76 files changed, 12367 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/18204-8.txt b/18204-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f547fe9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3820 @@
+Project Gutenberg's Stamp Collecting as a Pastime, by Edward J. Nankivell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Stamp Collecting as a Pastime
+
+Author: Edward J. Nankivell
+
+Release Date: April 18, 2006 [EBook #18204]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Sankar Viswanathan, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 THE
+
+                Stanley Gibbons Philatelic Handbooks.
+
+
+
+                           STAMP COLLECTING
+                             AS A PASTIME
+
+
+
+                                  BY
+
+                         EDWARD J. NANKIVELL
+                MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISTS
+              MEMBER OF THE PHILATELIC SOCIETY OF LONDON
+
+
+
+
+                                London
+               STANLEY GIBBONS, LTD., 391, STRAND, W.C.
+                               New York
+                            167, BROADWAY
+                                 1902
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+Many people are at a loss to understand the fascination that surrounds
+the pursuit of stamp collecting. They are surprised at the
+clannishness of stamp collectors, and their lifelong devotion to their
+hobby. They are thunderstruck at the enormous prices paid for rare
+stamps, and at the fortunes that are spent and made in stamp
+collecting.
+
+The following pages will afford a peep behind the scenes, and explain
+how it is that, after nearly half a century of existence, stamp
+collecting has never been more popular than it is to-day.
+
+And perchance many a tired worker in search of a hobby may be
+persuaded that of all the relaxations that are open to him none is
+more attractive or more satisfying than stamp collecting.
+
+Its literature is more abundant than that devoted to any other hobby.
+Its votaries are to be found in every city and town of the civilised
+world. Governments and statesmen recognise, unsolicited, the claims of
+stamp collecting--the power, the influence, and the wealth that it
+commands. From a mere schoolboy pastime it has steadily developed into
+an engrossing hobby for the leisured and the busy of all classes and
+all ranks of life, from the monarch on his throne to the errand boy in
+the merchant's office.
+
+In the competition of modern life it is recognised that those who
+must work must also play. The physician assures us that the man who
+allows himself no relaxation, no recreation, loses his energy, and
+ages earlier than the man who judiciously alternates work and play.
+
+As stamp collecting may be indulged in by all ages, and at all
+seasons, it is becoming more and more the favourite indoor relaxation
+with brain-workers. It may be taken up or laid down at any time, and
+at any stage. Its cost may be limited to shillings or pounds, and it
+may be made a pleasant pursuit or an engrossing study, or it may even
+be diverted into money-making purposes.
+
+So absorbing is the hobby that in stamp circles there is a saying,
+"Once a stamp collector, always a stamp collector."
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+I. STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME
+
+II. THE CHARM OF STAMP COLLECTING
+
+III. ITS PERMANENCE
+
+IV. ITS INTERNATIONALITY
+
+V. ITS GEOGRAPHICAL INTEREST
+
+VI. ITS HISTORICAL FINGER POSTS
+
+VII. STAMPS WITH A HISTORY
+
+VIII. GREAT RARITIES
+
+IX. THE ROMANCE OF STAMP COLLECTING
+
+X. PHILATELIC SOCIETIES AND THEIR WORK
+
+XI. THE LITERATURE OF STAMPS
+
+XII. STAMPS AS WORKS OF ART
+
+XIII. STAMP COLLECTING AS AN INVESTMENT
+
+XIV. WHAT TO COLLECT AND HOW TO COLLECT
+
+XV. GREAT COLLECTIONS
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+I.
+
+As a Pastime.
+
+
+According to the authorities, the central idea of a pastime is "that
+it is so positively agreeable that it lets time slip by unnoticed; as,
+to turn work into pastime." And recreation is described as "that sort
+of play or agreeable occupation which refreshes the tired person,
+making him as good as new."
+
+Stamp collectors may fairly claim that their hobby serves the double
+purpose of a pastime and a recreation. As a pastime, it certainly
+makes time pass most agreeably; for the true student of the postal
+issues of the world, it turns work into a pastime. As a recreation, it
+is of such an engrossing character that it may be relied upon to
+afford the pleasant diversion from business worries that so many tired
+mental workers need nowadays.
+
+For nearly half a century it has maintained unbroken its hold as one
+of the most popular of all forms of relaxation, and its popularity
+extends to all classes and to all countries.
+
+But this very devotion of stamp collectors to their hobby has puzzled
+and excited the uninitiated. The ordinary individual, especially the
+man who has no soul for a hobby of any kind, regards it as a passing
+fancy, a harmless craze, a fashion that must have its day and
+disappear, sooner or later. But the passing fancy has endured for
+nearly half a century, the harmless craze still serves its useful
+purpose, and the fashion has acquired such a permanence as to convince
+most people that it has come to stay.
+
+Of all pastimes, and of all the forms of recreation, not one can claim
+more lifelong devotees than this same stamp collecting. And where is
+another pastime with such international ramifications? In every
+civilised country, in every city, and in every town of any importance,
+the wide world over, thoughtful men and women are to be found formed
+into sociable groups, or societies, quietly and pleasantly enjoying
+themselves in the harmless and enduring pursuit of stamp collecting.
+
+There must be some reason for this popularity, this devotion of all
+classes to a pursuit, this unbroken record of progress. It cannot be
+satisfactorily accounted for as a passing fancy or fashion. It has too
+long stood the test of years to be so easily explained away. Fancies
+and fashions come and go, but stamp collecting flourishes from decade
+to decade. Princes and peers, merchants and members of Parliament,
+solicitors and barristers, schoolboys and octogenarians, all follow
+this postal Pied Piper of Hamelin,
+
+     "Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles,
+     cousins,"
+
+all bent upon the pursuit of this pleasure-yielding hobby.
+
+Why is it? Whence comes the fascination?
+
+To the unprejudiced inquirer the reply is simple. To the leisured man
+it affords a stimulating occupation, with a spice of competition; to
+the busy professional man it yields the delight of a recreative
+change; to the studious, an inexhaustible scope for profitable
+research; to the old, the sociability of a pursuit popular with old
+and young alike; to the young, a hobby prolific of novelty, and one,
+moreover, that harmonises with school studies in historical and
+geographical directions; to the money maker, an opening for occasional
+speculation; and to all, a satisfying combination of a safe investment
+and a pleasure-yielding study.
+
+Old postage stamps--bits of paper, as they are contemptuously called
+by some people--may have no intrinsic value, but they are,
+nevertheless, rich in memories of history and of art; they link the
+past with the present; they mark the march of empires and the
+federation of states, the rise and fall of dynasties, and the peaceful
+extension of postal communication between the peoples of the world;
+and, some day in the distant future, they may celebrate even yet more
+important victories of peace.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+II.
+
+The Charm of Stamp Collecting.
+
+
+His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in a letter to a
+correspondent, referring to stamp collecting, wrote: "It is one of the
+greatest pleasures of my life"; and the testimony of the Prince of
+Wales is the testimony of thousands who have taken up this engrossing
+hobby.
+
+The pursuit of a hobby is very often a question of expense. Many
+interesting lines of collecting are practically closed to all but the
+wealthy. But stamp collecting is open to all, for the expenditure may
+in its case be limited at the will of the collector to shillings or
+pounds. Indeed, the adaptability of this hobby is one of its chiefest
+charms. The rich collector may make his choice amongst the most
+expensive countries, whilst the man of moderate means will wisely
+confine himself to equally interesting countries whose stamps have not
+gone beyond the reach of the man who does not wish to make his hobby
+an expensive one. The schoolboy may get together a very respectable
+little collection by the judicious expenditure of small savings from
+his pocket money, and the millionaire will find ample scope for his
+surplus wealth in the fine range of varieties that gem the issues of
+many of the oldest stamp-issuing countries, and which only the
+fortunate few can hope to possess.
+
+In all there are over three hundred countries from which to make a
+selection. In the early days collectors took all countries, but as
+country after country followed the lead of England in issuing adhesive
+stamps for the prepayment of postage, and as series followed series of
+new designs in each country, the task of covering the whole ground
+became more and more hopeless, and collector after collector began
+first to restrict his lines to continents, and then to groups or
+countries, till now only the wealthy and leisured few attempt to make
+a collection of the world's postal issues.
+
+This necessary restriction of collecting to groups and individual
+countries has led to specialism. The specialist concentrates his
+attention upon the issues of a group or country, and he prosecutes the
+study of the stamps of his chosen country with all the thoroughness of
+the modern specialist. He unearths from forgotten State documents and
+dusty files of official gazettes the official announcements
+authorising each issue. He inquires into questions surrounding the
+choice of designs, the why and wherefore of the chosen design, the
+name of the engraver, the materials and processes used in the
+production of the plates, the size of the plates, and the varying
+qualities of the paper and ink used for printing the stamps--in fact,
+nothing that can complete the history of an issue, from its inception
+to its use by the public, escapes his attention. He constitutes
+himself, in truth, the historian of postal issues. The scope for
+interesting study thus opened up is almost boundless. It includes
+inquiries into questions of heraldry in designs, of currency in the
+denominations used, of methods of engraving dies, of the transference
+of the die to plates, of printing from steel plates and from
+lithographic stones, of the progress of those arts in various
+countries, of the manufacture, the variety, and the quality of the
+paper used--from the excellent hand-made papers of early days to the
+commonest printing papers of the present day--of postal revenues and
+postal developments, of the crude postal issues of earliest times, and
+the exquisite machine engraving of many current issues.
