MILLIONS OF STAMPS

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1927, 28 October 1926, Page 3

MILLIONS OF STAMPS

WORLD’S RECORD SHOW. The 4tli floor of the Grand Central Palace, 'in New York, with its 30,000 feet of floor space is just at present the Mecca of stamp collectors from all parts of the world.- There for a week from today will be staged the bliggest competitive Display of postage stamp colllec-tions that - lias ever been got together. An interesting description of what was proposed was recently contributed to the New York Herald Tribune by Mr Stanley Phillips. The exhibition president Mr Charles Lathrop Pack, holder of the highest international philatelic honours, and known where ever stamps are collected for his wonderful re • search work, 'particularly on the issues of Victoria, Australia is backed by a board of Vice-presMehts and a strong exhibition committee both thoroughly representative of America philately. The thousands of collections exhibited are grouped in more than 20 classes divided into nearly 200 sections and competing for 500 different awards, of which a grand trophy arid 12 palms of honour are tthe most coveted. This enormous display will be judged by experts from all -parts of the world, the United States representatives being leading members of the Collectors’ Club of New Pork, while Senator J. A. Calder will represent Canada. From England comes Messrs T. W. Halil and W. Doming Beckton, 'leaders of the Royal Philatelic Society, London and wdth them Mr Fred J. Melville, president of the worlld-wlilJe Junior Philatelic Society. From other European countries and from Australia -South Africa, Japan, Mexico and South America men equally well known have gone to complete the ranks of the board of judges.

The stamp collections which are to be shown are estimated to be worth from £3,000,000 to £4,000,000 and this is no fanciful valuation for rare postage stamps now command a market as firm as that for real estate, stocks anti shares, or works of ant and appreciate rapidly in value. The collection in class one will be mainly of technical interest as they will show the results of philatelic research, the scientific study of stamps and their methods of production, a study whlich raised collecting .from a child’s pursulit to a status of a subject fit to exercise the world’s keenest intellects. Nor does it require the purse of a millionaire to compete in this class—though millionaires in plenty will be represented—for there is a section in which only stamps catalogued at 25 cents or less may be shown.

In the second class stamps of the United States and United States possessions will be displayed, and no fewer 'than 16 sections are required to cover the various groups into which these entrial fall. The next five classes group the remainder of the world’s stamps In more or 'less geographical subdivisions. While the total value of the exhibits in these classes will be enormous, they will probably be dwarfed financially by the next three groups, which comprise stamps issued before 1870—the giltedgeci investment of the stamp market —rarities, and errors. In the rarity class will no doubt be seen again the world’s most valuable stamp, the 1 cent, black, on magenta issued in British Guiana in 1856. It is not the only stamp of which a single copy is known nor is it a thing of beauty but it is the only stamp in the world for which more than £7OOO has ; been paid in open market. Other famous rarities will also be shown noluding the "Post-office” Mauritius stamps. Another (interesting class is that

which includes stamps and covers connected with the deveopment of the aetoal post, or with historic flights. Here wid be seen covers carried by Hawker across the Atlantic, by Amundsen to the Pole by the airships R 33 and R 34 and by Cobham from India to England with many others typical of development of commercial aviation.