Stamp Collecting.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXX, Issue XIX, 9 May 1903, Page 1327

Stamp Collecting.

Cuba has now a 10 cent orange special delivery stamp. • • • Four new values of Cape Verde stamps have been issued in Postal Union colours. • • • The first of the King Edward stamps issued in British Honduras was the 2 cent, purple, black on red, perforated 14, and water-mark C.A. • • • Postage stamps were first issued in Lombaro, Venetia (Austrian Italy), in 1850. The design was the same as that used for the first issue of Austrian stamps. • • • The 1 piastre and 10 piastre stamps of Soudan have appeared in new colours, the former being black and red, and the higher value brown and mauve. Both are star and crescent water-mark. e • • Part of a sheet of the current 1 cent green of Newfoundland has been discovered without perforations, having no doubt escaped the machine. • • • Instead of selling remainders of the Victorian issue of stamps the Government of St. Vincent burned 127,518, of a face value of £2650, to make way for the King Edward issue. • • • Owing to a temporary shortage of the 1 lepton value of Crete, this denomination of the series printed in dull yellow for fiscal purposes was authorised for postal use for a few days only, until a new supply of postage stamps were received. • • • Sierra Leone has a lot of remainders ©f Victorian issues for sale now that the King Edward stamps are current. The

values range from Id to 20/, and the stamps are offered at a concession on face value. • • • New Zealand stamps overprinted 0.P.5.0. are so scarce that some collectors have doubted their existence. Some of the issues of 1882 to ’97 were, however, so marked, the values being Ad black, perf. 10 x 11; Id rose, perf. 11; 2d lilac and 21d blue, all Queen’s head. ... An argument in favour of used postage stamps in collections is that a study of the styles of postmark in use at different periods is an interesting adjunct to an album of the stamps of any country, and indeed forms part of its postal history. It also shows the periods during which various shades, and varieties generally, were in use. The Columbia registration stamp issued last year has been found both perforated and without perforations. The 1 and 5 cents stamps of the new Columbian issue are on tinted mauve paper. The values range from 1 cent to 10 pi. The new registration stamp is oblong in shape, of somewhat similar type to the well-known Canadian one. • • • The 5 reis stamp of Funchal, divided in half, was used for 2J reis for a few days in January, 1895. For obvious reasons they are of no special value unless on the entire envelope, as any person could cut the stamp in halves. It is quite a different matter where stamps have been perforated'through the centre in order to enable them to be divided, and sold for half value in times when stock has run out, Sueh stamps can be collected without the envelope, and are therefore catalogued. ... The difference in the value between the green sixpenny New Zealand London print and the same design and colour colonial print is due to the fact that 1,800,000 of the former were issued, and only 180,000 of those printed in the

colony as the colour was soon changed to rose. There are two very distinct greens in the colonial print, the one called apple green being the scarcest variety. It is now catalogued 15/ unused and 10/ used. The other green is 3/6 used or unused. • • • In taking stamps off envelopes care should be taken not to immerse the adhesives one second longer than is absolutely necessary, because there is a danger of the surface being permanently altered. The amount of deterioration due to soaking is not half realised by collectors who are accustomed to seeing and closely observing used stamps which have not passed through the ordeal by water. But it nevertheless makes itself felt by the great gulf fixed, both in appearance and in most people’s estimation, between unused and used stamps. ... The fact that the Antarctic- Expedition vessel Discovery recently visited New Zealand makes the following cutting from the “Birmingham Post” of interest

to collectors here:—“At first sight there would seem to be little in common between stamp collecting and Antarctic exploration, and yet one outcome of the present National Antarctic Expedition promises to be a philatelic treasure, which will surely be much sought after by the numerous body of stamp collectors. lam told that a special label has been prepared, to be affixed to letters by members of the expedition as soon as they are able to communicate with their friends from the nearest point in the Antarctic regions. A number of these 'stamps’ have been despatched to New Zealand for delivery to the Discovery, and though an application to the Post-master-General that they might be used in prepayment of letters was, I believe, unsuccessful, the gallant explorers will no doubt be glad to remember their philatelic friends at Home by using the labels to ‘frank’ letters to the nearest post office in civilised parts, where stamps of the ordinary kind can be added.”