Stamp Collecting.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIII, Issue II, 9 July 1904, Page 57

Stamp Collecting.

British Honduras now has 1 cent bluish green, and 20 cent, violet stamps bearing the portrait of King Edward.

• • • Forgeries of the varieties of the Panama Republic stamps have already appeared. As there are so many minor varieties of the genuine ones, the easiest way would he for collectors to ignore the whole lot.

• • • Stamps of St. Helena, bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria, were withdrawn from circulation on March 31st of this year. It is said the new pictorial etamps arc likely to be the permanent issue for the island.

• • • Some time about March of this year a sheet of the South Australia 1/ brown stamp of the long type, like the New Zealand revenue stamp, was issued with the horizontal rows of perforation omitted. The result was that foration omitted. The result was that perforated horizontally.

• • • The new King’s head issue of stamps for the Falkland Isles will have the profile facing the left, whereas Queen Victoria faced to the right. The values mentioned so far are Jd green, Id vermillion. 2Ld blue, and 3/ dull green. Probably others will follows as required.

A ‘-Penny Post” series of picturecards lias been issued in England, the profits from the sale being devoted towards the Rowland Hill Benevolent, Fund. The views upon this series of cards are of interest to stamp-collec-tors, in that they are illustrative of the history and development of the Post Office.

It is stated that Spain proposes at the beginning of next year to celebrate the third centenary of the publication of Don Quixote. " A stamp with Savelio Panza and his donkey, another with the Don on Kosinantc tilling at a windmill, and a third with the portrait of Cervantes himself, would make an interesting commemorative issue in honour of the occasion.

* • • For eleven days only a threepenny duty stamp, issued in Victoria on the 20th of June, 1901, was available for use as a postal fiscal. The design was the same as that of the immedrately previous issue, but the colour was changed in order to prevent it clashing ■with the other four penny postage stamps. The colour was grey-green. • • ®

Tim ‘•lllustricrtes Briefmarhen Journal” is responsible for the statement that according to a postal notice letters in Sweden can he franked with any stamps that have been issued in that country, even with reprints. Some South American Republics would lose heavily if they adopted a similar idea. As the 50 ocre stamp of Sweden can be easily mistaken in artificial light for the 20 oerc. it. is considered not likely that the colour of the former will be changed to greyish brown. • • •

The use of British stamps overprinted “Army Telegraphs” has been discontinued. The only addition made to the list so surcharged since King Edward came to the Throne was the Id green with the portrait of the late. Queen Victoria. The list of Departmental stamps of other kinds has, however, greatly increased during the present reign. • • •

The recent death of Queen Isabella of Spain recalls the fact that her head figures on a large number of the earlier stamps of that country. Before she

ascended the Throne in 1853, Spain had issued 23 stumps which are now of the catalogue value of Xl5O. (treat Britain, on the other hand, had only issued seven stamps prior to 1853, and these are only catalogued at £35. This is no doubt due to the fact that the commerce of Great Britain was so large in proportion to Spain’s even in those days, that more stamps were used and widely distributed.

« • • Guadeloupe is still going on steadily manufacturing surcharged varieties of stamps, thus keeping up a long record as a caterer for collectors. The 40c on Ifr., and the Hr. on 75c. issued last year, have now been further overprinted with the date 1903. As three different types of figures have been used, and also three separate colours of ink, red. blue and black, besides being printed at the top, bottom and side of the stamps, it will bo seen that there is ample scope afforded specialists who hanker after such philatelic monstrosities. Already 21 varieties are mentioned, but if more are required, no doubt a new set will be issued surcharged with Konran figures, or anything else that will sell readily.