EXHIBITION OF STAMPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20982, 19 September 1931, Page 14

EXHIBITION OF STAMPS.

AN INTERESTING DISPLAY. INGENIOUS ARRANGEMENT. AUCKLAND SOCIETY'S EFFORT. The man in the street, who is inclined to scoff at stamp-collecting as a hobby, will probably take a wholly different view cf it after visiting the exhibition opened yesterday by the Auckland Philatelic Society, in the Hall of Commerce, Queen's Arcade. The society has gone to much pains in making the display interesting to the layman, who knows nothing of perforations, watermarks and other technical details of philately. In this effort it has completely succeeded. The stamps, numbering several thousands, have been arranged not only according to countries but in special groups. For example, the smallest stamp known, a tiny production of Mecklenburg, is mounted on the same sheet as the largest, a United States issue as big as a small label. Other groups show wild animals, birds, reptiles, mythical creatures, eagles and lions depicted realistically and symbolically, ships of all kinds, monuments, trees, plants, landscapes and incidents in history. There are many philatelic oddities, such as Latvian stamps printed on | the backs of German military maps and I worthless 10 mark notes. One sheet is I covered with New Zealand stamps of some 40 years ago, when advertisements were printed on the reverse, beneath the gum. i The various printing processes are illusj trated by very beautiful examples of each. j A good deal of recent history is eraI bodied in stamps of the new European j nations, even including the Spanish Republic. Air mail stamps, with and without envelopes, are matched with a letter carried during the war by the German TJ-boat Bremen —one of the Jew examples of submarine mail on record. Stamps of the Shackleton and Scott Antarctic expeditions of 1903 and 1911 respectively are also of much historical interest. Commemorative issues and some others from various countries are singularly beautiful in an infinite variety of styles. Indeed, from the artistic aspect alone the exhibition well deserves a visit. Rare early stamps of Great Britain, New Zealand, Mauritius, the Cape of Good Hope and other countries are shown, together with two of the famous "Mulready" envelopes, which preceded adhesive stamps in Britain. The exhibition was officially opened by the deputy-Mayor, Mr. A. J. Entrican, who said he hoped that many young people would be induced to take up stampcollecting as a. hobby. The president of the society, Mr. F. W. Davie, said the members had gone to a great deal of trouble in arranging the stamps, but he believed the public would appreciate their efforts. No charge is made for admission to the exhibition, which will be open daily until Friday next.