Stamp Collecting.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue XVI, 18 October 1902, Page 1014

Stamp Collecting.

The French 10 eent. carmine has appeared, with altered design. • • • Peru provides another ba-tch of 50,000 stamps surcharged. That number of 10 aales is to be surcharged 3 cents, for use as unpaid letter stamps. • • • The £2 stamp of Victoria has at last been issued. It is blue in colour and has a bast of King Edward VII., surrounded by the ftgure “2.” The watermark is V and Crown sideways, and the date of issue J une 2nd. • • • Johore once issued a series of stamps to commemorate a coronation. When after the death of Abu Bakir, a new Sultan was crowned, March 16, 1596, t-he stamps be ar tag the portrait of the deceased ruler were overprinted with the word “Kemahkotaan,” meaning “Coronation.” • • a Many things contribute towards advertising New Zealand. For instance, the “London Philatelist” has the following: “The bad example set by New Zealand in flooding the philatelic market with compound perforated stamps is, we fear, likely to be extensively followed, and already we hear that the current 10 and 15 paras of Servia may be found perf. 13 at top, 13) at sides, and 11) at bottom.” • • • The average supply of British stamps for a fortnight's use is about 80.000,000 of the penny value and 50,000.000 of the 'halfpenny. It is said that nearly 80,000,000 of the new King Edward stamps were disposed of during the first two days of issue. The number of Id stamps used in Great Britain in one year reaches close on 2,500,000.000. No wonder lower values of British stamps seldom are scarce. • • a The stock of Id brown Cook Islands stamps, surcharged with the disfiguring crown over the face of Ariki Makea, was decreased this week by three dozen, which were destroyed by a fire that occurred in Auckland. Unfortunately the owner's lots was not limited to his stamps, as he only escaped very scantily clad himself. • a a It appears likely that the New Zealand penny universal stamp on unwatermarked paper is likely to be rare, as that paper was only used pending the arrival of further supplies of watermarked. Stamps may be found on the unwatermarked paper both perforated 14 and 11 by 14. The unwatermarked local ’’universals” perf. 14, are perfectly distinct from London prints, in shade, perf. and fineness of printing. It is almost needless to explain that the “fineness of printing” referred to is the London issue. • • • The issue of Cook Islands stamps on single line watermark star New Zealand paper show minor varieties worthy the attention of those who specialise. The Id green (Torea bird), being a smaller stamp than the average New Zealand one, does not fit the watermark accurately, and the result is that a specialist may secure specimens watermark star only, N.Z. only, some with no watermark at all, and some with various letters of the New Zealand margin snark. In the Id rose (Ariki Makea), specimens may also be got without watermark. To the average collector, of course, these are mere trifle**, but to the specialist they are probably distinctions of importance.