Stamp Collecting.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue I, 5 July 1902, Page 49

Stamp Collecting.

The colour of the 15 eent Spanish stamp has been changed from blueblack to lilac. • • • The Id rose and 6d stamps of Cook Island Federation, Queen Makea's head, are now issued in much deeper tints than formerly. Evidently there has been another printing. • • • The greatest auction sale of stamps in the world is reported to have been that of the W. Elliott Woodward Company’s collection, about 13,860 dollars’ worth changing hands. • • • Something like 28,000,000 of the new stamps of Greece were issued, but only 50,000 were 3 drachmae, and •25,000 were 5 drachmae. Every stamp is water marked, but unfortunately not very clearly. • • • Stamp collectors have this week shown considerable eagerness to secure specimens of the new issue bearing the head of King- Edward VII. This is the natural result of the distressing news received regarding His Majesty. • • • It was intended that the J and 1 anna postage adhesives, J anna postcards, and 4 anna envelopes, with head of King Edward, should be issued in each of the Indian Presidencies on Coronation Day. • • • The 18c. green and blue Mauritius has been issued with surcharge 12 cents in blaek, with black bar through the original value. Although 30,000 of these provisionals were issued. they were all sold out the same day, so that dealers will have ample stocks for the benefit of collectors. • • • In honour of the Coronation a new ’stamp album has been issued, called “The King's Own.” This will provide for the new issue of stamps of Great Britain and the colonies, bearing the King’s head. A Victoria album, exclusive for stamps bearing the late Queen’s head, would also be useful.

The latest figures regarding thd Paii-Americau stamps for the Buffalo Exhibition go to prove that collectors need not fear any scarcity for the future. The actual issues were as follow: One cent, 91,401,500; two. cent, 209,759,700; four cent, 5,737,100;) five cent. 7,201,300; eight cent, 4,921,700; and ten cent, 5,040,700. ~ . • • • The Postmaster-General, London, has definitely stated there will nob be any Coronation issue of stamps to mark the commencement of the reign of King Edward VII. Philatelists have therefore special cause for. thankfulness, for new issues come out so rapidly now all over the worldj that the collector in despair is reSt' to cry out, “Hold! enough!” • • • The stamps of Swaziland should steadily increase in value now that the Boer Government has ceased to exist in South Africa. The Boer issue, only lasted four years, and as there will not be any more in the future! Swazilands should be gilt-edged. It may not lie generally known that Swaziland is a small Kaffir State, S.E. of the Transvaal, peopled by about 60.090 blacks, and about 1000 whites. After this tract of land halt come under the administration of the. South African Republic, the Boer Government extended their own postal system to it, issuing October, ISB9. a set of stamps created simply by overprinting in black 5 values of the Transvaal stamps of 1885 —the new design of the Second Republic—with the name Swaziland in lower case sans-serif letters; Id. to 1/. The next year saw the remaining higher values, 2/6 to 10/ treated in a similar manner, followed in 1892 by the halfpenny value overprinted in red instead of black. Care, however, requires to be used when buying Swaziland stamps, as many forgeries are in existence, as, for instance, “Swasieland” with “s” in place of “z”; also purely bogus overprints like the 3d., a stamp which never existed, or a 2d. stamp surcharged "4” in violet in the corners of a genuine stamp ever the original face value, and once In the centre, to make collectors believe a 4d. provisional has been created because hitherto no 4d. was issued in Swazieland. Reprints are also in existence.