+
+He who fails to see any justification for money spent and time given
+up to the collecting of postage stamps will scarcely deny that these
+lines of study, which by no means exhaust the list, can scarcely fail
+to be both fascinating and profitable, even when regarded from a
+purely educational standpoint. It is true it may be contended that all
+collectors do not go thus deeply into stamp collecting as a study;
+nevertheless the tendency sets so strongly in the direction of
+combining study with the pleasure of collecting, that the man who
+nowadays neglects to study his stamps is apt to fall markedly behind
+in the competition that is ever stimulating the stamp collector in his
+pleasant and friendly rivalry with his fellows.
+
+Then, again, an ever-increasing supply of new issues from one or other
+of the many groups of stamp-issuing countries periodically revives the
+interest of the flagging collector, and binds him afresh to the hobby
+of his choice. Old, seasoned collectors, whose interest once set never
+flags from youth to age, relegate new issues to a back seat. They find
+more than enough to engage their lifelong devotion in the grand old
+issues of the early settlements. But the collector of modern issues
+who cannot afford to indulge in the great rarities, finds new issues a
+source of perpetual enjoyment. They follow one another month after
+month, and infuse into the collector's life the irresistible charm of
+novelty, and every now and again an emergency issue comes as a
+surprise. There is a scramble for possession, and a spice of
+speculation in the possibility, never absent from a makeshift and
+emergency issue, that the copies may be scarce, and may some day ripen
+into rarity.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+III.
+
+Its Permanence.
+
+
+Ever since the collection of postage stamps was first started it has
+been sneered at as a passing craze, and it has been going to die a
+natural death for the past forty years. But it is not dead yet.
+Indeed, it is very much more alive than it has ever been. Still the
+sneerers sneer on, and the false prophets continue to prophesy its
+certain end.
+
+To the unsympathetic, the ignoramus, the lethargic, the brainless,
+everything that savours of enthusiasm is a craze. The politician who
+throws himself heart and soul into a political contest is "off his
+head," is seized with a craze. The philanthropist who builds and
+endows hospitals and churches is "a crank," following a mere craze.
+The earnest student of social problems is "off the track," on a craze.
+The man who seeks relaxation by any change of employment is certain to
+be classed by some idiot as one who goes off on a craze. You cannot,
+in fact, step off the beaten track tramped by the common herd without
+exciting some remark, some sneer, perchance, at your singularity.
+
+The most ignorant are the most positive that stamp collecting is only
+a passing fancy of which its votaries will tire, sooner or later; and
+yet for the last forty years, with a brief exception, due to an
+abnormal depression in trade, it has always been on the increase.
+Indeed, it has never in all those years been more popular with the
+cultured classes than it is to-day. The Philatelic Society of London
+has an unbroken record of regular meetings of its members extending
+over a quarter of a century. The literature devoted to stamp
+collecting is more abundant than that of any other hobby. Its votaries
+are to be found in every city and town of the habitable globe.
+
+"All very fine," say our bogey men, our prophets of impending evil;
+"but blue china has gone to the wall, autographs are losing caste, old
+books and first editions are on the downgrade, pipes are relegated to
+the lumber-room, metallurgical cabinets are coated with dust, and even
+walking-sticks survive only at Sandringham!" Just so. We are
+all--Governments, people, and weather--going to the bad as fast as we
+can go, according to the croakers, the wiseacres, and the
+self-appointed prophets. Nevertheless, stamp collecting has survived
+the sneers and the evil prophecies of forty years, and so far as human
+foresight can penetrate the future, it seems likely to survive for
+many a generation yet.
+
+And why not? In the busy, contentious bustle of the competition of the
+day, the brain, strained too often to its utmost tension, demands the
+relaxation of some absorbing, pleasure-yielding hobby. Those who have
+tried it attest the fact that few things more completely wean the
+attention, for the time being, from the vexations and worries of the
+day than the collection and arrangement of postage stamps. In fact,
+stamp collecting has an ever-recurring freshness all its own, a scope
+for research that is never likely to be exhausted, a literature varied
+and abundant, and a close and interesting relation to the history and
+progress of nations and peoples that insensibly widens the trend of
+human sympathies and human knowledge.
+
+What more do we want of a hobby? We cannot ensure, even for the
+British Empire, an eternity of durability: nations decay and fashions
+change. Some day even stamp collecting may be superseded by a more
+engrossing hobby. The indications, however, are all in favour of its
+growing hold upon its universal public. The wealth invested in it is
+immense, its trading interests are prosperous and international, and
+no fear of changing fashion disturbs either dealer or collector.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+IV.
+
+Its Internationality.
+
+
+Wherever you go you find the stamp collector in evidence. The hobby
+has its devotees in every civilised country. Its hold is, in fact,
+international. In Dresden there is a society with over two thousand
+members upon its books; in out-of-the-way countries like Finland there
+are ardent collectors and flourishing philatelic societies. The Prince
+of Siam has been an enthusiastic collector for many years, and even in
+Korea there are followers of the hobby. Australia numbers its
+collectors by the thousand, and many of its cities have their
+philatelic societies, all keen searchers for the much-prized rarities
+of the various States of the Commonwealth. In India, despite the
+difficulty of preserving stamps from injury by moisture, there are
+numbers of collectors; one of the best-known rajahs is collecting
+stamps for a museum, recently founded in his State, and the Parsees
+are keen dealers. There are collectors throughout South Africa, in
+Rhodesia, and even in Uganda. Wherever a postage stamp is issued there
+may be found a collector waiting for a copy for his album. In no part
+of the world can an issue of stamps be made that is not at once
+partially bought up for collectors. If any one of the Antarctic
+expeditions were to reach the goal of its ambition, and were to
+celebrate the event there and then by an issue of postage stamps, a
+collector would be certain to be in attendance, and would probably
+endeavour to buy up the whole issue on the spot. The United States
+teems with collectors, and they have their philatelic societies in the
+principal cities and their Annual Congress. From Texas to Niagara, and
+from New York to San Francisco, the millionaire and the more humble
+citizen vie with each other in friendly rivalry as stamp collectors.
+
+Many countries are now making an Official Collection, and there is
+every probability that some day in the near future most Governments
+will keep a stamp collection of some sort for reference and
+exhibition. Under the rules of the Postal Union, every state that
+enters the Union is entitled to receive, for reference purposes, a
+copy of every stamp issued by each country in the Postal Union. Hence
+every Government receives valuable contributions, which should be
+utilised in the formation of a National or Official Collection. And
+some day stamp collectors will be numerous and influential enough to
+demand that such contributions shall not be buried in useless and
+forgotten heaps in official drawers, but shall be systematically
+arranged for public reference and general study.
+
+Not a few countries are every year rescued from absolute bankruptcy by
+the generosity with which collectors buy up their postal issues; and
+many other countries would have to levy a very much heavier burden of
+taxation from their peoples if stamp collecting were to go out of
+fashion.
+
+So widespread indeed is our hobby that a well-known collector might
+travel round the world and rely upon a cordial welcome at the hands of
+fellow-collectors at every stopping-place en route.
+
+International jealousies are forgotten, and even the barriers of race,
+and creed, and politics, in the pleasant freemasonry of philatelic
+friendships.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+V.
+
+Its Geographical Interest.
+
+
+A few years ago many heads of colleges prohibited stamp collecting
+amongst their boys. They found they were carrying it too far, and were
+being made the easy prey of a certain class of rapacious dealers. Now
+the pendulum is swinging in a more rational direction, and many
+masters themselves having become enthusiastic collectors, judiciously
+encourage the boys under their care to collect and study stamps as
+interesting aids to their general studies. They watch over their
+collecting, and protect them from wasteful buying. In some schools the
+masters have given or arranged lectures on stamps and stamp
+collecting, and the boys have voted such entertainments as ranking
+next to a jolly holiday.
+
+The up-to-date master, who can associate work and play, study and
+entertainment, is much more likely to register successes than the
+frigid dominie who will hear of nothing but a rigid attention to the
+tasks of the day. In the one case the lessons are presented in their
+most repellent form, in the other they are made part and parcel of
+each day's pleasant round of interesting study.
+
+The genuine success of the Kindergarten system in captivating the
+little ones lies in its association of play with work. The same
+principle holds good even to a much later age. The more pleasant the
+task can be made, the more ready will be the obedience with which the
+task will be performed. The openings for the judicious and helpful
+admixture of study and entertainment are so few, that one wonders that
+such a helpful form of play as stamp collecting has not become more
+popular than it has in our colleges.
+
+Take, for example, the study of geography, so important to the boys of
+a great commercial nation. The boy who collects stamps will readily
+separate the great colonising powers, and group and locate their
+separate colonies. How many other boys, even after they have passed
+through the last stage of their school life, could do this?
