THE PHILATELIC SONS OF AMERICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2167, 5 September 1895, Page 33

THE PHILATELIC SONS OF AMERICA.

Thii society h the largest in the world, numbering about 1500 members, aud I propose to give in bri<*f the leading featured of its rules.

The dilrance fee U 10c, and aftorwards a shilling a year. Responsible references ara requited from persons wishing to join. All members receive fren a copy of the Pennsylvania Philatelist, in which paper the reports of the socitty are pablished.

Members have the ufe of a fine exchange department, through whioh stamps can bi bought, sold, or vxchaig«d. Auction sales are held monthly, at which members can buy or sell their Mirplus otock. The purchasing department enables members to secure i»sues of new stamps directly they are in use at a price slighMy over their face value.

An experienced attorney is iv attendance, whose st-rvicts are at the uae of members at a moderate ccsfe.

An expe-rb is connected with the society, who will examine stamps for members and report aa to their genuineness or otherwise.

A fibe library belongs to tha Eociety, comprising the leading philatelic publications, and members have the free use of it.

A board of information will furnish answers to all inquiries peitiiuing to the society on philatelic and other mutters. Members have the uso of the official journal in which to express their views on current topics. Tho society has more lady members than all other societies together.

■ . • The Court Journal recently showed its ignorance by btaMng that " at'ention now turns to poatcavd collecting, and no doubt the pursuit will be cathu<jiafrtic»l)y pursued, M it offers all the charm of novelty. The sooiety numbers over 100 members, scattered over all p+rbe of the world. It seems astonishing to be informed that there are no ltss thau 8000 different Epuc ; es of thie article, and that only one perfect collection of pustcurds is known to cx f s!;. The'proud poesevsor's name, nationality, and residence are as yet k^pb a secret, donbfrless for dipli>m%tic or strategic ie»sons. The price will, we presume, chiefly interest millionaires. One of the items of all good collections will be a French postal card, sent by btUoon duriDg the Frauco-G«rmau War, but there have been hundreds of postaards socially intended for strange purposes." I regrob much the ignorance displayed by the writer of the atovo. Ever since the invention of poet curds the collection of them has been going on. Many stamp collectors are also collectors of postcards, but they have not become so popular by reason of their great comparative bulk. • . • 16 is said very few of the beautiful Congo stamps bave ever been as far as the Corgj. Must of them are eupposed to have been sent direct from Brussels to the de*lera.

* . * A writer in the Baztar a*ks information as (o " how to distinguish genuine e tamps from forgeries." This is very easily answered. Long experience and carotid study alone can detect ths forger's work. Thi« experience can only be gained by thoie who taka and continue to take an interest in stamps, and who will devote the necessary time and attention to their study. By this mpaus only will the advanced philatelist, let alone the ordinary one, be able to separate the genuine from the spurious article. Rare stamps of great value have been so beautifully imitated that in some cases they have completely puzzkd the members of the London Bcciety formed i>ur£jo.<ely to detect and expose theso forgeries. • . • King Menelik, of AbjStinia, is said to have been attacked with tho stamp-collecting mania, and is going spiritedly into the science. • . ' Some idea of the immense consuaiption of pottage stamps in Grtat Britain may be gathered from the published fact that between two and thrte tjns weight are turned out at Somerset Ho^e every day.

• . ' A philatelic society has baeu established at Gj mpie, Qiteosland. • . • Owing to the large amount of work entailed by the compilation of Stanley Gibbops's new catalogue it has been found impossible to have it ready bafore the ond of the month. I understand improvements in its form have been made iv various ways, aud altogether the now catalogue should be an improvtment on those that have gone before. • . • One is never tired of reading paragraphs emanating from Mr Stanley Gibbons. They are at all times pithy, nicely written, and generally he is fond of introducing a touch of humour into them. The following is one of his latest :— " An amusing instance of a narrow e»cape from official tyranny, in a certain country (which pbthaps had better be namelees), I will relate as shortly as possible. Some years ago I had occasion to send a very valuable parcel of ( Sydney Views' to a well-known correspondent. The character of theee stamps may be understood when I state that they came from the celebrated Vaudyk collection— one that has not b> en excelled, nor will be, iv ths superb condition of its spec ; meuß. Imagine my dismay later on at receiving a letter from my correspondent telling me that I should have sent the parcel by expresf, accompanied by a declaration of their value, instead of in a registered

envelope, as I had done. As a consequence of my remiiftnesß he informed mo my stamps had boon confiscated, and, as was usnal in suck ca*M. the/ would be offered for sale by public auction together with other property. For* tuoately the date named for the sale allowed tome time for consideration as to how we should get out of this unpleaiant dilemma. After * good deal of deliberation it was resolved to attempt to bribe the official who had charge of the stamps to permit tfcc substitution of a parcel of common German stamps. Tho plan fortunately proved successful, and, neediest to gay, I w»s immensely relieved at the success of ocr stratagem."

• . • The most harmlcis hobbies are apparently be«et with unknown dangers. Stamp collectors are now warned to gu.ird against the possibility of importing the germ? of varieufl inoculablo di««a»ei from their native haunts abroad. Dc Unna has had under his care a case of '• piedra," a disease of the hair peculiar to Columbia, South America, in which black gritty pnrticlcs, cr misting of the closelypacked spores of a f^pccial fuugus, swarm on the hair »hafts and give off a very cbjectionabla odour. The patient had never be n near Colombia, but often received letters from there, and was in the habit of detaching Ihe stamps by soaking them in water. It is therefore considered probab'e that his wet fingers wore th« means of communicating the disease to his beard.