STAMP CORNER

Southland Times, Issue 20526, 30 June 1928, Page 22 (Supplement)

STAMP CORNER

Dear Chums (and by “chums” I want to include all the readers of this page, whether boys or girls),—l have been asked by your Cousin Betty to write a column every week about stamps and stamp-collecting. I know that a great many of you already have begun collecting and these I am going to try to help over their little difficulties. All those who have not yet begun, I am going to introduce to a hobby which is as fascinating as it is useful. But of all the various introductions which I shall have to make, the first one will have to be the future contents of this column and I am full of ideas, only some of which I shall be able to talk about this week.

The first thing I want to do is to get you to give me some suggestions or encouragement in the matter so I am going to make a proposition to you—some time ago I wrote to a friend in Tunis (you all know where Tunis is; it’s a small country up in the north of Africa, belonging to France and inhabited chiefly by a kind of Arabians, known as Moors). Well, I wrote to this friend and he sent me a lot of quaint, unused Tunisian stamps. I have a lot of these which are no use to me and which probably none of you have got, so that this is what I suggest: To the first twenty chums who write to me with the intention of joining in any of my little plans, and giving me their thoughts on the subject of running a stamp column, I shall send three unused Algerian stamps as well as a card proclaiming them a member of our club and bearing on its back a perforation chart whic*« they will find very useful when they are a little more advanced in the subject. The stumps have a picture of a courtyard on them, with a woman holding a pitcher on her shoulder. The 1-centime is orange, the 2-centimv olive-grey, and the 3-centime blue. Those rho are unfortunate enough to miss the stamps will get the membership card just f e same. So you’ll all write, won't you, ant tell me what you think of the idea and give me some suggestions as to what you would like me to include in this column.

First of all, of course, there will be some articles for the beginners on how to begin, what kind of album you want, how to stick the stamps in it and others of that kind. Then I am going to talk a little on things that concern the more advanced philatelist (the big name for a stamp collector)—

water-marks, rouletted, pin perforated stamps, ways of printing stamps and so on. All these things will help you to get varieties where you would otherwise think there was only one.

Even- week also when we have got going I am going to chronicle all the interesting new issues of stamps throughout the world so that you may be on the lookout for them.

And then whenever you are in doubt as to where a stamp should go (and there are lots of stamps that are really very difficult to place), send it in to me and I shall try to find its country of origin.

I am trying to arrange so that you will be able to bring vour albums personally to me and we will be able to look through them together (because I am very interested in all stamps) and clear up any difficulties there may be. I could also advise you as to the relative value of your stamps—which ones to be very careful of and what kind of stamp you don’t need to trouble very much about.

My biggest plan is that we could arrange some kind of real club-night on which all the members could come and have a look at each others albums, get new ideas and “swap” stamps among each other. I want to hear what you think of it and if you think it possible, we shall speak more of it anon. In the meantime, I am waiting in hope that I shall receive during the week, a whole sheaf of letters from my chums. And don’t forget that the first twenty get three nice Tunisian stamps—l should have liked to make the gift more, but as it takes a long while to write away to my friends all over the world, I thought that the few I had would be better than none. Perhaps later be able to give you all another little gift of stamps. My space is almost exhausted so I must close now for the week. Till I hear from you, Cheerio chums. Your new friend, COUSIN PHIL. P.S.—I asked Cousin Betty whether I could become a Cousin or not, and she thought I could because, even though I am over age, I may be able to be of some use to you. So please prove to her that I am, Little Southlanders, and that she was justified in enrolling me. Then I will always be able to sign myself COUSIN PHIL.