+Little-known countries and states are too often a puzzle to the
+ordinary schoolboy, which are familiar places to the stamp collecting
+youth. Ask the ordinary schoolboy in which continents are such places
+as Angola, Annam, Curaçao, Funchal, Holkar, Ivory Coast, Liberia,
+Nepaul, Reunion, St. Lucia, San Marino, Sarawak, Seychelles, Sirmoor,
+Somali Coast, Surinam, Tahiti, Tobago, or Tonga, and how many of all
+these places, so familiar to the young stamp collector, will he
+properly place? Not many; and the same question might probably be
+asked of many an adult with even less satisfaction.
+
+The average series of used stamps are now so cheap that a lad may get
+together a fairly representative collection for what he ordinarily
+spends at the tuck shop. Some educationists have advocated the making
+and exhibiting of school collections of stamps as aids to study. Such
+collections would certainly be much more profitably studied than most
+of the maps and diagrams that nowadays cover the walls.
+
+With few exceptions, every stamp has the name of the country, or
+colony, of its issue on its face; and most colonial stamps bear some
+family likeness to the stamps of the mother country. Our British
+colonial stamps are distinguished by their Queen's heads; the stamps
+of Portugal and its colonies by the portraits of the rulers of
+Portugal; those of Germany by the German currency; those of France
+mostly by French heraldic designs; those of Spain by the portraits of
+the kings and queens of Spain. So that the postage stamp is a key to
+much definite, valuable, and practical information.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+VI.
+
+Its Historical Finger Posts.
+
+
+When considered from the historical point of view, postage stamps
+attain their highest level of educational value. They are finger posts
+to most of the great events that have made the history of nations
+during the last fifty years. Here are a few out of many examples which
+might be quoted.
+
+The introduction of adhesive stamps for the prepayment of postage
+found France a Republic. A provisional government had just been
+established on the ruins of the monarchy which had been swept out of
+existence in the revolution of 1848. As a consequence, the first
+postage stamp issued by France, on New Year's Day of 1849, bore the
+head of Ceres, emblematic of Liberty. Three years later Louis Napoleon
+seized the post of power, and, as President of the Republic, his head
+figures on a stamp issued in 1851, under the inscription "REPUB.
+FRANC." Two years later the Empire was re-established, and the words
+"REPUB. FRANC." were changed to "EMPIRE FRANC." over the same head. In
+1863 the customary laurel wreath, to indicate the first victories of
+the reign, won in the war with Austria, was added to the Emperor's
+head. In 1870 the Franco-German War resulted in the downfall of the
+monarchy, and the head of Liberty reappears on a series of postage
+stamps issued in Paris during its investment by the German army. The
+issue of the stamps of Alsace and Lorraine in 1870 marks the
+annexation of the conquered territory.
+
+Italy in 1850 was a land of many petty states, each more or less a law
+unto itself, and each, in the fifties, issuing its own separate series
+of postage stamps. The stamps of the Pontifical States are made
+familiar by their typical design of a tiara and keys, and pompous King
+Bomba ordered the best engraver to be found to immortalise him in a
+portrait for a series of stamps. The other states had each its own
+heraldic design till the foundations of the Kingdom of Italy were
+laid, in 1859-60, by the union of the Lombardo-Venetian States, the
+Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchies
+of Parma and Modena, the Romagna and the Roman (or Pontifical) States
+with Piedmont. The first issue of stamps of the newly formed kingdom
+bore a portrait of King Victor Emmanuel II. with profile turned to the
+right. In 1863, after the Kingdom of Sardinia had been merged in the
+Kingdom of Italy, a new series was issued for united Italy. The same
+king's portrait appears, but turned to the left. In 1879 King Humbert
+succeeded Victor Emmanuel, and his portrait appeared on an issue in
+the year of his accession. The assassination of King Humbert and the
+accession of his son as Victor Emmanuel III. are followed by the new
+portrait of the new king on the current series of the stamps of Italy.
+
+The stamps of Germany tell a somewhat similar story. They mark the
+stages of gradual absorption into a confederation of states, and the
+ultimate creation of a German Empire. The postal issues of Baden
+ceased in 1871, when the Grand Duchy was incorporated in the Empire.
+Bavaria, though also incorporated, holds out in postal matters, and
+still issues its separate series. Bergedorf was in 1867 placed under
+the control of the free city of Hamburg, and thereupon ceased issuing
+stamps. Bremen, Brunswick, Hamburg, Lubeck, Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
+Oldenburg, Prussia, Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein formed the North
+German Confederation, and closed their postal accounts with collectors
+in 1868. Hanover became a province of Prussia after the war of 1866,
+and thereupon ceased its separate issue of postage stamps; and Thurn
+and Taxis followed suit in 1867. In 1870 the North German
+Confederation was merged in the German Empire, which issued its first
+postage stamp with the Imperial eagle in 1872. But the Empire is not
+yet sufficiently united to place a portrait of the Emperor upon its
+Imperial postal series.
+
+Indian postage stamps, overprinted with the initials "C.E.F.", for the
+China Expeditionary Force, _i.e._ the Indian troops sent to China in
+1901 to relieve the besieged Embassies, mark an historical event of no
+small import.
+
+The early provisional issues of Crete of 1898 indicate the joint
+interference of the Great Powers in its affairs, and the later issues,
+in 1900, bear the portrait of Prince George of Greece as High
+Commissioner of Crete.
+
+The Confederate locals of America, issued, in 1861-3, by the
+postmasters of the Southern States when they were cut off by the war
+from the capital and its supplies of postage stamps, and each town was
+thrown upon its own resources, proclaim the period of the great
+American Civil War.
+
+Collectors are all familiar with the long series of portraits of past
+Presidents of the United States, from Washington to Garfield.
+
+The stamps of Don Carlos mark the Carlist rising in Spain in 1873.
+
+But amongst the most interesting of all stamps that may be classed as
+historical finger posts, none equal in present-day interest the stamps
+of the Transvaal, for they tell of the struggle for supremacy in South
+Africa. In 1870 the Boers issued their first postage stamp, and a
+crude piece of workmanship it was, designed and engraved in Germany.
+Till 1877 they printed their supplies of postage stamps in their own
+crude way from the same crude plates. Then came the first British
+Occupation, when the remainders of the stamps of the first South
+African Republic were overprinted "V.R. TRANSVAAL," to indicate
+British government. Then, in 1878, the stamps of the Republic were
+replaced by our Queen's Head. In 1881 the country was given back to
+the Boers, when they in turn overprinted our Queen's Head series in
+Boer currency, to indicate the restoration of Boer domination. And
+now, finally, in 1900 we have the second British Occupation, and a
+second overprinting of South African Republic stamps "V.R.I.", to
+signalise once more, and finally, the supremacy of British rule in
+South Africa. The Mafeking stamps are also interesting souvenirs of a
+gallant stand in the same historical struggle.
+
+The war which Chili some years ago carried into Bolivia and Peru has
+been marked in a special manner upon the postage stamps of Chili. As
+in the case of our own troops in South Africa, so the Chilian troops
+in Bolivia and Peru were allowed to frank their letters home with the
+stamps of their own country. So also the Chilians further overprinted
+the stamps of Peru with the Chilian arms during their occupation of
+the conquered country in the years 1881-2. Chilian stamps used along
+the route of the conquering army, and postmarked with the names of the
+towns occupied, are much sought after by specialists. These postmarks
+include Arica, Callao, Iquique, Lima, Paita, Pisagua, Pisco, Tacna,
+Yca, etc.
+
+And so the stamp collector may turn over the pages of his stamp album,
+and point to stamp after stamp that marks, for him, some development
+of art, some crisis in a country's progress, some struggle to be free,
+or some great upheaval amongst rival powers. In fact, every stamp
+issued by a country is, more or less, a page of its history.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+VII.
+
+Stamps with a History.
+
+
+There are numbers of stamps that have an interesting history of their
+own. They mark some official experiment, some curious blunder or
+accident, some little conceit, some historical event, or some crude
+and early efforts at stamp production.
+
+What is known as the V.R. Penny black, English stamp, is said to have
+been designed as an experiment in providing a special stamp for
+official use, its official character being denoted by the initials
+V.R. in the upper corners; but the proposal was dropped, and the V.R.
+Penny black was never issued. For a long time it was treasured up as a
+rarity by collectors, but now that its real claims to be regarded as
+an issued stamp have been finally settled, it is no longer included in
+our stamp catalogues. In the days of its popularity it fetched as much
+as £14 at auction. It is now relegated to the rank of an interesting
+souvenir of the experimental stage in the introduction of Penny
+Postage.
+
+Of curious blunders, the Cape of Good Hope errors of colours are
+amongst the most notable. In 1861 the 1d. and 4d. triangular stamps,
+then current, were suddenly exhausted, and before a stock could be
+obtained from the printers in England, a temporary supply had to be
+provided locally. This was done by engraving imitations of the
+originals. Stereos were then taken, and made up into plates for
+printing. By an oversight a stereo of the penny value was dropped into
+the fourpenny plate and a fourpenny into the penny plate.
