STAMP FINDS WORTH

Western Star, 31 December 1923, Page 3

STAMP FINDS WORTH

FORTUNES. A few weeks ago a young, utahjip collector who had been about six months at this fascinating hobby told me he had been offered a certain collection for £2, and refused it. Among other stamps .it contained he mentioned that there was a specimen of tlie 1801 edition cf Hawaii 13 cents. •‘What!” I g,aspod, ' “refused that for £2?- Why, if all the rest was rubbish it was worth securing for the orie stamp alone.” My young friend’s jaw dropped when I tolu him that particular stamp today is worth anything from £75 to £IOO. '

There are several other even more valuable stamps for-which a sharp look-out should always he kept. Probably the best-known example is the 1847 edition of Mauritius originally issued at. 2d. The last price that I * saw quoted, for good copies of this stamp was 400 guineas. Another rare stamp is. the 1858 .edition of Moldavia 81 pa-rale. 'Occasionally this is quoted at £I2OO a specimen, but the price has been up sr; high as £350. Thcio rre some early editions of i Gieat I'j i win ' which may ‘be named.

The higher values of the 1878 edition

watermarked .with Maltese crosses are all of them valuable, that for 10s being worth about' £6, while the stamp originally issued at £1 fetches from £5 'to £lo’, according to its * condition. Some of the stamps issued in 1880, especially those with the rose on >.-:prav watermark, are very valuable, the 2s ml-brcwn being worth about £l-1 unused, and £l2 used. A very sharp watch should also be kept for early American stamps issued in the year 1815. Two very valuable ones are St. Louis and Alexandria, .worth about £2OO each, while that of Neivlmven in the same year is worth little less. ' ; There are fortunes being made almost every day in stamp collecting, but there are many more that are lost by careless examination of collections and casual sciitiuy of odd parcels of stamps which the collector may bo offered.