STAMP NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 306, 25 November 1937, Page 9

STAMP NOTES

The standard: stamp_ catalogue of the Nortli American continent has allowed space in the 1938 issue for new stamps to be issued during the coming twelve i months. Following each country is a I space for new stains. There'are 100 more pages in the catalogue than last year, making a total of 1282 pages listing every postage stamp ever issued. There is little change in the prices of Canadian stamps, with a small upward trend in some of the older issues. Similarly, United States prices have gone up, with all recent issues costing more this year. Some of the older issues have increased as much as 25 per cent, in price in twelve months. United States miniature sheets, are all listed, and all have gone up in , price, noting the popularity of these collectors’ items, since few of them are ever used for postage. British Empire stamps continue in popularity in the United States as evidenced by a steady increase in prices. The popularity of Princess Elizabeth since her father became King George VI is shown in the doubling in value of Newfoundland’s 6 cent 1931 issue showing the Princess. Miniature sheets fo some countries are included in the priced .section of the catalogue', and some speculative •sets are now, as last year, listed under t tentative listings, while some, as the Luxembourg charity stamps of 1935, are listed in the priced section, with a note that they are not carried in stock.

Spain has been divided into two sections, the first for the issues of the Monarchy and the Republic, the second for the rebel government. Not all rebel issues are listed in '.the priced section, only the Republican issues which ' were ovorprinted in various cities occupied by the rebels, and the newly printed pictorials used for postal purposes. War tax, aviation fund and the Canary Islands air mail stamps are listed under tentative' issues. The listing of rebel issues is the most complete which lias appeared to date. ' The . Crown agents in London, who look after the postal issues of the various Crown Colonies, anounce that the current issues of Basutoland, Bechuanaland, British Guiana, Gambia, Northern Rhodesia, Swaziland and Joliore, will be basically used in the new George VI stamps, except that where

the head of George V appears that of , George VI will replace it. Some ;of the j sets wil be augmented with new Values. ] . . . Sierra Leone will 'issue a new thirteen value pictorial set. . . India’s new pictorials will portray Indian. postal carriers in eight values, with a head of j George VI on each stamp. . . . Brazil, j has issued a second Esperanto stamp, | this time for the golden anniversary of the founding of the international lan- | guage by Dr L. L. Zamenhof in 1887. j Czechoslovakia has issued a two value commemorative set for the scientist, Burkyne, who was born in 1787. . . . Latvia has issued a set to the statesman, Balvai. . . An entire new set is expected soon from French Guinea. . . . The Ivory Coast will issue a Co centime value featuring Governor-Gen-eral Binder. . . . Spanish Morocco, in rebel hands, has issued an elaborate set of seventeen values, each portraying a different type of soidier of the rebel army. . . . The Kepublic of San Marino, the world’s smallest country, will soon issue a 5-lire commemorative marking the unveiling of a monument given the country by the City of Borne. . . . Portugal will soon issue a commemorative- to her greatest author, Gil Vicente who was born about 1165. . . Collectors desiring first day covers of the 3 cent Hawaiian commemorative issued by the United States on October 18. and for sale on the first day in Honolulu caught boats which left up to October 12 from San Francisco to reach Hawaii in time, or air mail which left San Francisco each Wednesday to reach Honolulu the next day, the postage being 20 cents per half'ounce. Great Britain’s “Poached Egg” stamp, which appears this year in vending ma-

chines, is seen here. The stamp was to bo used only in testing the vending machines, but some were left in the ■machines by mistake and the British Post Office allowed the stamp to be used with a value of

halfpenny. The stamp is on regular Edward VIII watermarked paper.

Queen Elizabeth was the last British Sovereign to have a Coronation service mainly in Latin. ' ;

I . The United States lias .about. 8000 . miles of highways with more than u | traffic lanes.

I It has been estimated that if .all the oceans dried up there would remain over 4,000,000 cubic miles of salt.

j In Argentine prisons the convict is I 1 paid for his work and taught a useful I j trade.

Eventually the International Pacific Highway will link Fairbanks, Alaska, with Buenos Aires.