+Consequently, each sheet printed in the required red ink from the
+penny plate yielded a fourpenny wrongly printed in red instead of
+blue, its proper colour; and every sheet of the fourpenny likewise
+yielded a penny stamp printed in blue instead of red. These errors are
+highly prized by collectors, and are now extremely scarce, even poor
+specimens fetching from £50 to £60. At the time, copies were sold by
+dealers for a few shillings each. Similar errors are known in the
+stamps of other countries.
+
+Now and again the sheets of a particular value have, by some
+extraordinary oversight, been printed and issued in the wrong colour.
+In 1869 copies of the 1s. of Western Australia were printed in bistre
+instead of in green, and a few years later the twopence was discovered
+in lilac instead of yellow. In 1863 a supply of shilling stamps was
+sent out to Barbados printed in blue instead of black; but this latter
+error was, according to Messrs. Hardy and Bacon, so promptly
+discovered, that it is doubtful if any of the wrong colour were issued
+for postal use. In 1896 the fastidiously careful firm of De la Rue and
+Co. printed off and despatched to Tobago a supply of 6,000 one
+shilling stamps in the colour of the sixpenny, _i.e._ in orange-brown
+instead of olive-yellow. Several are said to have been issued to the
+public before the error had been noticed. Indeed, the firm at home is
+credited with having first discovered the mistake, and is said to
+have telegraphed to the colony in time to prevent their issue in any
+quantity.
+
+Another and much more common error in the early days of stamp
+production was the careless placing of one stamp on a plate upside
+down. Stamps so placed are termed _tête-bêche_. They have to be
+collected in pairs to show the error. The early stamps of France
+furnish many examples of this class of error. They are also to be
+found on the 6d. and 1s. values of the first design of the stamps of
+the Transvaal, on the early issues of Roumania, on some of the stamps
+of the Colombian Republic, and other countries.
+
+Stamps requiring two separate printings--_i.e._ stamps printed in two
+colours--have given rise to many curious errors in printing. A sheet
+passed through the press upside down after one colour has been printed
+results in one portion of the design being inverted. In the 1869 issue
+of the stamps of the United States no less than three of the values
+had the central portions of their designs printed upside down. The
+4d., blue, of the first issue of Western Australia is known with the
+Swan on its head. Even the recently issued Pan-American stamps,
+printed in the most watchful manner by the United States official
+Bureau of Engraving and Printing, are known with the central portions
+of the design inverted, and these errors, despite the most searching
+examination to which each sheet is several times subjected, escaped
+detection, and were sold to the public. When, however, it is
+remembered that stamps are now printed by the million, it will be
+wondered that so few mistakes escape into the hands of collectors.
+
+As a bit of conceit, the issue of what is known as the Connell stamp
+is probably unequalled. In loyal Canada, in 1860, Mr. Charles Connell
+was Postmaster-General of the little colony of New Brunswick, which in
+those days had its own government and its own separate issue of
+stamps. A change of currency from "pence" to "cents" necessitated new
+postage stamps. It was decided to give the new issue as much variety
+as possible by having a separate design for each stamp. Two of the
+series presented the crowned portrait of the Queen, and one that of
+the Prince of Wales as a lad in Scotch dress. Connell, apparently
+ambitious to figure in the royal gallery, gave instructions to the
+engravers to place his own portrait upon the 5 cents stamp. His
+instructions were carried out, and in due time a supply of the 5 cents
+bearing his portrait was delivered. But before many were issued the
+news spread like wildfire that Connell had outraged the issue by
+placing his own portrait upon one of the stamps. Political opponents
+are said to have taken up the hue and cry. The matter was immediately
+brought before the higher authorities, and the unfortunate stamp was
+promptly suppressed. Half a million had been printed off and delivered
+for sale, but very few seem to have escaped the outcry that was raised
+against them, and to-day copies are extremely scarce. Poor Connell
+took the matter very much to heart, threw up his appointment, and
+forthwith retired into private life. But the portrait of the bluff
+mechanic type of countenance will be handed down from generation to
+generation in stamp catalogues and costly stamp collections long after
+the authorities that suppressed him are forgotten.
+
+Some folks question the appearance of the Baden-Powell portrait upon
+the Mafeking stamps as a similar bit of conceit; but whatever may be
+said in criticism of Baden-Powell's stamp, most people will be
+inclined to accept it as a pleasant souvenir of an historic siege and
+a determined and gallant stand against great odds.
+
+But of all the portraits that have appeared upon postal issues, none
+probably occasioned so much trouble and fuss as that of the notorious
+King Bomba of Sicily. The most eminent engraver of his day--Aloisio--was
+commissioned to prepare an exact likeness of His Sacred Majesty. After
+much ministerial tribulation the portrait was approved and engraved, and
+to this day it is regarded as a superb piece of work. A special
+cancelling stamp had to be designed and put into use which defaced only
+the border of the stamp and left the sacred portrait untouched. During
+the preliminaries necessary to the production of the sacred effigy the
+fate of ministers and officials hung in the balance. One official was
+actually marked for degradation for having submitted a disfigurement
+which turned out to be a carelessly printed, or rough, proof impression.
+
+Numerous stamps have been designed, especially of late years, to
+represent some historical event in connection with the country of
+issue. The United States, in 1869, in the confined space of an
+unusually small stamp, endeavoured to represent the landing of
+Columbus, and in another stamp the Declaration of Independence. In a
+much more recent series, stamps of an exceptionally large size were
+adopted to give scope for a Columbus celebration set of historical
+paintings, including Columbus soliciting aid of Isabella, Columbus
+welcomed at Barcelona, Columbus restored to favour, Columbus
+presenting natives, Columbus announcing his discovery, the recall of
+Columbus, Isabella pledging her jewels, Columbus in chains, and
+Columbus describing his third voyage. Greece has given us a set of
+stamps illustrating the Olympian Games. But collectors look with
+considerable suspicion upon stamps of this showy class, for too many
+of them have been produced with the sole object of making a profit out
+of their sale to collectors, and not to meet any postal requirement.
+
+Crude productions of peculiar interest belong more to the earlier
+stages of the introduction of postage stamps. Local attempts at
+engraving in some of our own early colonial settlements were of the
+crudest possible description, and yet they are, because of their very
+crudeness, far more interesting than the finished product supplied by
+firms at home, for the local effort truly represented the country of
+its issue in the art of stamp production. The amusingly crude attempts
+which the engravers of Victoria have made from time to time, during
+the last fifty years, to give us a passable portrait of Her late
+Majesty Queen Victoria, have no equal for variety. The stamps of the
+first South African Republic, made in Germany, are very appropriate in
+their roughness of design and execution. For oddity of appearance the
+palm must be awarded to those of Asiatic origin, such, for instance,
+as the stamps of Afghanistan, of Kashmir, and most of the local
+productions of the Native States of India, marking as they do their
+own independent attempts to work up to European methods of
+intercommunication.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+VIII.
+
+Great Rarities.
+
+
+Of the many stamps that are set apart, for one cause or another, from
+the ordinary run, as having a history of their own, those that by the
+common consent of collector and dealer are ranked as great rarities
+are the most fruitful source of astonishment to the non-collector.
+They are the gems of the most costly collections, the possession of
+the few, and the envy of the multitude. In a round dozen that will
+fetch over £100 apiece there are not more than one or two that can lay
+any claim to be considered works of art; indeed, they are mostly
+distinguished by their surpassing ugliness. Nevertheless, they are the
+gems that give tone and rank to the finest collections. Some of them
+are even priceless.
+
+To the average man it is astonishing that anyone in his senses can be
+so foolish as to give £1,000 for an ugly little picture that has
+merely done duty as a postage stamp. He contends there can be no
+intrinsic value in such scraps of paper, and that settles the matter,
+in his opinion. But is it not so with precious stones and pearls? They
+are of value merely because they are the fashion. There is no
+intrinsic value in them. If they were not fashionable they would be
+of little or no value. Long-standing fashion, and fashion alone, has
+given them their value. So it is with stamps; fashion has given them
+their value, and every decade of continued popularity adds to that
+value as it has added to the value of precious stones and pearls.
+There is no sign that precious stones are likely to become worthless
+by the withdrawal of popular favour. Fashion changes from one stone to
+another without affecting the popularity of precious stones in
+general. So it is with stamps. Fashions change from one line of
+collecting to another without in the slightest degree affecting the
+stability or popularity of collecting as a whole. Precious stones and
+pearls minister to the pride of the individual, and stamps to his
+pleasure; and each has its own strong and unshakable hold upon the
+devotees of fashion and pleasure. There is a fluctuating market in the
+case of each of these favourites, but I venture to think that there
+is, and has been for the past forty years, a steadier rise in the
+value of stamps than in the value of precious stones.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+British Guiana, 1856, 1 c.--In 1856 this colony was awaiting a supply
+of stamps from England, and pending its arrival two provisional stamps
+were issued, a 1 c. and a 4 c. These were set up from type in the
+office of the _Official Gazette_. A small illustration of a ship, used
+for heading the shipping advertisements in the daily papers, was
+utilised for the central portion of the design. Of the 1 c. value only
+one specimen is known to-day, and that is in the collection of M.
