PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2369, 27 July 1899, Page 45

PHILATELY.

By Pei/ore.

The following remarks t>n the boy collector recently appeared in an English paper, and are certainly entertaining, though % bit rough on our boys: — "To the dealer the boy collector is a source of profit. He is not a heavy buyer ; on the contrary, he invests but little, but he takes the more common varieties off the dealer's hands; he is not that worry of all dealers, a ' philatelic crank,' he is satislied with a good stamp. He does not require his unused stamps in ' mint state,' but he is very careful to see that their faces are clean. If a stamp is one millimetre off centre he does not refuse it as worthless, and if it has a cancellation that can be seen with the naked eye he does not consider it valueless. He is not a speculator ; he is trying to get as many varieties as possible, and a- Nicaragua is as good as a"Norway. He does not worry his brain over Colonel Seebeck with his endless varieties ; does not obey the commands of the great and awful S.S.S.S., but goes merrily spending his pennies for Chinese locals and jubilees. As a rule, the boy collector is ' out of fashion ' ; he does nor lay aside collecting in summer; on the contrary, he spends more time over it ; he does not specialise, as a rule he has not even a catalogue. Still, the faults of the boy collector sometimes affect the dealer ; he does not keep his sheets clean, he has an unpleasant way of figuring upon the back of the sheet of what he owes the dealer, and often the sheets are returned with an unaccountable X marked under sundry stamps. The stamps come off the sheets easily in his possession, and he energetically replaces them with whatever comes handy, be it a drug label or a sticking plaster, causing the dealer, when he examines the sheet, to scratch his head with thoughts of substitution, etc., flitting through his brain. The boy collector is usually honest ; he remits with ungummed stamps or stamps so gummy that they stick together ; part of remittance is usually in stamps: and part in coin>. He usually splits that odd penny for himself, and generally retains a penny for postage. His writing is, as a rule, such a scrawl that within two months the dealer considers Irmself able to read Chinese."

Imitation is the sineerest form of flattery, bo I suppose I must congratulate myself on one of the biggest English philatelic papers having recently reprinted no lee« than five of my Witness notes. They acknowledge their indebtedness in some cases, but not in all. In connection with the above, I understand Messrs Wilcox, Spiith, and Co., our local firm, recently received a letter from Stanley Gibbons and Co. saying they had seen a note in the Witness re a find of old New Zealands. and asking if any cheap lots could be picked up.

Thus the Philatelic Record on the present state of our hobby : — There is now no doubt (it is beyond question) tkat trade is getting better, and that collectors are no longer holding aloof, but are buying at prices which at least make it possible for tradesmen to Fell. In every case when the* supply of a thing is limited and the demand for it increases, just cne of two things may be expected to happen; either the supply will be exhausted or the price of the thing will go up. In the case of a stamp, whether the supply is exhausted or merely straitened, popular opinion expressed in various ways forces the price up. So it may be safe to assume that prices will not stay, even at their present level, indefinitely, but will slowly rise toward the level of the latest catalogue. Whether the next catalogue will need to lower or raise the general standard of prices down in the latest edition will depend upon the rapidity of the rise in values created by increasing demand. At present the latest edition seems adequate to aupply the popular need.

The English philatelic journals are much exercised over the Great Barrier Island "labels" an to their genuineness, etc. I should think the concluding remarks of the Auckland Star of July 11 last, in an article describing this rubbish, woilld about 6ettle all doubts. The Star says: — ''These stamps are purely local in character, and should in no way be confused with ordinary postage stamps." Also', that." the labels are used for the purposo of closing the messages.' ' In face of the last paragraph, I should consider these Barrier labels about as worthy of collection as wax seals with a firm's name impressed by a die. I cannot understand a big firm like "Whitfield, King, and Co. (England) trying to boom such stuff.

Our local firm has just completed the purchase of another fine collection. In some are grand sets of U.S.A. Justice and State DeSartments ; also some magnificent unuted eylon and European. Amongst the English is about the finest specimen of the English £1" issue of 1832 I have ever seen. It must have been post-marked to order. There are also many raro West Indians, includiug old Tirgin Islands and Dominica.

Fiscal, or duty, stamp collecting seems to be growing in popularity-at Home. I notice the Philatelic Record in a late number has a couple of pages devoted to this branch of phifatley, written by. that enthusiastic fiscal collector, Mr A. P. Pearce, who is also secretary of the Fiscal Collectors' Club. Mr A. Hamilton, one of our prominent local collectors, has also of late been making a careful study of New Zealand fiscals, and has been quite astonished at the great number of varieties which exist. I have always been of opinion that the fiscals of a country must throw great light o"n its postal issues.

NEW ISSUES

The following interesting notes, contributed by Mr J. M. Bartels to the Metropolitan Philatelist, will be of interest : — Cuba. — At last progress is being made on the new designs for Cuba, and it was the privilege of the writer to see the approved designs for four of the denominations. From all appearance they will be a very creditable set, and we hope be quite a feather in tho cap for the Bureau's artist. A more accurate description of them than has been published before may be of interest. lc Green: Statue of Columbii3 with one hand rceting on a globe. At top Cuba in

curve; Centavo at bottom, with figure "1 " at each side. 3c: Colour undecided. Allegorical statue of Cuba, La Cubana. Cubaat top; Centavos at bottom, with figure " 3 " at each side as well as in upper corners. 5c Dark Blue : Merchant vessel in full steam flying two flag 3, probably an American and a Cuban. Cuba at top in curve. Left side beautiful border with tall palms, at base of which is undergrowth with cordate-shaped leaves ; 5 Centavos at bottom, in straight line. 10c: Colour undecided. Man ploughing field with yoke of oxen. In background some tall straggling palms and farm houses. Cuba at top ; "10 Centavos 10 " at bottom in straight line. The size is the same as the regular. U.S.A. stamps. Accompanying the designs was the following letter: — " Sir, — I have the honour to submit herewith design for four denominations of the Cuban stamps, modified in accordance with your letter of the 10th ult.— viz., 1, 3, 5, and 10c. The designs for the 2c stamp and the 10c special delivery stamp are in hand, and as soon as they are finished they will be submitted for your approval. If you will examine the four designs submitted herewith and return them to me at your earnest opportunity, it will expedite the work of engraving the I stamps. "Respectfully yours, " CLAUDE M. JOHNSON." Hawaii. — It is rumoured that a special set <' of stamps is to be prepared for Hawaii, but nothing definite in this direction has been decided. U.S. surcharged stamps will probably never be u?ed in this instance. P'ji-t-) Turo. — No action has been taken as • ' *■> the tfo and postage due stamps f«r Porto Rico. . ig is taken from the New York Sun nowvnaper of May 4: — " Guam. — When Captain Kichard P. Leary starts for Guam to assume his duties ac Governor of the island, he will take with him a ■ large supply of postage stamps to be used only on letters mailed in the island. These are like the ordinary stamps of the United States, except that each wiJl be surcharged with the word ' Guam.' Captain Leary had a conference with the Third Assistant PostmasterGeneral yesterday, and it was arranged that the stamps should be printed at once, as the Yosemite, which will convey Captain Leary to his post, will start from New York on May 6."