PHILATELY. THE STAMPS OF SPAIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2056, 20 July 1893, Page 34

PHILATELY.

THE STAMPS OF SPAIN.

Br Old Stamp.

At a recent meeting of the Leeds Philatelic Society Mr W. Denison Roebuck, F.L.S., gave a description of the stamps of Spain. Passing over the earlier issues of this country, he came down to 1870. There were then issued stamps of the value of one and two milesimas de escudo, 20 and 40 of these respectively being equivalent to no more than the English penny. This is cheap postage with a vengeance. Fancy 20 separate circulars being carried by post for one halfpenny. In 1872 the change in the Spanish coinage from escudos and milesimas to pesetas and centimos (which are the same as francs and centimes) took place. At the same time the election .of the Italian Duke of Aosfca to the throne of Spain under the style and title of King Amadeus I was the occasion for the issue of new stamps. The new sovereign did not last long, for he resigned in 1873, and then a republic was proclaimed and another issue of stamps. The 10 centimo stamp of this issue was forged so quickly after its appearance that it was found necessary to issue this particular stamp in a totally different design within three months of its first appearance. These continued in issue until 1885, the time of the accession of Alfonso XII to the throne. Since then there have been constant changes. From the date of the first Spanish stamp— 1850— down to 1873 there were only five years in which new stamps of some kind wero not issued.

The Duke of York is the latest victim to the stamp craze, and has been created (I believe that is the expression) vice-president of the London Philatelic Society. As a consequence of this latest addition of royalty to our ranks, there is arising quite a boom in collecting. Already there is commotion among English dealers, one of whom, it is said, received six orders in one week from society ladies for large collections. The ideas of these ladies on the subject seems rather primitive, and their very fashionable fad just now is the papering of the walls of an entire room with stamps, the specimens being worked into various geometrical designs, while at the same time taste is displayed as to the arrangement of colours. The effect is very pretty, but the. amusement is a rather expensive one, and tedious into the bargain. This latter part, however, does not matter much where money is no object. " Stamp collecting at school taught my boy more geography than all the lessons he got from his teacher put together." So said an enthusiastic stamp collector to the writer. If one happens to' walk on Sunday, in the afternoon, in the Champs Elysees, Paris, you can see on the corner of the Avenue Martigny groups of men, women, and -children holding mysterious conversation with each other, and you wonder what on earth they are doing. You draw near and see every man, woman, and child with a small box, an album, or an envelope, showiDg their contents to every one who draws near. It is the stomp exchange, which takes place every week in the open air, and a curious sight it is. A youngster, still in knee breeohes, will tremblingly approach an expert whose hair has grown grey with the fever of the stamp mania, and will ask his advice as, to the purchase of a certain stamp which another boy wants to sell hip. A little further on you will see a maid, with white apron and cap, trying to dispose of a lot which her mistress hasallowed her to tear off envelopes. Here are two priests deep in conversation, with albums before them, mediating an exchange. There a group of boys and girls are discussiDg the advisability of one of their comrades paying 20c for a box of stamps which have no fancy value. A litUe further on you will listen to the parley of a group of earnestlooking men in search of a pearl among stamps. They look carefully over albums to find a rare one whose possessor is ignorant of its value, and which may, like a picture, bring hundreds of francs. You can approach hardly any of these active' members of the exchange without being solicited to buy or being asked if you j have any stamps to sell. The greatest experts do not disdain to put in an appearance in tbis open-air market, and -when oue like M. Pierre Maye is present he is surrounded with inquirers and eagerly consulted as to the value and rarity of nob widely-known stamps. This exchange has not the noisy bustle of the Bourse ; no one talks above the noise of conversation, and the policeman standing near never has occasion to call anyone to order. All sorts of devices are resorted to to obtain stamps. .One of the most curious I remember hearing of was where a London banker promised his nephew a collection of stamps. This was his method of getting them •. He had the following advertisement put in the Times:— ••A young woman, 20 years of age, a pretty brunette, having a dowry of £30,000, and heiress to £1,000,000, would marry an honest man without fortune. Letters will be received until the end of the month. Address :H. C. Million, at the office of the Times." Thanks to this advertisement the good uncle presented something like 25.000 stamps of all countries to his nephew, and they have .cost him very liitle money. A great curiosity among collectors is the postal envelope engraved by Mulready, which appeared in England immediately after the penny postage Bcheme waß adopted. On this envelope, which is familiar enough to advanced collectors, the size of the present postal card, a Britannia (with a casque and warrior's dress) extends her arm to free a flock of white-winged

messengers. Around the figure all the nations of the world aro grouped.