and errors. These stamps were only in use for a short time during the latter part of 1567; by the end of that year stamps of definitive designs were, ready, inscribed “ Straits Settlements Postage.” The issue comprised eight values, and the printers contrived to distinguish them by the varying frames surrounding the Royal profile, as well as by the colours. An additional value. 30 cents, appeared in 1872. The small differences in the spandrels of these first definitive Straits stamps helped collectors to distinguish early forgeries, as the counterfeiters of those days failed to notice the variations.

A NEIGHBOURLY ARRANGEMENT. In 1882 the watermark was changed from “Crown CC ” to “Crown CA,” the latter remaining in use throughout tho remainder of the reign. By this time, and for a number of years onwards, the provision of stamps for tho British Post Office at Bangkok, the protected State of Johore, and tho several native States, was causing continual “ runs ” on the stocks of stamps in Singapore. The early issues of johore, Perak, Pahang, Selangor, Sungei Ujong, and the group. “ Negri Sembilan ” (“Nine States”) were drawn from Straits stamp stocks and overprinted for these places. Hence the recurrence of the surcharging epidemic, owing to the constant drain on local supplies. This makeshift way of meeting urgent needs followed a vicious circle.

Tvvo-cent stamps wore wanted, while 12-cent stamps were available in abundance. The 12-cent stamps were therefore drawn upon and converted to the lower Soon these 12-cent stocks ran low in turn, and another value was drawn upon, until it, too. became exhausted. By using up stocks of one denomination for conversion to another the need for further “ provisionals ” was continually being created. SECRETARY OF STATE ON SURCHARGING. As already mentioned, the Straits Settlements colony was not alone in using the surcharging method; other dependencies blithely issued so many stamps of this class that in 1893 Lord Ripon, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, issued a circular pointing out that “ if proper care is taken to maintain a sufficient supply of stamps the practice of surcharging is unnecessary; and it should never be resorted to unless absolutely required for the convenience of tho public, and in every case the officer responsible for keeping up the supply of stamps should be liable to be fined.” Despite this warning, the Straits colony had to resort to the practice on several other occasions before the arrival of the first King Edward VII. stamps. FIRST SURCHARGE EPIDEMIC. There was no surcharging for the colony’s own needs until 1879. The Straits Settlements joined the Postal Union in April, 1877, and this involved changes in postal rates for which there were no appropriate denominations in the original series. Actually only three new values were required—s, 7, and 10 cents—and these were provided by surcharging locally, in a variety of styles and on different values of stamps of which stocks were available. It was not until January, 1882, that this stream of surcharges was stemmed by the arrival of the special o-cent purple-brown and 10-cent slate-coloured stamns.