+Philipp la Renotiérè (Herr von Ferrary). Doubts have been expressed as
+to the genuineness of the copy, but Mr. Bacon, who has had an
+opportunity of inspecting it, says: "After a most careful inspection I
+have no hesitation whatever in pronouncing it a thoroughly genuine one
+cent specimen. The copy is a poor one, dark magenta in colour, and
+somewhat rubbed. It is initialled 'E. D. W.', and dated April 1st, the
+year not being distinct enough to be read."
+
+This stamp may safely be placed at the head of great rarities. Of its
+value it is impossible to form any opinion. If a dealer had the
+disposal of the copy in question, he would probably want between
+£1,000 and £2,000 for it, with a decided preference for the larger
+sum.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Mauritius, "Post Office," 1d. and 2d.--The best known, the most
+quoted, and probably the most popular of all the great rarities is the
+"Post Office" Mauritius, so called because the words "Post Office"
+were inscribed on one side of the stamp instead of the words "Post
+Paid." There were two values, 1d. and 2d. They were designed and
+engraved by a local watchmaker, and were printed from single dies, and
+issued in 1847. The tedious process of printing numbers of stamps from
+single dies was soon abandoned, and only 500 copies of each value were
+struck. Of those 1,000 stamps only twenty-two copies are known to
+exist to-day. There are in the hands of leading collectors two copies
+of the 1d. unused, and three copies of the 2d. unused, twelve copies
+of the 1d. used, and five copies of the 2d. used. These rarities were
+only in use for a few days, and were mostly used in sending out
+invitations to a ball at Government House.
+
+The value, according to condition, is from £800 upwards for each
+value, but unused they are of course worth a great deal more.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Hawaii, 1851, 2 cents, blue.--Like so many rare stamps, this first
+issue of Hawaii was designed and set up from type in a printer's
+office. About twelve copies are known to exist. The stamp was in use
+but a very short time, as the Post Office of Honolulu was burnt down,
+and the stock of stamps of this first issue was completely destroyed.
+
+This 2 cents stamp is worth about £750.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+British Guiana, 1850, 2 cents.--This is popularly known as the 2 cents
+circular Guiana, because of its shape. A notice in the local Official
+Gazette, dated February, 1851, announced that "by order of His
+Excellency the Governor, and upon the request of several of the
+merchants of Georgetown, it is proposed to establish a delivery of
+letters twice each day through the principal streets of this city."
+Certain gentlemen were named as having consented to receive letters
+for delivery at their respective stores, and it was further announced
+that "each letter must bear a stamp, for which 2 c. will be charged,
+or it will not be delivered, and when called for will be subject to
+the usual postage of 8 c." A supply of the required 2 c. stamps was
+provided by a locally type-set design enclosed in a ring. It is said
+that this delivery of letters was discontinued soon after it was
+started, hence rarity of the stamp.
+
+Only eleven copies of this quaint postage stamp are known, and its
+market value is probably somewhere about £600.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Moldavia, 1858, 81 paras.--This rare stamp formed one of a set of four
+of the first postage stamps issued in Roumania. The values were 27
+paras for single letters travelling, and not carried more than about
+seventy miles, 54 paras for double that distance, 81 paras for heavier
+letters, and 108 paras for registered letters, all within the limits
+of Moldavia. The 81 paras is the rarest of the series, as will be seen
+from the following inventory taken in February, 1859, of the then
+unsold stock:--
+
+ 27 paras, printed 6,000, sold 3,675.
+ 54   "       "   10,000   "   4,756.
+ 81   "       "    2,000   "     693.
+108   "       "    6,000   "   2,568.
+
+All these stamps were printed by hand on coloured paper in sheets of
+thirty-two impressions in four rows of eight stamps. An unused copy of
+the 81 paras has fetched as much as £350.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+United States, Millbury, 1847, 5 c.--In the United States the general
+adoption of postage stamps was preceded by what may be termed
+preliminary issues, of a more or less local character, and known as
+"Postmaster stamps." These "Postmaster stamps" were issued by various
+country postmasters by way of experiment. The Providence stamp is the
+commonest example. One of the rarest is the 5 c. stamp, with a
+portrait of Washington, issued by the postmaster of Millbury, in
+Massachusetts, in 1847. This stamp is said to be worth about £300.
+There are others reputed to be equally rare. Among the local stamps
+issued by various unofficial carriers and express agencies, there are
+many of which very few copies are known, and as they are practically
+all held by enthusiastic collectors, and never come into the market,
+there are no data as to their current value.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Cape of Good Hope, 1861. _Errors of Colour_.--In making up the plate
+of a provisional issue of triangular stamps, pending the arrival of
+supplies from England, a stereo of the 1d. got inserted by mistake in
+the 4d. plate, and a 4d. in the 1d. plate. Consequently each sheet of
+the 1d. contained a 4d. printed in red, the colour of the 1d., instead
+of blue. And the sheets of the 4d., in like manner, each contained a
+1d, which, when the 4d. was printed in its proper colour of blue, was
+also printed in blue instead of red, the proper colour. These errors
+are very scarce, especially in an unused condition. The 1d., blue, is
+the rarer of the two, and is worth about £70 used; it is not known
+unused.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Tuscany, 1860, 3 lire.--In the early days of stamp production high
+values, such as we are now accustomed to get from most countries, were
+very rarely issued. For nearly thirty years Great Britain was content
+with a shilling stamp as its highest value. In 1860 the Provisional
+Government of Tuscany issued a stamp of 3 lire, for which there seems
+to have been very little use. It represented but two shillings and
+sixpence of English money, but it is nevertheless one of the great
+rarities to-day, especially in an unused condition. Used copies are
+worth about £65, and unused about £120.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Transvaal, 1878. _Error_ "Transvral."--This error occurred once in
+each sheet of eighty of the 1d., red on blue, of the first British
+Occupation. It was evidently discovered before a second lot was
+required, as it does not recur in the next printing of 1d., red on
+orange. It is a very rare stamp. Used it is worth about £50, but
+unused it is one of the great rarities, and has changed hands at about
+£150.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Ceylon, 1859, 4d. and 8d., imperforate.--Several of the first issues
+of this colony, designed and engraved by Messrs. Perkins Bacon and
+Co., and issued in 1857-9, are esteemed as great rarities in an
+imperforate and unused condition. The 4d., 8d., 9d., 1s., and 2s. are
+the rarest. The 4d., so long ago as 1894, fetched £130 at auction.
+These stamps are amongst the few great rarities that may be entitled
+to rank as works of art, and every year they are more sought after and
+more difficult to get in fine condition.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+IX.
+
+The Romance of Stamp Collecting.
+
+
+The story of the development of stamp collecting, and of the trade
+that has sprung up with it, is full of romance.
+
+Our publishers' business, with its world-wide ramifications, was begun
+by young Gibbons putting a few sheets of stamps in his father's shop
+window. The father was a chemist, and it was intended that the lad
+should follow in his father's footsteps; but the stamps elbowed the
+drugs aside, and eventually yielded a fortune which enabled this
+pioneer of the stamp trade to retire and indulge his globe-trotting
+propensities to the full. He sold his business for £25,000, and, still
+in the prime of life, retired to a snug little villa on the banks of
+the Thames. The business was converted into a Limited Liability
+Company, and the Managing Director may be said to be a product of the
+original business, for it was a present of a guinea packet of Stanley
+Gibbons's stamps that first whetted his appetite for stamp collecting,
+and eventually for stamp dealing. Mr. Gibbons had for a great many
+years conducted his business from his private house. The new broom
+changed all that, and opened out in fine premises in the Strand,
+W.C., where the Company now occupy the whole of one house and the
+greater part of the adjoining premises. In every room busy hands are
+at work all the day long endeavouring to keep pace with a world-wide
+business which began with a few sheets in the corner of a chemist's
+shop window in the town of Plymouth.
+
+And now, looking back on the humdrum days of the beginnings of the
+stamp trade, what opportunities do they not seem to have missed! Could
+they but have foreseen the present-day developments, a few
+unconsidered trifles, valued at a few pence in those days, put away in
+a bottom drawer, would to-day net a fortune. Young Gibbons, amongst
+his early purchases, bought from a couple of sailors at Plymouth for
+£5 a sackful of triangular Cape of Good Hope stamps, a large
+proportion being the rare so-called Woodblocks, with many of the
+Errors described in the list of great rarities in another chapter.
+Those Errors he disposed of at 2s. 6d. each. They are now worth from
+£60 to £75 each. And the ordinary Woodblocks, which were so
+plentifully represented in that sackful, are now catalogued at from
+50s. to £9 apiece. Strange as it may seem, those were the common
+stamps of those days, and they are the rarities of to-day.
+
+A well-known collection, full of rare stamps of the value of from £5
+to £50, has been largely formed by the fortunate possessor out of
+stamps for which he paid 2s. per dozen just a little over twenty years
+ago.
+
+A leading collector once conceived the idea of scouring the
+little-visited country towns of Spain for rare old Spanish stamps, and
+a most successful hunt he made of it. He secured most valuable and
+unsuspected hauls of unused and used blocks and pairs of rare
+Portuguese; but before returning home he decided to treat himself to a
+trip to Morocco, and during that ill-fated extension of his tour he
+lost nearly the whole of his patient garnerings of rare Spanish
+stamps, for during an inland trip some very unphilatelic Bedouins
+swooped down on his escort in the desert and carried off the whole of
+his baggage. He, being some distance ahead of his escort, escaped, and
+brought home only a few samples of the grand things he had found and
+lost.
