STAMPS

Southland Times, Issue 22008, 6 May 1933, Page 11

STAMPS

THE COLLECTORS’ COLUMN.

(By

Star N.Z.)

I have received a letter from one of ■ the readers of this column (E.S.) which | is as follows: “I have been an inteiested reader of your column ever since it apneared in the Southland Times and I would just like to tell you how much I appreciate your stamp news week by week. In one of your articles, you referred to a variety in the official stamp (N.Z.), namely the omission of the dot after the word official.. This article stimulated my interest in the stamps, and since then I have come across quite a number of varieties and would like to know if they are worth any more. The varieties I have found are ones wheie there is only the skeleton of some ot the letters. My brother also found a variety in the 3d brown air mail stamp. There is quite a noticeable dot over the tail of the Rin the word “air.” Some time ago I also got some penny stamps out of a stamp vending machine, and they were imperforated along the bottom. Evidently it was some fault of the machine as only one or two were like this while others showed signs of perforation marks. I would also like to know how one could obtain good current used New Zealand stamps for exchange purposes.” In reply to E.S. I would first like to thank him for his appreciative reference to this column, and I am glad that he has found something helpful and interesting in it. There is no doubt that the alert collector becomes a very keen observer, and there is no better training in habits of observation than just this hobby. Like E.S. I have noticed letters in the overprint “official” that are merely skeletons. This is due to the type not being filled with ink. I have also seen the full stop with a hollow centre from the same cause, and the full stop run into the end of the L because too much ink has been used. I am not sure that these would constitute new varieties as they are not “constant” like the variety without the full stop which appears once on every sheet of the Id. official stamps. But there is no doubt that these stamps will, some day, be of interest to the specialist. One has only to study the stamps of Australia to realize what very minute differences are taken note of by collectors. There is a marked difference in the thickness of the letters “official” in some of the printings and this, I think, should constitute a variety. I am glad that my correspondent has drawn my attention to the dot over the R in the 3d. air mail. I had not previously heard of this, the only variety brought under my notice having been the broad E in the overprinted sd. air mail. This was advertised some time ago by one of the London dealers. I am most interested in what E.S. states regarding the stamps imperforate along the bottom taken from a stamp vending machine. These would certainly be keenly sought after by advanced collectors. I have seen the current Id. imperforate on all sides, and the price asked by the seller was a very high one, I think about £3 for a block of four. These are the sort of “finds” that make the drudgery of collecting the commoner stamps well worth while. I have just been reading in Rosenblum’s Handbook of the Stamps of the Australian Commonwealth about a variety of the penny purple (King George V). After stating that two sheets, issued at Gumeracha (South Australia) in June, 1923, showed the bottom now perforated at the top only, the margin also being imperforate. Rosenblum goes on to say that only 14 specimens were saved. These are amongst the rarest of recently issued Australian stamps. There is always the possibility of unearthing a find like this. I should like E.S. to bring along these stamps to the next meeting of the Invercargill Philatelic Club on Saturday, the 13th inst. I am sure members would be interested, and might be able to give helpful advice. Now as to how to acquire good New Zealand stamps for exchange. This is somewhat of a problem if one is not in an office which receives a good deal of inward correspondence and even then, the “boss” may be collecting for missions or for some friend interested in stamps. I know of only two ways in which my correspondent could get these stamps. The one would be by advertising that he would buy for cash—but I presume, seeing he is still at school, he would not have the cash available. The other would be by making a systematic canvass of his friends and acquaintances, especially those in business, and? asking them to save stamps for him. One would, no doubt, meet with many rebuffs but to some, the appeal would not be made in vain. I am afraid that we shall not this week, be able to devote much space to the continuance of our study of the stamps of India. Some of the rarest stamps issued by India proper are to be found amongst the officials. These were formed by overprinting the normal postage stamps with the word “Service” or “On H.M.S.” The first Indian officials were issued in 1866, the overprinting being carried out in India. The values were la, la, 2a, 4a, and Ba. These stamps are catalogued at from 8/6 to 55/- used, and up to £l2 mint. Four very rare stamps are fiscal or tilegraph stamps, overprinted service and postage, the catalogue prices varying from 30/- to £3O used, and from 85/- to £6O mint.

