PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2309, 2 June 1898, Page 53

PHILATELY.

By Old Stamp.

WIL.COX, SMITH,. AND CO

This firm has been established in Dunedin 18 years, and is psrhaps the oldest stamp firm in the colonies, at "least I remember no older one. They have forwarded me their c&taiosue for 1898-99, and it comprises no less than 24- pages, in andition to six pages devoted entirely to Australasian stamps. As showing the magnitude of their business perhaps no better idea could be giveu than to state that they priut a list of their agents to the number ■of 52, including all the chief cetitre3 in the co'onies, and lending besides to Hamburg, Lisborn, Brazil, Penang, Bulgaria, Calcuttß, Edinburgh. JUmdon, Brussels, Johannesburg, Antwerp, Paris, San J\auci3CO, Montreal, Kimberley, St. Petersburg, Vienca, New York, Chicago, elc. Their sets of used artd unused stamps compiise those of almost all ualions under the sun, whilst the Australasian sets contain of themselves the nucleus of a splendid collection. Their series of packets comprise the "Kapai," "Eureka," "Maori," and "Zealandia.3 They tan also supply all kinds of Australasian postcards and newspaper wrappers. The firm not only sell, but they also buy, and their buying list is very full and complete, »nd includes the prices they offer for rarities and common stamps of the various colonies. They state tbey have purchased £5000 worth of stamps during the last -seven years, and this being so, wha-h anicuut in value must they nave sold ? The .firm act; as agents. for St&Dlcy Gibbons, Limited, of London, and all the

albums and publications of that firm are kept in stock. To advanced collectors of Australasian stamps I may stale that the firm have in stock copies of many great rarities, and those desiring to fill up gaps ia their albums may fiud what they want by writing to this firm I would advise all collectors to obbaiu a copy of this catalogue ; they will find in ifc much useful information.

• . • The 2|d stamp of our new issue (" error ") has long been cold out all over the colony. Where are they ? They have not been used, that's certain.

• . * Oue of the coolest things I have noticed is an advertisement is a London serial offering various prizes for used postage stamp. Those sending ia the largest number get the highest prize, and so on. However, I will not go into detai's, as there is scarcsly any likelihood of the serial being seen in the colonies. A caution on my part is therefore unnf c=ss-xry.

•.•The Bruce Herald writes: — "Ifc seems strauge to us that the NV-W Zealand Government should go to the trouble ard expense of obtaining & series of boau'ifulstatnjig, depicting the sceuic glories of the dlnny, ntd afterwards permit the stamps ti be obliterated ia such a manner as to destroy all their beauty. Suiely it is possible to find some means of obliteration stamps less vaudalistic than the present one." My friend, all philatelists will agree with me, has written good sense ia the above ; but uifoduuateJy Governments view the matter in a different Ifght. Their chief aim is to take care that when once a stamp has been used for postage it cannot be used again. The proaees of obliterating thousands of stamps does not admit of care being taken to lightly cancel them, even if the operator S3 wished it ; so I suppose we must ju&t go on taking the good wich the bad.

' . " Some people delight it) being different to anybody else, whether they are right or wrong — chiefly the latter. There has scarcely been a difference of opinion as to our new stamps, ntarly all the papers which have written on the Bubjcci; having been unanimous ia their praise. A wiiter in the Southland Tiraas, however, thicks otherwise, and his viewa are backed up by the Timaru Herald. Hhe Times writer says : "As the new stamps ace CDming into use their utility is being tested by the ordinary precede. The resul*, so far as observation enables an opinion to be here expressed, ia anything but; satisfactory ; ind-sed, it is almost certain thab some of (he denomination will very shortly be withdrawn in obedience to a general protest. They are very pretty little thiDgs to look ab. but caavaniei'ce lias besn sacrificed to artistic effrfcfc. The consequence is that the

words and figures denoting" value are far too obscure ; indeed, when the stamps are in the least soiled or ' rumpled ' it fcakes some trouble "to discover their value. The tiny lilfcle landscapes are nob likely t j benefit the colony much as pictorial advertisements, and that trifling effect is gained at the cost — ia trouble and annoyance— of those who buy and uso them for postal pumoses and not for curiosity." The Tl mar a Herald, iv quoting fcbis, says: — "We can quite endorse thi3. complaint. " We have tried to le*rn to recognise the valua of the

1 stamps by the little pictures, bu 1 ; cannot I get the association fisad between a blue I picture iv a brown frame and one p?nny ; a j cabbage tree, a lake, and a snowy mountain refuse to mean a penny. The commonly-used twopenny stamp is even moie insubordinate. The oniy safe way' of dealing with them is to keep the stamps in different places, and learn these as a pianist learns the position of the keys." I will concede these malcontents just one point — the figures iv some cases might havo beoa a little bolder. But when the Times man says, " It is almosb certain some of the denominations will very shortly be withdrawn in obedience to a general protest," I begin to wonder who is the general protester. Oatside of this instance I have not beard of one. • . • Ou the other hand, an editorial cote ia the Christchurch Press makes some highly sensible remarks on the educational valus of phil*le'y in general : — The authors claim, with some truth, that stamp-collecting is more thau a craze. Taey coDtend that it affords educa- } lion in geogtaphy, history, pictorial arfc, and j some o\ sse industrial arts. The geographical teaching is forced upon the collector from the outset, and history may be read in the successive issue? of eorne countries which have had experience of revolutions, or have exchanged I rulers under the press ace of war. The philatej list, ib is argued, also grows familiar by degree? with ths various processes of engraving, typography, embossing, eterotj-piog, electrotyping, lithography, col^nr printing, aud paper making, with its endless diversity of waferinarks. He also karos something of the eld science of heraldry with its quaint language ; in facb, the stampcollector is, as a rule, the one individual in modern life outside the College of Heralds who kconrs anything of an accomplishment which ab one time every gentleman was supposed to have at his fiogera' eud<<} As regards piclo?ial art there is eudlees variety in a well-Buoeked stamp album. "Nicaragua chows us its smoking ■ volcanoes, Ejypfc its pyramids, Peru its ilfimsts, ! D?ak«-, oi.-ps.lms ; crooudiks enliven the stamps ot the British North Borneo Company ; the emu, lyre-bird, and kangaroo appear on those of New South Wales ; '.'be cod-fhh, Real, aud dog are on those of Newfoundland. j We say nothing of the vasb gallery of portraits lof kings, queens, and presidents. They are ! less remarkable ihan the railway locomotive?, ! ihe steamships, the stage car-riages wcich aie ! found on some Canadian, New Brunswicldan, and Mexican issues, or than the remarkable series | known as ' Sydney Views,' for example. The ! design is a copy of the Colonial Seal, and the j scene represented is the landing of convicts at Botany Bay, received by Industry, who, suc- | round2d by her attributes, a bale of merchandise, a bee-hive, a pick-3se, and a ehovel, re- ! leases them from their fetterp, and points to oxen ploughing and to & town rising on the summit of a bill." The list might well be extended. ' There are the beaver and the pony express stamps of Canada, the Columbus stamps of the United States, and maay others, amoDg which our awn new issue now takes a not unworthy place.

j The Hon. W. Roilesbon's Le<lth is steadily ! I improving. ;