STAMP CORNER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 253, 25 October 1937, Page 9

STAMP CORNER

By

James Montagues.

Stolen stamps are among the most difficult items to dispose of, as one housebreaker in Toronto recently found out. He appeared at a stamp dealer’s with a collection which to his stamp-ignorant eye was no different from any other collection. But the dealer in glancing over the stamps, as they do many times a day

, when collectors come in offering their stamps for sale, saw in the collection some stamps of great rarity. The man who offered the stamps did not appear as one who could own such valuable stamps, and so the dealer became suspicious. On the pretext of , ’phoning another dealer on some matter of business he notified the police who arrested the man, who was offering the collection for sale. Whenever valuable stamp collection is reported stolen,police immediately notify all stamp dealers to be on the alert foi the collection. Since stamps are more difficult to dispose of to buyers of stolen goods than other items such as jewellery, precious stones, household furniture and books, the stamps eventually reach a dealer. And if the thief knows nothing of stamps he immediately takes his stolen stamps to a dealer in the hope of cashing in. The dealer in turn knowing that every dealer has been notified, is not likely to buy the stamps even for a small sum, since they must be sold some time, and the news of stolen valuable stamps soon gets around among the dealers in the leading world markets and also among collectors who have enough money to buy valuable j stamps. The latter usually want a “pedigree” to their new scarce stamp purchases. Collections of average run and of small value are naturally harder to trace when stolen.

New Issue Argentine will issue a six value set for the Eleventh Congress of the Universal Postal Union which is to meet in Buenos Aires next year. There will be only 12,000 sets printed. France will shortly issue a child welfare stamp with 25 centime surtax. The Dominion Republic’s air mail issue for the Pan-American Goodwill Flight was delayed till October 12. Germany’s Brown Band miniature sheets of last year have been overprinted for this year's running of the horse race. Nicaragua’s new air mails for interior and exterior use are pictorials. Poland has issued a set of four stamps to mark the recent visit of King Carol of Rumania.

From the Chief Postmaster of Papua comes word that the Coronation stamps there were placed on sale at most offices on May 14 and at Kulumadau on May 29.