+
+In all forms of collecting the hunt for bargains adds zest to the
+game, and probably more so in stamps than in any other hobby, not even
+excepting old china; and, as in other lines of collecting, the bargain
+hunter must be equipped with the expert knowledge of the specialist if
+he would sweep into his net at bargain prices the unsuspected gems to
+be found now and again in the philatelic mart. Many a keen stamp
+collector turns his years of wide experience to good account as a
+bargain hunter, and at least one innocent amateur is credited with
+netting a revenue which would make many a flourishing merchant green
+with envy.
+
+Many a match has probably been due to stamp collecting. Not long ago
+we were told of a young lady who wrote to an official in a distant
+colony for a few of the current stamps issued from his office. The
+stamps were forwarded and a correspondence ensued. There was
+eventually an exchange of photographs, and finally the official
+applied for leave, returned home, and married his stamp collecting
+correspondent.
+
+Truly the scope of the stamp collector for pleasure, for profit, and
+for romance is as wide as the most imaginative could desire.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+X.
+
+Philatelic Societies and their Work.
+
+
+Most of the great cities of Europe, the British Colonies, and the
+United States have their Philatelic Societies. They are associations
+of stamp collectors for the study of postage stamps, their history,
+engraving, and printing; the detection and prevention of forgeries and
+frauds; the preparation and publication of papers and works bearing
+upon postal issues; the display and exhibition of stamps, and the
+exchange of duplicates.
+
+The premier society is the Philatelic Society of London, which was
+founded so long ago as 1869, and has as its acting President H.R.H.
+the Prince of Wales. For over thirty years, without a break, this
+Society has held regular meetings during the winter months. Its
+membership comprises most of the leading collectors in Great Britain
+and her Colonies and many of the best-known foreign collectors. On the
+membership roll are three princes, several earls, baronets, judges,
+barristers, medical men, officers in the Army and Navy, and many
+well-known merchants. This society has published costly works on the
+stamps of Great Britain, of the Australian Colonies, of the British
+Colonies of North America, of the West Indies, of India and Ceylon,
+and of Africa. It publishes an excellently-got-up monthly journal of
+its own, which now claims shelf-room in the philatelic library for ten
+stately annual volumes. It has held two very successful International
+Philatelic Exhibitions, one opened by the late Duke of Edinburgh and
+the other by the Prince of Wales, then Duke of York. At its
+fortnightly meetings, papers are read and discussed on various matters
+relating to the hobby. Other meetings are held for the friendly
+exchange of duplicates.
+
+In the provinces, the principal societies are those of Manchester and
+Birmingham. The Birmingham Society possesses a collection of its own,
+which it keeps up to date, as a work of reference for its members.
+Several of the societies hold periodical exhibitions, in which members
+compete for medals, and in many other ways they lay themselves out to
+encourage and promote the collection of postage stamps as a popular
+pastime.
+
+The names of the various societies and the addresses of the
+secretaries are published at the commencement of each winter season in
+Stanley Gibbons' _Monthly Journal_.
+
+Apart from their pleasant sociability, these societies are of immense
+help to the collector, especially to the beginner. At each meeting
+papers are read and discussed, in which the most experienced
+collectors retail, for the benefit of the less experienced, the result
+of their latest researches, and eminent specialists display their
+splendid and carefully-arranged collections for the inspection,
+edification, and enjoyment of their fellow-members. This continual
+meeting and comparing of notes, this concentration of study upon the
+issues of a particular country, gradually ripens even the veriest tyro
+into an advanced and experienced collector.
+
+Under such conditions difficulties are cleared up, and the way made
+plain for wise and safe collecting. In too many lines of collecting
+the specialist carefully guards his knowledge for his own ultimate
+personal profit. The Philatelist, on the other hand, is more
+frequently than not generously and candidly helpful to his less
+advanced fellow-collector, especially if he happens to be a
+fellow-member of the same philatelic society.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+XI.
+
+The Literature of Stamps.
+
+
+Few hobbies, if any, can boast of such a varied and extensive
+literature as stamp collecting. Expensive works have been published on
+the postal issues of most countries. They have been published in
+English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, and Swedish.
+Those published in English alone would make a library of some hundreds
+of volumes.
+
+From its foundation, in 1869, the Philatelic Society of London has set
+itself the task of studying and writing up the postal history of Great
+Britain and her Colonies. Towards the accomplishment of this great
+task, it has already presented its members with splendid monographs on
+the Australian Colonies, the Colonies of North America, of the West
+Indies, of India and Ceylon, two volumes on the British Colonies of
+Africa, a separate monograph on Tasmania, and last, and most ambitious
+of all, a massive and comprehensive history of the postal issues of
+Great Britain. All these works are expensively illustrated with a
+profusion of full-page plates and other illustrations, and they
+represent years of patient toil, far-reaching investigation, and
+untiring research. The _History of the Adhesive Postage Stamps of
+Europe_ has been written in two volumes by Mr. W. A. S. Westoby, and
+the same author, in collaboration with Judge Philbrick, some twenty
+years ago published a work on _The Postal and Telegraph Stamps of
+Great Britain_. Messrs. W. J. Hardy and E. D. Bacon, in a work
+entitled _The Stamp Collector_, have sketched the general history of
+postage stamps. Other works too numerous to mention here have been
+written from time to time for the edification of the stamp collector,
+and the list is continually being increased by the addition of even
+more important works.
+
+One of the most interesting and comprehensive series of philatelic
+works, still in course of publication, was commenced by Messrs.
+Stanley Gibbons, Ltd., in 1893, in the form of philatelic handbooks.
+These handbooks are written by leading philatelic authorities. Each
+important country, _i.e._ important from the stamp collector's point
+of view, has a separate volume devoted to it, and into each handy
+volume is condensed as much as may be necessary to guide the advanced
+collector in specialising the postal issues of the country which he
+favours. There have already been published:--_Portuguese India_, by
+Mr. Gilbert Harrison and Lieut. F. H. Napier, R.N.; _South Australia_,
+by Lieut. F. H. Napier and Mr. Gordon Smith; _St. Vincent_, by Lieut.
+F. H. Napier and Mr. E. D. Bacon; _Shanghai_, by Mr. W. B. Thornhill;
+_Barbados_, by Mr. E. D. Bacon and Lieut. F. H. Napier; _Reprints and
+their Characteristics_, by Mr. E.D. Bacon; and _Grenada_, by Mr. E. D.
+Bacon and Lieut. F. H. Napier.
+
+For the instruction of the beginner, Major Evans, R.A., has compiled
+an excellent glossary of philatelic terms, under the title of _Stamps
+and Stamp Collecting_; and there is, further, _A Colour Dictionary_,
+by Mr. B. W. Warhurst, designed to simplify the recognition and
+determination of the colours and shades of stamps--a by no means
+unimportant matter when the value of a stamp depends upon its shade.
+
+But the most popular of all the philatelic publications are, of
+course, the monthly periodicals. The first stamp journal is said to
+have been _The Monthly Intelligence_, published at Manchester in 1862.
+It had but a short life of ten numbers out of the twelve required to
+complete Vol. I. But other journals followed in rapid succession, with
+more or less success, from year to year, till in 1893 a list of the
+various ventures in this line totalled up to nearly a couple of
+hundred. _The Stamp Collectors' Magazine_, started in 1863, may be
+said to survive in Alfred Smith and Son's _Monthly Circular; The
+Philatelic Record_, established in 1879, is now in its twenty-fourth
+yearly volume; Gibbons' _Monthly Journal_ is in its twelfth yearly
+volume; and _The London Philatelist_ is in its eleventh yearly volume;
+and all may be said to be going strong. How many ordinary periodicals
+can boast of equally robust lives? And yet some people are still to be
+found who speak in all seriousness of stamp collecting as only a
+passing craze.
+
+Properly speaking, tradesmen's catalogues can scarcely be regarded as
+literature, and yet it would be very remiss on my part to close this
+chapter without a reference to the excellent catalogues with which
+stamp collectors are provided. What other hobby can boast of such
+comprehensive and detailed catalogues, giving the actual selling price
+of almost every item, and regularly revised and brought up to date
+from year to year? Messrs. Stanley Gibbons' Priced Catalogue is
+comprised in four volumes:--Part I., The British Empire, 244 pages;
+Part II., Foreign Countries, 458 pages; Part III., Local Postage
+Stamps, 122 pages; Part IV., Envelopes, Post Cards, and Wrappers, 317
+pages; in all, 1,141 closely printed double-column pages of small
+type, with thousands of illustrations. This excellent catalogue is at
+once guide, philosopher, and friend to the stamp collector. Some
+people irreverently style it "the Philatelist's Bible." It does not
+profess to be anything more or less than a mere catalogue of goods for
+sale, but it is an open secret that it represents the combined work
+and the combined knowledge of the best Philatelists of the day, and
+that neither trouble nor expense is spared to include within its pages
+everything that a collector needs to know to enable him to gather his
+treasures together, and to arrange them in the best possible and most
+authoritative order.
