PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2649, 21 December 1904, Page 70

PHILATELY.

Bi Peltob.

A detail "of a stamp to examine is the perforation, or the absence of any such aid to easy separation. For many years Stamps were issued unperforated, and were cut from Jthe sheet by means of scissors or a sharp knife. About 1853 a machine ,was invented which produced a series of straight cuts through the paper, thus rendering severance more easy. This is called )^ -roulette. The next step was to make a -machine armed with a row of needles which •pierced* "the paper, but without removing any of its substance. Stamps perforated iby this machine are technically known as ,pin-perf orated. An improvement was made fey which each needle punched a small •round piece out of 'the paper, and this, /with .several improvements, is now in use. "Stamps treated" by this method are called machine perforated. There are two kinds, Dne perforating a single line at a time, .vertically or horizontally, and the other, called a comb-machine, which perforates a whole row of stamps both horizontally and vertically at the one operation, the needles being set in one long line the •■width of the sheet, with as many short lines of needles set at right angles as there are stamps in a row. Other methods of separation in use in te early days are termed serrated, -serpentine, saw, and oblique perforation, te names indicating the appearance of the stamp edges after Separation:

A Dublin reader ■writes to a Home paper: — Referring to Messrs Whitfield King's find of a stamp collector with a conscience, I am reminded of the only similar specimen of that class that I have met with- in my 25" years' experience. About 10 years ago a collector called on me; he was in an awful hurry, and offered me a rare Australian stamp for £4-. As soon as I had purchased it, he said, "How much do you think I gave for that copy?" j and, knowing 'the man, I yen- ; /tured 1 "Five shillings." '"Oh, no," said he, "I bought that stamp ten minutes ago in street._ I saw it in the "window of & small shop marked Id, but my conscience would not permit me ' to buy such a rare stamp for so little, and ~Yt' I gave ike' woman twopence 1"

The Japanese Government has adopted '■% novel scheme to enable soldiers in the field -to communicate with home folk. Each . soldier is .supplied with post., cards having the . usual stamp and place for address, and on the reverse side is printed a statement io the effect that the sender ds well but unable to give his address, not Smowing where he -will be next day. The folks at home are directed, however, to the postmark. Greetings are sent to families and friends. All this is printed, bo all the 3oldier need do is to sign his same. Quite a scheme. — Met. Phil.

-~- The Leeward Islands — -Antigua, Dotainica, Montserrat,- Nevis, St. Christopher »nd the Virgin Islands — were administratively united in 1871, and in 1891 adpoted uniform postage stamps. , Collectors can 'see by the postmark in which of the islands a certain stamp of the general set ' has been used. Antigua's cancellation is AO2; Dominica; AO7; Montserrat, AOB Nevis, AO9; St. Christopher, Al2; and Virgin Islands., A9l. In 1899 the Virgin Islands broke awry and issued the artistic Virgin set. It was said at the time that pecuniary reasons were responsible for this fiction, the revenue had suffered too much by not being able to sell stamps to collectors and dealers. Immediately aftei - ihe accession of King Edward, the other - colonies also issued own sets and used- • them in conjunction with 'the Leewardi _ islands issue. But how the two issues york together — if, for instance, customers - it tne various po«t offices are asked which kind of postage they prefer, united, or local series — this I am unable Mo say. Perhaps some of my readers might be abl« to explain. _ ;

-A. recently-published catalogue of the world's revenue stamps describes over 85,000 varieties, contains 2500 illustrations, and covers 607 pages jf the same width ps, but rather^ longer than, Stanley Gibbons's Postage Stamp Catalcgue.

Philatelists must have been frequently puzzled tp account for the curious shell design -which appears on the stamps of Travanoore, and on that account I have anade a note of an explanation which I found in a recently published work on "Spirals in Nature and' Art," by Mr A. T. Cook. The stamps of this Indian State •bear a crude but recognisable representation of a conch shell, with the entrance on the left, instead of on the right, as usual. The conch, as most people will know, (possesses a curious internla formation of a spiral nature, but few will have noticed that this spiral, or "helix," as it is called, usually turns to the right, with the opening likewise on the same aide. A conch tof the form illustrated) on the stamps of Travancore is a very rare occurrence, and it will be readily understood that savages, noting the curiosity, attach a superstitious value to it. Such shells are frequently >ised as money in countries where there is 'no -regular currency, and' the natives of Travarieore regard them as manifestations of <the deiiy and value them accordingly. It is not Jiard to understand, therefore, why they chose this peculiar design for fcheir postage stamps, but it is, nevertheless, not" a little curious that they should! have exposed the sacred shell to the risk of, being besmirched by the obliteration.