From 1867 to 1873 the overprinting was done by Messrs de la Rue and Co. of London. The letters of “Service” were in larger and more even type. These are not so highly priced, viz., from 4d. to 2/6 used, except the 1 anna stamp (die 2) which is valued at £l—- —

From 1874 in Queen Victoria’s reign until the King Edward stamps went out of issue in 1912, the officials were overprinted “On H.M.S.” With the exception of the values over one rupee, these are all priced very low, viz., from Id. to 2d. used, up to 3/6. The exceptions are the rare varieties of overprint, viz., deep blue print instead of black; no stop after M; and pair, one with overprint and one without. This latter pair is priced at £l5 mint ir. Stanley Gibbons’ catalogue. In 1912, the overprint was changed back again to “service,” the current postage stamps of the King George issue being used as the base. The catalogue prices from la to one rupee vary (used) at from Id. to sd. In 1921 the one anna official stamp was overprinted 9 pies, and in 1925 the 15 rupee and 25 rupee stamps (On H.M.S) of 1909 were surcharged one rupee and the 10 rupee stamp two rupees—and later in the same year the 15 and 25 rupee “service” stamps of 1912 were also surcharged one rupee. In 1926 the 6 anna “On H.M.S.” was overprinted one anna and the 1| annas (No.’s 163 and 165), also the 2J annas (No. 171) were overprinted, “Service — one anna.” In cases where the surcharge of these various stamps is inverted or double, the catalogue value is very high, viz,, £4 to £lO mint. In the case of the 1926-1931 issue with the “multiple stars” watermark, the overprint “service” was in rather larger type than on the 1912 issue. (To Be Continued Next Week.)

ROMANCE OF OLD MAN’S RECOVERY OF HEALTH AND VIGOUR. Mr Overbeck’s own case is such an object lesson for all that we cannot do better than give a simple, straightforward account of how he himself achieved the apparent miracle of a “come back” from the infirmities of old age to the height of physical and mental vigour. Eight years ago, prematurely worn out by a life devoted to scientific research, Mr Overbeck was the picture of a decrepit old man on the verge of the grave. WANING VITAL ENERGY. His interests in life had been as many coloured as Joseph’s coat, and he clung to them with all the tenacity of a man who knows in his heart that he ought to resign himself to the easy chair and slippers of old age. But, though a devoted and skilful pianist, he was compelled to give up playing anything that called for brilliancy of execution, owing to the severe palpitation that immediately followed the playing of a rapid piece of music. And, though an enthusiastic horticulturist, he soon found that to stoop down and put a plant in the ground was to risk a heart attack that might prove fatal. His hair meantime had gone suddenly white, and was extremely scanty, his face was deeply lined, and his blood pressure abnormally high. AN EXPERIMENT—AND ITS MAGICAL RESULT. Concerned at the rapid thinning and whitening of his hair, Mr Overbeck’s thoughts turned to electrical stimulation. He began experimenting. His first efforts were not very successful. Then the idea came to him that if electricity is to be of real lasting benefit it must be absorbed without sensation, just as it is absorbed from the food we eat. The cells must, in very truth, be fed with the electrical current. The upshot was the patent of an electrical instrument constructed on entirely new lines. He tried it first on his hair. The result was magical. Not only did his hair rapidly grow thicker and darker in colour, but his mental faculties became greatly invigorated; every day he found himself getting stronger; the rheumatism that had plagued him for some time disappeared, as well as the kidney trouble from which he had been a chronic sufferer; his eyesight improved to such an extent that he was soon able to give up the spectacles he had worn for years; and before long he was able to resume a normal life of active work.