+
+Much the same story might be told of the literature of stamp
+collecting in other countries. In the United States, in France, and in
+Germany there are numbers of robust periodicals, some stretching back
+into the early days, and there are scores of volumes of philatelic
+lore, many of which find a well-deserved place on the shelves of
+English collectors.
+
+As an indication of the value attached to philatelic literature, I may
+mention the fact that an English collector recently paid over £2,000
+for a by no means complete collection of works relating to stamp
+collecting.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+XII.
+
+Stamps as Works of Art.
+
+
+Some artists scout the idea of attempting anything that may be
+considered a work of art in the ridiculously limited space of a
+postage stamp. The restriction of a postage stamp when viewed
+alongside a canvas measuring several yards in length and height is
+probably hopeless enough. Nevertheless, many a stamp collector who is
+not devoid of art can find stamps which seem to him to be entitled to
+rank high even in the art world. In beauty of design, in the exquisite
+workmanship of the best modern steel engraving, aided by the most
+delicate machinery, and in unequalled printing, there are many gems
+within the very limited space of a postage stamp that excite and
+deserve, and not unfrequently win, the admiration of the most exacting
+critics. There are scores of little medallions, mostly on the postage
+stamps of foreign states, that surely would pass muster with an
+impartial judge of art. They are not the rarities of the stamp album.
+Some are even regarded as weeds in the philatelic garden. They are too
+often made to serve the revenue-producing necessities of the issuing
+state, and for that reason probably, more than for any other, they
+are made as attractive as modern art applied to stamp production can
+make them.
+
+Great commercial countries, producing their postage stamps by hundreds
+of millions, are as contemptuous in their consideration of the art
+possibilities of a postage stamp as the cynical artist whose days and
+years are devoted to the disfigurement of wall space. This country has
+no cause to be proud of the designs or the printing of its postage
+stamps. The chief consideration seems to be a low contract price for
+the production of recognisable labels for the indication of the
+prepayment of postage. That is the commercial view. And yet there are
+some foolish people who believe that an artist who could design an
+effective and acceptable postage stamp for the British Empire would
+add materially to his own fame and to the art standard of the Empire
+itself.
+
+Brother Jonathan across the sea is not unmindful of art in the
+production of his postage stamps, despite his commercial inclinations
+and training. From the first he has put his patriotism into his
+postage stamps. The portraits of the Presidents, from George
+Washington to Lincoln, and from Lincoln to McKinley, who have ruled,
+wisely and well, the destinies of the great Republic, Jonathan
+engraves in his best style, in his own official engraving
+establishment, and proudly places upon his postage stamps for the
+admiration of all good citizens and the edification and envy of the
+effete old countries beyond the seas.
+
+We, with our richer memories and our stately galleries of great men
+who have ruled or governed or fought through the centuries, must be
+content with an Empire postage stamp that is little better, from an
+art point of view, than an ordinary beer label, and we must be
+content to be told that it is the penalty of success, of the dire
+necessity of long numbers, and of a needy Treasury that sorely hungers
+for still greater profits from the Post Office.
+
+Meanwhile, small struggling states revel in beautiful stamps. The
+latest trend is in the direction of miniature portraiture. The
+Argentine Republic and Bolivia have in recent years issued some very
+fine examples in this direction. A very useful innovation is the
+addition of the name under the portrait. In this way thousands have
+been familiarised with the names and faces of men who before were
+almost unknown beyond their own country. Historic features, such as
+those of Columbus and Pizarro, have occasionally been added to the
+growingly interesting gallery of stamp portraits.
+
+The recently issued New Zealand picture series, illustrating most
+effectively some of the choicest bits of colonial scenery, and some of
+the rarest birds of the colony, engraved by Messrs. Waterlow and Sons,
+afforded an interesting and successful experiment in an art direction.
+As a result it is said that a strong demand has been generated in
+other colonies for similarly beautiful and localised designs in
+preference to the stereotyped mediocrity supplied by the ordinary
+label process.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+XIII.
+
+Stamp Collecting as an Investment.
+
+
+When a stamp collector is charged with being extravagant, with
+spending money lavishly and foolishly on a mere hobby, he may very
+justifiably reply that even his most extravagant spendings may be
+regarded as an investment.
+
+The ordinary investor in, say, industrial securities is fairly content
+if he can, with a little risk, secure a steady six or seven per cent.
+If he launches out into more speculative shares, yielding higher rates
+of interest, he must be content to face a much greater risk of the
+capital invested. Now, the severest test of an investment is the yield
+of interest over a series of years covering periods of depression as
+well as periods of prosperity. The stamp collector who has used
+ordinary discretion in his purchases may confidently submit his
+investment to this test.
+
+Some years ago, when I was writing in defence of stamp collecting as
+an investment, I received a very indignant letter from a collector who
+had made a large collection, complaining that he had then recently
+endeavoured to sell, but could get only a very small percentage of his
+outlay back, and that the very firms from whom he had bought most of
+his stamps scouted the idea of paying him anything like what they had
+cost him. He therefore ridiculed the idea that stamp collecting could
+be regarded as a safe investment, as in his case it had been a
+delusion and a snare. He was quite right, and it is still possible to
+make big collections--of, say, five thousand, ten thousand, and even
+larger--of stamps that are never likely to appreciate, and it is
+possible to buy those stamps at such a price that any attempt to
+realise even a small percentage of the original outlay must result in
+a woeful eye-opener.
+
+Let me explain. In the stamp business, as in all other branches of
+commerce, there are wholesale and retail dealers. The wholesaler buys
+by the thousand stamps that are printed by the million. I refer, of
+course, to used stamps. In some cases the price paid per thousand is
+only a few pence for large quantities that run into millions. The
+wholesaler sells to the retail dealer at a small advance per thousand.
+Those stamps the ordinary dealer makes up into packets at a further
+profit, but still at a comparatively low price. Good copies he picks
+out for sale in sets and separately. Those have to be catalogued.
+Therefore, the catalogue price of common stamps bought and sold by the
+million eventually comes before the general collector at "one penny
+each," and the man who makes a collection of common stamps of the "one
+penny each" class can scarcely be expected to realise a fortune out of
+his stamp collecting. When he offers his gatherings of years to the
+self-same dealer, and asks, say, only the half of what he paid, he is
+astounded when the dealer has the audacity to tell him frankly, "I can
+buy most of those stamps at a few shillings per thousand, and you want
+an average of a halfpenny each for them!" "But," retorts the
+collector, "I paid you one penny each for them years ago, and now you
+won't give me half that amount. A pretty thing investing money in
+stamps!" The reply of the dealer will be, "My dear fellow, you have
+put your money into the wrong stamps. I bought, and can still buy,
+those stamps wholesale at a few shillings per thousand, some of them
+at a few pence per thousand; but I have to pay clerks for handling
+them and sorting them out, other assistants for cataloguing them, and
+the printers for printing the catalogue, so that in the end I cannot
+afford to sell them _separately_ for less than about one penny each,
+but if you want a few thousand of any value I can sell them to you at
+a price enormously below what you ask for your collection." The
+collector's eyes are opened.
+
+It is impossible to get away from the necessity of regarding stamps as
+an investment. Even the schoolboy cannot afford to put his shilling
+into stamps unless he can be fairly assured that he may get his money
+back at critical periods, which will crop up even in school life.
+Indeed, it may be said that there are few, if any, stamp collectors
+nowadays who do not put more money into stamps than they could afford
+to do if there were not some element of investment in view. In some
+instances large fortunes are actually invested in stamps, and I was
+only recently told of a collector who had taken his money out of a
+very profitable business and put it into stamps, and had netted very
+much larger profits than he ever realised in his regular business. But
+to do that sort of thing requires a profound knowledge of stamps and a
+ready command of a very large banking account.
+
+Generally speaking, the best countries from an investment point of
+view are British Colonials, especially those of the small colonies
+that have small populations, and therefore very small printings of
+stamps. Obviously, countries that put stamps into circulation by the
+million can never be a very good investment, so far as their common
+values are concerned. Those who buy with a keen eye on the investment
+purpose, always buy unused copies of uncommon values. Unused are not
+likely to depreciate, and they may appreciate.
+
+In fact, it may be safely said that, all round, the thing to do in
+stamps is to buy _unused_ for investment. When stamps are printed by
+the million, _used_ supplies will be available for no one knows how
+long; but in the case of unused, when a new issue is made, the
+obsolete stamp is on the road to an advance in value. It is true
+dealers stock large quantities of all stamps, but there are so many
+countries to be stocked now that no dealer can afford to hoard unused
+to any great extent, and even if he did, the dead capital would be an
+item which would compel him to advance the price of unused to protect
+himself from loss. Let us say a stamp becomes obsolete this year, and
+a dealer buys £100 worth. It would be a moderate estimate to place the
+earning power of stamps at 10 per cent. In seven years that £100 hoard
+would, reckoning compound interest, represent £200, or double face. Of
+course, no dealer would hoard up £100 worth of a common stamp, but
+from the day that it becomes obsolete it must be hoarded up by
+someone, and interest must be accruing on the investment which will
+have to be added to the value of the stamp, unless someone is to stand
+the loss. It will, therefore, be obvious that unused stamps must
+appreciate while used may remain stationary, for the simple reason
+that the limit of supply has been reached in one case but not in the
+other.
