PHILATELY. By Old Stamp.

Otago Witness, Issue 2199, 23 April 1896, Page 38

PHILATELY. By Old Stamp.

WELCOX r SMITH) AND COi This firm, whose name my readers are fami» liar with,, has been established in Dunedin for 18 years. They have forwarded' me a copy of -No. 14-of their price lisb (for 1898-97), and for bulk it will, I think, bear favourable comparison with any list published in tbe Australian colonies'. On looking over' their puroa*»rng price list of Australasian stamps, I notice a distinofc advance-in figure* over those contained in their Ust printed list. Toil 1 was only to be expected, and naturally is in sympathy with the general rise in values of colonial stamps. - Naturally, also, the selling price of tbe same colonial stamp* has advanced. Notwithstanding this-, advance the' prices of their sets- of rtampß of tb.B colonies are moat reasonable. Their packets are well known all through the tolonies, as the firm have nearly 40 agents acting for them. These packets comprise the "Eureka," "Maori," "Zealandia,"and'"Kapai "' The firm have for several' years acted as agents for Stanley Gibbous (Limited), and most a£ thft publications of this arm (including their catalogue) may be had frost the firm under notice. Philatelists aad others I. know are and have been -in the' habit of sending stamps to Europe; America, and elsewhere mr response to advertisement^ receiving in exchange trumpery and comparatively valueless artioles. Why do rfcfais when there axe good and. honest dealers on tbe spot willing to purchase the stamps? The beet lean recommend is* for collectors to soud for this catalogue and see it for themselves. .* Itisqaite unnecessary; for m« to contradict such a-BiJlj paragraph* as the- following* copied, from one of the cheap 1 London penny journals. " Sot it only goes' to show what 1 rubbish maybe •nd is written by persons wko know nothing whatever- of what they are writing : — "New Zealand, for example, cecantly issued a. new letter card with scenic designs,, and bo great was the demand from collectors that the cupply was soon exhausted. Then the authorities Dhanged the colour of the card, and, according to the official report, * the demand for the different colour, was nearly as. great as for tbe original card, stamp collectors and agents again buying freely.' The- reiult-was that in seven months nearly 400,000 cards were bought up by the hobbyists, bringing the colony a clear gain of considerably over £2009." * . ' The Japanese evidently mean, to profit by their understanding of Western civilisation. Jn Kob6 and Oaak* rare postage stamps are now counterfeited to perfection' and readily nitposed of to unsuspecting Europeans. A - ilight change in the inscription eaves the forgers from confliot with the law. ' . * The old story of a> million damaged ■t»mps being useful to get * patient into _a hospital having cropped up again, Mr Palmer, in Bric r a-Brae, disposes of the fde*> and states bow it arose. ' He says that in *hej3»rly days of stamp collecting, the nuni of •' large Roman ' Catholics charity; in Ireland wen promised a large amount^ of. money on- the condition that they collected- "one million stamps within * fiven tame. The more readily to do this the ladies advertised for gifts of stamps, and, as a result, secured such vast quantities that their Efforts were successful, and they duly received the promised donation. The million at»mp« were sold to a speculator, aud ultimately exported to China, and used to decorate the walls of one of the " tea factories " in Cantoa. * . * Postage-stamp collectors will be interested to know that the shprt-lived Republic of Formosa, last Ma? issued a few postage stamps which will naturally have great interest and value. After the treaty of peace, in which China ceded the island of Formosa to Japan, Ihe people of that island refused to coaour in the transfer, and proclaimed a republic, with Liv Yung Fu, who had bren their Chinese Governor, as President. A declaration of independence, a constitution, and an appeal to Foreign powers for support and protection was prepared by a Swiss adventurer who happened to' be living at Tainan, and he was appointed Prime Minister of the now republic. The. stamps ace said to hay* been designed and. issued by him. There is- only one deuomica' lion, of the face value of 100 cash, which is equal to about 5d in our money. It is of light blue colour, very rudely printed apon coarse rice paper. At the top are the words " Republic of Formosa," in ancient Chinese characters, and on the right in modern Chinese the words, " One hundred cash " ; on the left the words, " Postage stamp," while the centre and *boub three-fourths of the surface of the stamp are occupied by the emblem of the. republic, a rampant tiger. • . • Notwithstanding all that has been written during the last year or two about unnecessary issues, I- am inclined to think some dealer* havo themselves to blame in a,Jarge measure. ' J quite agree with th& following remarks from the South African Philatelist. As in all trades, stamp dealers are very keen to keep abreast or ahead of their rivals, and to do this have to be np to every move in the trade. The lastnamed paper, commenting on the subject, writes: — " It' is well known that all the important stamp firms had, in most of the countries where ' stamps were issued, a certain aruonnfc W deposit for the supply of any new issues that" mighty appear. Now, it must be quite evident to 'all that a postmaster of * given j jountry, discovering that he has is hand from . £500 to £1000 wJu'ch might co easily ire utilised, '

-might feel the temptation of making an additional commission, and place before his Govern* ment, as a- mewl of increasing postal revenue, the plan of issuing new stamps for which he could assure an immediate sale. The stamps are issued J the sale effected. Everything is swimming satisfactorily. Another batch of orders for future issues ; more supplies ; and so it,, went on from bad to worse. Besides other considerations, the postmaster's gains from private speculations would also afiecfc his actions."