PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2785, 31 July 1907, Page 58

PHILATELY.

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A remarkably successful sale of rare American provisional stamps at the Collectors^ Olub, in West Twenty-sixth street, Boston, U.S.A., consisted of the noteworthy collections of the issues of Puerto Principe, Panama, the Canal Zone, and Coamo, owned by William Thome, the well-known New York stamp collector, who died recently. Mr Thorne was the son of Jonathan Thome, the millionaire leather manufacturer and owner of famous trotting horses. The Thorne collection of stamps o* the Panama Canal Zone was one of the best in existence. Practically everything was represented in blocks of fours, and the later issues were in entire sheets, the only way in which they can be properly studied, owing to the changes in the various stamps in each sheet. The highest price of the sale was paid for a block of four of the 2-cenfc rose of the first series, issued June 24, 1904. They were from the centre of the sheet, two of «he stamps. having "Panama" reading up and two reading down. The words "Canal Zone" are inverted on all four of the stamps, one of them having double surcharge, both in- . verted. No other copy of the Canal Zone double inverted is known. It was sold to a Washington collector. Only a year ago Mr Thorno bought this block of four stamps. The total for the 400 lots was £1750. The auctioneer, Walter S. Scott, said that this was the highest total ever realised in America for a one-night sale, and also the highest average. Sometimes'the letters "0.g." follow ihe description of an unused stamp, and the uninitiated may be puzzled ac to their meaning. These letters are a contraction of the term "original gum," which refers to the fact that a stamp hat the full gum with which it was originally issued. This is often important, for in many stamps the genuine legitimately issued specimens can only be identified from reprints by means of the gum.—West End Philatelist. The greatest pain* must be taken in arranging your stamps. Separate them in groups, first according to the countries by which they were issued, then according to the period in which they were issued. Here your knowledge of history will come infuse. Often- the only way to determine the period is by the picture of the ruler which the stamp bears. After you have grouped your stamps according to' country and period they should be still further separated according to values. Here you will need to consult your arithmetic for a table of the relative value of coins of different nations. Even after your stamps are placed under the proper divisions and subdivisions you must be very careful in mounting them in the album. Never cover the back of the stamp with paste or gum — use mounts. The Lord Chief Justice of England was once a stamp collector. Messrs Stanley Gibbons (Ltd.) tell me that he was many years ago a client of theire. His knowledge of stamps, however long ago, mu6t be a help to him in trying the recent stamp libel. It has at all events saved him from thoee puerile comments that some judges indulge in when they first become acquainted with a few facts concerning rare stamps and' the prices they fetch. A writer in an English paper eaye: "The late Mr William Thorne, of New York, came of an <jki and. wealthy New York

family, and in his earlier years was engaged in the leather trade, but he retired ' a millionaire many years ' ago, and took up postage stamp collecting as his hobby. . He was ' at first, a "generaf, <»llector, with a special inclination for the stamps of' hie j own country and of Australia. I remember well, when I was in New York in 1885, Mr Thorne was specialising in the departmental stamps of Soufh Australia, and then, purchased about £900 worth of these stamps from the collection I had bought from Mr Castle. Some eight years ago Mr Thorne disposed' of his general collection for a sum of rather over £10,000, and ceased collecting for a time. However, the microbe of philately was in his blood, and about 1900 he commenced to specialise in various countries, and to form a collection of all stamps of the twentieth century in mint blocks of four. One of his friends wrote to me on 22nd January last and stated: 'I think there is not the slightest doubt that collecting stamps helped to keep him alive; it occupied his attention, and gave him something to do and think about besides- his own misfortunes.' Mr Thorne was one of the founders of the Philatelic Society of New York and ex-president of the Collectors' Club of that city. He was aleo a member of the Royal Philatelic Society, London,, and was well known here, as until the last few years he was in the habit of paying yearly visits to» London." The Bernichon, sales of the Le Roy d'Etoilles collection at Paris are amaz\ng. ' XJp to date the total realised is no less than 582,268 francs, or a little over £23,000 sterling! In our African possession are several territories that may at some future time provide additional pages for the philatelist's album. There is, for instance, Basutoland, lying between Cape Colony, Orangia, and Natal. The country is one of great natural richness, and is governed at present by a Resident Commissioner under the direction of the High Commissioner for South Africa. In the event of a general development of Basutoland's resources the country might possibly attain to the status of a self-governing colony, in which case an issue of postage stamps would follow as. a matter of course. Then there in Swaziland, which has Jiad its own stamps in the past, and may possibly nave them again, for there is at the present time a question whether Swaziland should remain an appanage of the Transvaal, under the treaty entered into during the Eruger , regime, or whether it ehouSd become a, separate colony. In East Africa there is the Witu Protectorate, ruled by a! native Sultan under British suzerainty. The Protectorate is only a small strip of coast territory, about 66 miles by 30 in extent. For about two years, from March, 1891," to , July, 1893, $hjß country was administered by the Imperial British East Africa Company; but it is now virtually a part of the i British East Africa Protectorate. Included in Africa, for philatelic purposes, is Mauritus, with its many dependent island. Most important of these is Rodriques, an island with a population of 3000. Numerous other islands and groups look to Mauritus for their administration, but perhaps the most likeiy of these >to achieve prominence in the eyes of philatelists is Diego Garcia, the chief island of the Chagos Archipelago. This place with its excellent harbour is much used as a coaling station, with the result that there is a growing colony of Europeans. NEW 'ISSUES. Peru. — Le J. des Ph. 'chronicles what is said to be the first value of a new series. In the centre is represented a gentleman on a prancing steed, on the top of a monument ; this picture (which we' gather ie in black) is enclosed in a frame of very artistis design, not so encumbered with useless | ornamentation as is too often the case. sc, black and blue ; new type. Australia. — I have seen the new Is ; it is the same design as the recently-issued 6d. Papua.— A correspondent in Australia informed us some two months ago that he had received some British New Guinea , stamps overprinted "Papua," but we have been awaiting further particulars before chronicling the novelty. We now hear that the name of the colony has been changed to Papua, and that it has been incorporated with the Commonwealth of Australia. The whole eet has been overprinted, but our correspondent only mentions the 2d. 2d (British New Guinea), violet and black, overprinted "Papua/ Gold Coast.— The stamps of the British colonies on coloured paper are rapidly disappearing from issue. We now hear of the Id of this colony printed in carmine on white. It is on multiple ordinary paper. Netherlands.— Wilcox, Smith, and Co. have shown me used and unused copies of the new commemorative set just issued by the Dutch postal authorities. They were isßued in commemoration of the 300 th anniversary of the birth of the famous Admiral M. A. de Ruyter, who was born in 1607. He rose from the position of a ship's mate to the high office of an admiral of the Dutoh navy, and as such defeated the superior forces of Britain.