RARE POSTMARKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22608, 22 December 1936, Page 9

RARE POSTMARKS

FOUND IN ARCHIVES COLONIAL HISTORY RECORDS [from OCR OWN coerespondent] LONDON, Nov. 28 A valuable collection of rare 18th century colonial post-marks, recently found among the 200,000 records of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, will be sold shortly for the benefit of the society's archives room. The first year of sale will put 750 early letter covers, each worth several pounds at least, on the market. Of these 100 will be offered at auction on December 12. They include such rarities as the first colonial mark, "Derry," probably in New Hampshire, dated 1746, and the first inland and packet postage mark, 1770. The society's archives date back to its foundation in 1701. They provide a record of imperial history in letters from missionary clergymen all over the world. The records of greatest historical importance are those which deal with American colonial history before and after the War of Independence. Of ' special interest are the Totem Signa- t tures —depicting a wolf, a bear and a f turtle —of three Red Indian chiefs who | visited England in 1710 and received * | set of Church plate, still treasured by J their descendants, from Queen An ll ®*