PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3101, 20 August 1913, Page 61

PHILATELY.

Bi Pelcei

Stamp-collectors will learn with interest that the late Lord Crawford has left his philatelic library to the nation, and that it will be added to the literary treasures of the British Museum, The announcement of this valuable bequest was made at the meeting recently of the Philatelic Literature Society, an organisation for the pursuit of bibliographical work in connection with stamp-collecting. Lord Crawford was the patron of the society, and his literary assistant. Mr E. D. Bacon, is its president. The library is interesting to bibliographers generally, for it is computed that there has never been brought together so complete a collection of works on any special subject. There are gaps in the Crawford Philatelic Library, but they are few and far between. A rough survey of the extent of the library some years ago, and before it reached its present h-ghly-deve!opcd state, showed that if arranged- on nine rows of shelves one above the other the books would cover a wall space of 30fc in length. The collection, in addition to containing all the important special works and all the periodicals devoted to the pursuit of stamp-collecting, is so wide in its scope as to include retail and wholesale price-lists from the smallest to the largest prices, auction catalogues, articles in non-philatelic publications, works on postal Injury, and even those curiosities among old printed songs which may be classed as postage stamp music. Lord Crawford did a great deal for the study of stamps during his lifetime. Yet it was only in 1899 chat hie interest in the pursuit was definitely started. Ho had been a collector as a boy, but had long since relinquished the hobby, when one day in Sotheby’s, the auctioneers, be was attending a book sale. Among the books was a fat volume containing a stamp-collection which, attracted* the Earl's curiosity and interest. He was struck by the development which had taken place in stamp-col-lecting since his early days. He made up his mind to have the album, and in due course*it was knocked down to him. From that time Lord Crawford took up the hobby with enthusiasm. Ho started a new school in philately, and revolutionised the modern practice of stamp-collecting, elevating it to an historical science, the best examples of which have been his collections of Great Britain and United States stamps. In 1901 he purchased for £2OOO the library of works relating to philately which had been formed by the late J. K. Tiffany, of St. Louis, U.S.A. On this basis ho built up the philatelic section of the Bibliotheca Lindesiana. He used every endeavour to fill the gaps in the Tiffany" collection and to improve it with more perfect copies of many of the works, and above all ho brought the collection up to date and k r pt it in progress to the time time of his death in January of this year. As the library now stands it is the most complete collection of all that has been printed on this interesting subject, and the fact that this library will be accessible to every student at the British Museum derives an especial and added importance to students from the fact that at the Museum there is already a great stampcollect ion worth £IOO.OOO, which was be-quea-rhed to the country bv the late Mr 1 . K, Tapling, M tf. So the'British Museum, already a favourite haunt of philatelists from all parts of the world, will certainly be a veritable Mecca for philatelic pilgrims in the future. Lord Crawford was the patron of the fifth annual Philatelic Congress which was hold in Edinburgh in April.

We have some abbreviations among the stamps of Australia. 1 ho letters Q, N.Z., and V. the watermarks of Queensland, Now Zealand, and Victoria, are self-explanatory, while the frequent appearing watermarks of “C.c.” and “C.A.” among the stamps of British colonies, mean "Crown Colonies'* and “Crown Agents." The Fiji Islands stamps originally had a monogram consisting of the letters >‘C.R.,” meaning “Cochambau Rex, 1 which was later followed by “V.R.” or “Victoria Bogina.’’ Regular enigmas are some of the abbreviations and inscriptions on a number of the old Swiss cantonal stamps. The old Genevas have above the coat of arms and surrounhed by a mvriad of rays, the letters “1.H.5.” This would seem to the average collector “In hoc signa.** But. it does not. It is in reality the shortening for “Issus Hominnm Salvator.’’ and signifies Jesus Saviour of men, which is a common abbreviation in ecclesiastical circles. '1 he “S.P. ’ on the stamps of Luxenburg means “Service Publique.” NEW ISSUES. British Guiana.—The London Philatelist save: “The stamp of the Georgian issue, tiro 6c.. is before us. The King's head appears in an oval, with crown above, at the top of the 'eft half of the stamp, with the value, in black, in a square lined label below. At the right half of the stamp, at top. is the inscription ‘British Guiana’ in two lines of black on white ground. Between this inscription and ‘Postage and Revenue.’ also on white ground, appears the top of a palm tree. In the circle below ‘Postage and Revenue’ a full-rigged shm is shown. Adhesive; 6 cents, gray and black, multiple, ordinary; perf. 14.” India.—The London Philatelist chronicles the 2, 10, and 15 rupees Georgian stamps. They are of largo size and same design as the 1. 5. and 25 rupees stamps previously chronicled, and wore delivered by Hit l printers early in April. Adhesives; 2 rupees, yellow-brown and carmine; 10 rupees, pink and green; 15 rupees, pale olive and blue. British iSolomon Islands. —We have seen copies of the new half-penny and penny stamps chronicled six months ago by the London Philatelist, but only issued on the Ist May. Georgian series; wink. Mult. C.A.; perf. 14; id, green. Id. red. Russia. —We quote from the London Philatelist : “Mr A. Sehelndling writes us as follows: ‘A new issue which replaces the pictorial jubilee stamps is now in prepara-

tion and will b© put into use on the Ist July, Russian style. The stamps are of the same size as the pictorial stamps, but instead of bearing the heads of the Emperors it shows the figure of the Roesija (figure of a Russian woman in Russian dress).’ ”