STAMP COLLECTING

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 16, 19 October 1907, Page 56

STAMP COLLECTING

Some time ago the use of postage stamps was prohibited in Afghanistan. Now. however, it is reported in the “Philatelisches Echo” that the order lias been rescinded, and a new set of stamps issued. • • • The 2} stamp of Gibraltar was only issued for eight or ten weeks on chalk surfaced paper, when it appeared again on white paper. Concerning the 2J lilac and black on blue paper with multiple ■watermark, a writer from Gibraltar stated that there were only 200 sheets of 120 stamps eaeii, of which number 75 sheets were bought by local investors. • • • The first issue of stamps for British New Guinea was made in 1901. The Btnnips over-printed “Papua” were issued this year, the total face value being £4137 12s Od. The quantities overprinted were as follows:—Halfpenny, 29 190; penny, 48,060; twopence, 70,170; twopence halfpenny, 25,230; fourpence, only 8100; sixpence, 11,550; one shilling, 13,590; two and sixpence, 13,410. It is stated that all the old issue was overprinted, and that when these are sold anj flesh issue will be printed in ikustraha, therefore an entirely new stamp avill most likely be issued. This is one of the instances where the stamps without the overprint are likely to be the sea rest. • • • We have often hoard of issues of etamps to aid hospitals and various charitable schemes, but according to the. “P iblic Ledger” of Philadelphia, Turkey Jias broken out with a new idea, namely a saie of 17.000,000 stamps to aid a ra'lway. The article reads as follows: — "Chikib Bey, the Turkish Minister, has announced that his Government has a collection of 17,000.000 postage stamps, which will be sold at. auction in August and the proceeds donated to the Hig.iz Railway, which is being constructed from Damascus to Beirut. Funds for building this railroad are being subscribed by the National Government, the various municipalities, and by citizens who desilts to contribute. When completed the road will be operated by a commission designated by the Government. The collection of stamps which the Turkish Gori rnment has contributed, consists of more than 100 denominations, issued by Tin key during the last 43 years. Minister Bey will receive bids for the collection and forward them to Constantinople.” • • • Tor the information of collectors, the following interesting warning is reproduced from “Ewen’s Weekly Stamp News”:-—“The market is at present being flooded with high value British Colonial stamps which have been fiscally used, cleaned, and cancelled with imitation postmarks, which in some cases are beautifully done. An Italian dealer offered a client of our publisher’s the following: Gold Coast, 10/- and £1 cleaned, forge 1 postmark: Seychelles, genuine unused 75c., IJr. and 2}r. with various forged postmarks (both bars and datemarks); Straits 2d01., eleaned, the postmark may be genuine; Straits 5d01., cleaned, apparently genuine postmark; Straits sdoL, with a mark inscribed “Penang C,” if genuine it is probably a fiscal cancellation; Fiji ,£!, cleaned, forge I postmark. A Marseilles dealer sends an approval selection, and in it we note the following: Natal, ’£s. previously fiscally used and cleaned; Willi a very good imitation of the “Kleinp’>rt” (?) postmark, dated 26.2.04; the “6' of the date ig reversed, however, d’rice, 15 francs. Bahamas, £1 Queen, with traces of pen-marking, postmarked R ‘Bahamas B, J A 26 87.” The price asked is 16 francs. Victoria, Giblmns’ No. 44, cat. 30/-, mint, well centred, price 37f.50. This stamp shows some slight trace of having been cleaned. From a third source we have quite a collection of fiscally- used Bahamas, some with genuine postmark* and oilier. with forg•d postmarks.”

In his “Historic des Timbre-Poste Francais,” M. Arthur Mawrys gives as the reason for the abandonment of the design of the stamps in 1848 in favour of the far less artistic one of 1876, that “Everything that was republican was regarded with disfavour by the majority of the men in power in the curious French Republic of that date; the postage stamp, with its design of 1848, excited the ridicule of the reactionary newspapers, they called it the stamp a la Mary Ann, and this was considered quite humourous; it was suggested that the stamp should be stuck upside down upon the letters, etc; people discovered that the numerals were too small, that the design printed badly, that it was easy to counterfeit; in short the stamp with the elligy of Liberty was condemned and efforts were made to provide it with a successor, the design of which snould have no political significance.”