STAMP COLLECTING

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8, 24 August 1907, Page 26

STAMP COLLECTING

Some Transvaal stamps realised high prices recently in London at auction. An unperforate Id Crown lake of 1869 fetched five guineas. An unused block of four of the Id fed on orange of 1877, with V.R. overprint in italics, £4O, and a rejoined pair- of the 6d blue on blue, same date, italic V.R., and wide roulette, £23. • • • Official correspondence in Egypt is in future to be franked by ordinary stamps overprinted in blaek, “0.H.H.5.” (On His Highness’s Service). The set so overprinted is reported as follows:—- I mil brown, 2 green, 3 orange, 5 rose carmine, and 1 piastre blue. • • • The roll of members of the Royal Philatelic Society totals 236. The cash bal aned on the 31st of March last was £3OO. The sum of £273 5/2 has also been handed to the society in trust by the Executive Committee of the International Philatelio Exhibition, held last year in London for the purpose of any future exhibitions to be held under the auspices of the society, or for such other purposes for the general* benefit of philately as the Council should consider expedient. The Council of the Society decided to invest the money in trust securities, and keep it as a separate fund until required for the purposes of the Society. The accounts showed assets, over liabilities- to the extent of £617, the subscriptions for the year totalling £3ll 6/. 4* 4* 4 The following stamps have been issued for use in Surinam: 15c. brown, 20e. olive, 30e. chestnut. 50c. lake brown, 1 guelder violet, and 2J gueldon slate green. . • • •, The first issue of stamps in Montenegro was in 1874. They bear the portrait of Prince Nicholas I. The Montenegrons are the descendants of those Servians who,’ after the battle of Kossavo in 1389, refused to submit to the Turks. Montenegro means “ Black Mountain.” • • • Safety thread paper was inented by John Dickenson in 1829. It was afterwards used for the Mulready envelopes, and was considered a better safeguard against forgery than the watermark which is now almost universally in use. Some of the earlier issues of stamps on the Continent have the silk thread through them. . * - • • • The stamps issued during the last yeari were as follows: Europe, 142; Asia, 68; Africa, 179; America, 162; Oceania. 31; total. 582; as against 697 in 1905, 766 in 1904, 1183 in 1903, and 1017 in 1902. It is pleasing to notice that the number of issues is decreasing every year. • • • The sale of the stamps of the late Mr. Cox by Messrs. Plumridge and Co., in London, realised £3040 13/. ■ • • A new set of stamps has been issued in Iceland. They bear, side by side, the profiles of the late and the present kings of Denmark. The word “ Island ” appears at the top, and “ Frimerkei ” at each side, the value being at the foot. The values and colours are as follows: 3 aur, yellow-brown; 4. grey, carmine centre: 5, green: 6, grey; 16. carmine; 16, brown; 20. blue; 25, bistre-brown, green centre;’ 40, phim; 50, grey, plum centre; 1 krona, blue, brown centre; 2, grey-brown, slate-green centre; and 5, yellow-brown, blue centre. There is also a set of official stamps of the following values: 3 aur. yellow; 4, green; 5, deep orange; 10, blue: 16, carmine; 20, yellow green; and 50, violet. • • • On account, of the changing the cur-, reney in East Africa and Uganda Protectorate from annas to cents, a new issue of stamps is almost certain to be made. The question of importance to collectors is whether or not the “anna” series will be overprinted with “ cents.”

The following is the description of al new issue of stamps for Peru; some of which have already appeared: Ic. (Monument Bolognesi); 2e. (Portrait of Grau); sc. (Statue); 10c. (Exhibition Buildings); 20e. (School of -Medicine);! 50c. (General Post Office); 1 sol (Hippodrome); and 2 sols (Monument of Christopher Columbus). • • • It is expected that special stamps wilt be issued for “ Jova ” and “ Madura,” and that in the interim the Dutch Indies stamps may be overprinted with these words. • • • The eighth of the Le Roy D’eiolles auctions produced about £3700, making the total achieved over £31,000. This auction comprised the stamps of th<) American continent and other non-Euro-pean of British Colonial Countries and it is satisfactory to note that a good level of prices was maintained, the varie« ties of such countries as Philippines*, Hawaii, Brazil, Buenos Ayres, Uruguay, Argentine, and nited United States finding willing purchasers at prices that represented on the average modern catalogue values.