PHILATELY

Otago Witness, Issue 2578, 12 August 1903, Page 55

PHILATELY

By Peltjse,

The Connoisseur, the leading art paper ai Home, -says of our colony's stamps in a re cent number:— "Truly, the specialist wlk confine? his attention to New* Zealand recent issues alone will find it no easy task t< keep pace with these frequent changes in the local production?. And yet who «hal cay that those struggles of the colonia printers to cnuilnte :b.e fine art printing o! th© Old Country are not full of iutc-resl and we'll worth all the patience they demanc in theii collection and classification." Thej ara certainly not open tc any suggestion ol being made to tiokle the facoy of collectors, for the Government of Nt.w Zealand hai never shown any desira to fleece philatelists. They are simply the result of a dogged determination to demonstrate the fact that the colony can and will do the printing of its own postage stamps. 1 The way to distinguish chalk-surfaced •paper is by drawing the edge of a silvs-r coin across it. This makes no mark on p'.ain- paper, but leaves a mark on the chalk-surfaoed. The curio.is device on the face of the new Bermuda .«iamp represent;; the eo-oalled Arms of the Colony. It figures on the colonial flag, etc. I have heard of persons who have papered the wall of their philatelic den entirely with cast off stamps, having no material market value. Other persons have made such things as Japanese ( ?) . screens with stamps, and I know of a dealer-collector who made quite a 'hit among -his fellow p! ilatelists by having a foreign stamp pasted on each of his philatelic business cards, which he distributed among his stampic aequaintanoDs. It is needless to say that some beautiful designs in frames may be executed, without damaaing tho stamps, bui of coutpg the designs will naturally appear more crude in gcuei'al contour. As in many parts of the U.S.A. aimooi every farmer has ti te!erhone, it is proposed to issue a special stamp that shall authorise the postmaster to open Ihe letter to which it i» affixed and transmit the contents to the addiessee by telephone. Fanning Island. — We are indebted to Mr John Harms for the sight of an interestiing envelope from Fanning Island, Polynesia, a place brought iuto some sort of importance lately in connection with tho "All British' Pacific cable. The envelope bears the fi'aoips of New Zealand, though Fanning Island is some 3000 miles away from chat enterprising colony. "The first envelope I received," writes Mr Harms, "bore the stamps of the United States, but since the cable, ha? be-sn completed a service of steamers from New Zealand now ?all at this Molated spo* for letters." Good old New Zealand ! — English paper. A very natural question w, "Will the-Que-en'a head stamps of all the British co'onies become scares?" and this, in a genera! way, is probably tho fact, for the isuies were so numerous, and speculators have bo often 1-cen caught nnd lost money when ihey have attempted to lay aside large numbers of stamps that it is probable ikat they will not now attempt anything of the sort, at any rat<» to any very great extent. Some collectors 1 avo been desirous of securiag-the. stamps of the Queen's head typo of Sierra Leone inasmuch a*j the King's head ftampß have been prepared. The postmaster of the colony, however, states that he doe.« not propose to issue King's head stamps until the Queen'o head values have hoan told out. Inasmuch as he has on hand large numbers of Ouseii/ head stamps and his po c t:vl rG-c|iiitvnipnts are r-xeeedingly small, it is likely to be some time before the high values at least are isiued, fnd it is probable that the Queen's head stamps will, most of them, go into the hands of collector.* and dealers so that they will not become scarce. It i-s p. difficult thing to understand why we continue to have what may bo called '"post mortems" — that i-. Queen's head stamps actually prepared and ksued since King Edward ascended the fhrona. Why have stamps of this kind been made- for South r.-id West Australia? Why does a seven cent, etamn appear in Canada? We might understand this if the loads of the- great in England were placed ipon stamps only after their leath, but tl-e .mderstandins? beng that the place is ior ;he HviHg rulor we aie puzzled by those ;olonial iisues. '| NEW ISSUES. . New South Wales. — The new 2s 6d stamp >ame into use on the 3rd inst. The colour d bluo green. We nru c t compliment the mthonties on thf* srecess of thnr «ff<Ws to "roduce a creditable article, taking into (onsidenition the means at their disposal.

We would rather have, seen tho stamp in another colour, ,as there are -already too matny green Now South "Wales stamps— viz^ tlre-jrd, 3d, sd. and all the postage dues. Gibraltar. — I have seen the following sitamps in new designs, bearing the King's head and inscribed "Postage and Revenue."Tire 2s and higher values are of tall, up« right, rectangular shape. •Jd, grey-green and gieen. Id, lilac on red. 2d, grey-green and carmine. 2Jd, lilac and black on blue. 6d, lilac and violet. Is, black and carmine. ,23, green and blue. 4s, violet and green. Bs, violet and olive on blue. £1, violet and black on red.

India.— l have received >the new 4 a, whicK ls very similar in design, to the lasfc. stamp of that value, but it lias the King's head in rai oval, with the Grown suspended over it as usual, and a branch of laurel at each side to fill up the circle. 4a', olive-green.

West Australia, has ai last issued the 8d and 10c! values, which were said to have been printed in Melbourne some montrs ago. The type of 'the 8d is" that of the' current £d West Australia, and that the lOd the current Z^d Wesfc Atistralia, the colours being yelldSr green and orange vermilion, respsotively. Both havc-bosn produced by ' • the prooesp known as '"zinco-etching," and! are much inferior to the originals. Tasmania has issued the 9d blue, printedin "Melbourne, on V and crowui paper. It is a great- improvement on "the former badly perforated -stamps. 1 United States.— The eelours of the high valuts of the new series will-be as follows: Adhesive. loc. oLVe SI black 50c. orange 82 dark bine $1 dark grcon. The Metropolitan Philatelist says the 50c ha b&eai iwued.

San Maiino. — A new series of stamps ar> peared h?ro on April 1. Recording to irformatioa to hand from My A. Bc.-'.a::;iiii.