Stamp Collecting

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 5, 3 February 1909, Page 61

Stamp Collecting

The Bd. orange stamp of New South Wales issued in 1860, realised £4 2/6. • • • According the Tlimbrophile de France, a pictorial issue is about to appear for Martinique. • • • The lOd. yellow stamp of South Australia, watermarked S.A. and crown, sold at auction in London for the record figure of £25 recently. • • • It is reported that 150.000 of the 9 atts on 10 atts blue stamp of Siam were printed. This is the third of the three provisional stamps previously reported. • • • The late Herr IL Fraenkel’s collection of entires contained many specimens of the rarest European envelopes, and it is estimated that the catalogue value of this pent ion of the collection will surpass £5OOO. The adhesives, of which there are general and specialised collections, are expected to total up to £BOOO, of which the English Colonial probably represent one-third in importance. • • • The Government of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope have notified, in connection with the Tariff of Customs Duty on advertising matter, including catalogues. price lists, almanacs, calendars, labels, posters, and show cards, that when any of the abovenamed items are sent to any person or firm in the colony of the Cape of Good Hope from the United Kingdom, through the medium of the post-office, the duty payable thereon may be prepaid by means of Cape stamps affixed to each separate letter, packet, or parcel. • e • laymen Islands bids fair to become a great field for philatelic research, what with new issues and overprintings. The latest vagary is that owing to the M. stamp running out, the postmaster has adopted the simple plan of writing “pd. |d.’’ on the letters in red ink. or blue chalk, and signifies its genuineness, with his initials. Finally, the envelope is postmarked in the ordinary manner. The following prices were paid for Caymen Island stamps at auction in London: -—id. on 5/-, double surcharge, mint, £2 8/-; id. on 5/-, a block of 4, one stamp showing inverted surcharge, mint, £4 2/6; Id. on 5/-, a pair, showing apparent double surcharge, mint, £2; 2|d. on 4d., mint, £2 15/- and £3. • • • The late Mr Paul has bequeathed his stamp collection to the Drexel Institute of Philadelphia, therefore, the United States will now possess a national collection of first-class importance. Mr Paul has formed a large general collection during the last twenty years, but beyond this, many countries were specialised, and he possessed, with a few exceptions, all the great standard rarities. In Hawaii he had the complete set of the four very rare first issue, and in the English Colonies he had complete plates of the Sydney Views, the Id. and 4d. Tasmania, Nevis, the native Mauritius, and other countries. Mr Paul’? colleption of the stamps of the United States, notably, those of the Confederate States, was exceptionally strong. • • • The Crown agents have notified the decision that the following colours shall be used for the stamps of Crown colonies and also for those colonies that have agreed to'adopt the new scheme:—Uili coloured Stamps.- Under ]d., black; ,]d. brown; Ul.. green; Id., red; lid., orange 2d., grey; 2Ad., blue; 3d., purple (yellow paper); (id., purple; 1/-, black (green paper). Bi-eoloured Stamps.—4d., black and red (yellow paper); 5<1.. purple and sage-green; 7 Ad.. purple and yellow; Sd. purple and black; lOd., purple and red; 1/6, green and blue; 2/-, purple and blue (blue paper); 2/6, black and red (blue paper); 3/-, green and violet; 4/black and red; 5/-, green and red (yellow paper); 8/-, purple and emerald; 10/green and red (green paper); £l, purph and black (red paper) ; £5, green an< yellow; £ 10, purple and blue; and £25 green and red.