Stamp Collecting.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 9, 26 August 1908, Page 59

Stamp Collecting.

A LI dull carmine N.Z. stamp, the London print of 1855 sold for £3 at auction in London. • • • The now six sen dark lilac brown stamp of Japan has been over-printed for use in the Japanese post office in China.. The over-print is the word “China.” The 3 kop. blue of Russia has also been-over-printed for u-e in China. • • • For use in the Dutch Indies a 7A c. grey lilac and I2*c brown and olive stamp, ligure design, have been issued. • • • A 5 yen green stamp and 10 yen purple have been issued in Japan. The main feature of the new stamps is the portrait of the Empress in an oval nearly filling the stamp. This is surmounted by a band having the value “5” or ”10 yen” below. Japanese characters and square tablets at each side, with other native characters. the chrysanthemum appears at top. with cherry blossoms on either side. • * • • A 4d green and blue stamp and £1 green and carmine Jlfitannia type have appeared in Trinidad. They are watermarked C.A., and arc on chalk-surfaced paper. • • • A new set of stamps for ILiyti is being prepared in the United -States. Pending the arrival of these stamps, two provisionals have been issued, one cent being over-printed on the 5 cent deep blue and 10 cent orange brown stamps of 1904. • • • The following high prices were paid for Tuscany stamps at auction in London: 2 soldi brick (strip of five). £42; 00 crazie, lilac grey, £5 and £G 10/. • • • Some high prices were realised at auction in London for old Continental stamps. The 3 sgr blue of Brunswick issued in 1852 was sold for £4 15/; the 5 c green of Alsace and Lorraine, net downwards, brought £l2; the 80 c of Modena of 1859, a used specimen, £lO 10/. the J t blue of Naples, £8 10/; the 5 reis ied brown of Portugal, 1855, £2 5/; and the 20 grana of Sicily, 1859, £3. • • • Stanioy Gibbons’ Monthly Journal lias ceased to exist, having been merged into the weekly journal. It -lias been running within a few months of IS years. • • • An unused pair of Cape Woodblocks, Id red. sold for £56 <at auction in London, while £6B was paid for the Id blue error, and £3O /or a block of four Id bright red; crazie lilac grey. £4 10/ ; 3 lire yellow £29; do used specimen, £27. The list of I'rench stamps over-printed for use in Freach post offices in Chinn has been increased by no less than 112 new items, a set of 16 surcharged for each of seven cities being issued. • • • The following values of stamps of Granada of the “Ship” type? are recorded: —3d, purple on yellow: 6d purple; I/, black on green; 2/, blue and purple ‘on bluish; 5/, green and red on vcllow; 10/, green and carmine on bluish. • • • The Irish political society, “Sinn Fein” (ourselves only) issued two stamps. The central design of the first ©tamp is a Uv. p, formed bv Erin rising from the *••.< Themms of the four provinces appear in die corner square, Munster, Connaught, Ulster ami Leinster. “Eire,” the ancient name of Ireland, fdh the top label, and an Trish woll hound the lower label. Printed in green, black and white. 11 , :d design eondisla df R Celtic big it .the full size of tho wfiLh '*l , .ire” til its centra’, junction, 'and ’ Sinn Fehl” dn the upper-wrl

lower quadrants of the ring, a shamrock in each corner outside the ring, ami two Celtic scrolls at the base. Colours, black, white and St. Patrick’s blue. Printed in sheets of 110. in eleven rows of 10. E-ach she<‘t of the harp stamps has the first stamp in the second and third rows inverted, showing that the manufacturers were avyare of the additional interest which a couple of tete beetle varieties would lend to the issue. A first printing at 250,000 was made. As a means of raising money these stamps may succeed, but they have no philatelic interest.