+
+Taking almost haphazard a few stamps, most of which have been within
+the reach of all collectors during the last fifteen years, the
+following table will give some idea of the appreciation in prices
+which has been steadily going on in good stamps:--
+
+                              |1875  |1880  |1886  |1890  |1893  |1897  |1902  |
+                              |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |
+Bremen, 1867, 5 sgr., green,  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |1 0   |1 6   |2 6   |4 0   |5 0   |25 0  |17 6  |
+Bechuanaland, 1886, 1s.,      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_used_.                       |--    |--    |--    |2 6   |2 6   |6 6   |30 0  |
+"   1888-9, 4d.,              |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |--    |--    |--    |1 0   |2 0   |2 0   |3 0   |
+British Guiana, 1860, 1 c,    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+brown. perf., _used_          |3 6   |4 0   |12 6  |30 0  |32 6  |80 0  |80 0  |
+Cape of Good Hope, 1d.,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+ [triangle]_unused_           |0 4   |0 6   |1 6   |2 0   |4 0   |8 0   |15 0  |
+Cape of Good Hope, 1d.,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+ [triangle] Woodblock,        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_used_                        |2 6   |3 6   |15 0  |25 0  |45 0  |90 0  |95 0  |
+Cyprus, 1880, 6d., _unused_   |--    |--    |1 6   |7 6   |12 0  |30 0  |25 0  |
+  "      "    1s., _unused_   |--    |--    |2 6   |10 0  |15 0  |40 0  |55 0  |
+Danish West Indies, 1872,     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+4 c., blue, _unused_.         |0 6   |0 6   |1 6   |3 6   |5 0   |17 6  |25 0  |
+Danish West Indies, 1873,     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+14 c., _unused_               |1 0   |1 0   |2 6   |3 6   |5 6   |24 0  |32 0  |
+Egypt, 1866, 5 piastres,      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |2 0   |2 0   |5 0   |8 6   |16 0  |22 6  |25 0  |
+  "     "    10   "           |2 6   |1 6   |6 0   |12 0  |20 0  |26 0  |27 6  |
+Gambia, 4d., imperf.,         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |0 8   |0 8   |2 6   |5 0   |6 0   |20 0  |32 0  |
+Gibraltar, 1886, 1s.          |--    |--    |1 9   |3 6   |7 6   |70 0  |75 0  |
+Hayti, 1881, 20 c., _unused_  |--    |--    |2 0   |2 0   |2 6   |7 6   |20 0  |
+Hungary, 1871, 3 k., litho.,  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_used_                        |0 2   |0 2   |1 6   |3 6   |6 6   |30 0  |40 0  |
+Newfoundland, 1866, 5 c.,     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+brown, _used_.                |1 0   |2 6   |3 6   |7 6   |12 6  |28 0  |25 0  |
+New South Wales, 1d., Sydney  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+Views, _used_.                |2 6   |4 0   |17 6  |30 0  |35 0  |40 0  |40 0  |
+Orange River Colony, 1877, 4  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+on 6d., _unused_              |--    |1 0   |1 0   |3 0   |3 0   |5 0   |30 0  |
+Tonga, 1892, 8d.              |--    |--    |--    |--    |2 0   |5 0   |10 0  |
+  "     "    1s.              |--    |--    |--    |--    |3 0   |4 0   |15 0  |
+Transvaal, 1878-9, 4d.,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |--    |0 8   |1 0   |1 0   |0 9   |1 6   |20 0  |
+  "         "      1s.   "    |--    |1 9   |2 0   |2 0   |4 6   |15 0  |40 0  |
+Trinidad, 1896, 10s.          |--    |--    |--    |--    |--    |14 0  |70 0  |
+Turks Islands, 1879, 1s.,     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+blue, _unused_                |--    |1 9   |2 6   |3 0   |5 0   |20 0  |25 0  |
+Zululand, 1888, 9d.           |--    |--    |--    |1 6   |1 6   |12 0  |17 6  |
+
+Of foolish investors there will always be a generous supply, who will
+ever be ready to offer themselves as evidence of the worthlessness of
+any and every form of investment, forgetful of the fact that the shoe
+is more often on the other foot. In stamps, as in every other class of
+investment, the foolish may buy what is worthless instead of what is
+valuable. There are stamps specially manufactured and issued to catch
+such flats, and they are easily hooked by the thousand every year,
+despite the continual warnings of experienced collectors.
+
+But if we turn to the result of experienced collecting we find
+abundant evidence of the fact that the stamp collector may enjoy his
+stamps and, when the force of circumstances compels him to abandon
+them, he may retire without regret for having put so much money into a
+mere hobby.
+
+Mr. W. Hughes Hughes, B.L., started his collection in 1859, and kept a
+strict account of all his expenditure on his hobby, and in 1896 he
+sold to our publishers for close on £3,000 what had cost him only £69.
+
+In 1870 a stamp dealer in London, as a novelty and an advertisement,
+papered his shop windows, walls, and ceiling with unused Ionian
+Islands stamps, which were then a drug in the market. The same stamps
+would now readily sell at 10s. per set of three; in other words, the
+materials of that wall-paper would now be worth at least £5,000.
+
+The late Mr. Pauwels, of Torquay, made a collection which cost him
+£360 up to 1871, when it was put on one side and left untouched until
+1898. It was then purchased by our publishers for the sum of £4,000,
+and yielded them a very fair return on their investment.
+
+In the International Philatelic Exhibition, held in the Galleries of
+the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in Piccadilly,
+London, in 1897, one collector marked over each stamp of his exhibit
+the price which he had paid for it, and the market price of the day.
+The collection had been got together during the previous fifteen
+years, and had cost its owner £25 2s., while by the then latest
+catalogue value it totalled up to £368 1s. 3d.
+
+Shrewd business men are those who frequently invest large sums in
+stamps. The amounts spent annually by some wealthy collectors range
+from £1,000 to £10,000. One well-known Parisian collector, whose life
+has been largely devoted to his philatelic treasures, and who employs
+two secretaries to look after his collection, has, it is estimated,
+spent at least £200,000 on his stamps since 1870.
+
+If investment were the Alpha and Omega of stamp collecting, every
+collector of standing would bemoan lost opportunities. Many a great
+rarity of to-day could have been had for a few shillings a few years
+ago. The Cape errors were sold by Stanley Gibbons at 2s. 6d. each. The
+"Transvral" error was sold by the same generous firm at 4s., and
+others in similar proportion in the day of opportunity.
+
+To-day it is the fashion to look back with regret on those lost
+opportunities, and to nurse the belief that such opportunities are
+never likely to return. But experience shows that in every decade of
+stamp collecting the common stamp of to-day may be the rarity of
+to-morrow. In many a series of stamps some one of the lot from some
+cause or another gets scarce, and the price appreciates from year to
+year till the original price paid for the stamp in pence is
+represented by pounds.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+XIV.
+
+What to Collect and How to Collect.
+
+
+The questions, "What to collect?" and "How to collect?" are much more
+easily asked than answered. Each individual will differ in taste, in
+inclination, in method, in time at his disposal, and last, but not
+least, in the depth of his pocket. The most that can be done is to
+outline a general plan, founded upon general experience.
+
+Collectors are divided into two classes--the general collector and the
+specialist. The general collector takes everything that comes in his
+way, and knows no limitations, no exclusions of this country or that.
+The specialist, on the other hand, confines his attention to the
+stamps of one or more particular groups or divisions, or even to one
+particular country.
+
+The most experienced collectors, whether general or specialist, almost
+invariably advise the beginner to start as a general collector. As a
+beginner he will have no experience to guide him in the choice of a
+particular group or division; and until he has travelled over the
+ground as a general collector it will be difficult for him to make a
+choice which he may not have cause to regret. As a general collector
+he will gather together a general knowledge of stamps in all their
+peculiar varieties, which can scarcely fail to be immensely useful to
+him even should he subsequently drift into specialism. Indeed, it is
+an accepted truism that the man who starts as a general collector
+invariably makes the best specialist in the end.
+
+Starting, then, as a general collector, the beginner purchases an
+album--for choice say the "Imperial," published by Stanley Gibbons,
+Ltd., which on one page has a printed and illustrated list of the
+stamps of a country, and on the opposite page ruled and numbered
+spaces for every stamp mentioned in the printed list. A catalogue,
+setting forth the prices at which stamps may be purchased, should also
+be obtained.
+
+One of the very first questions to be settled at the start will be the
+choice that must be made between the collection of used and of unused.
+The general collector who wishes to collect economically should
+certainly start with what is cheapest; and as the common stamps are
+cheapest in the used condition, used should be selected. When a
+collector can afford to spend his money liberally, the best and
+safest, and cheapest in the long run, will be stamps unused and in the
+pink of condition. Such stamps generally turn out to be a safe and not
+unfrequently a splendid investment.
+
+The beginner will find that he can fill up a large proportion of the
+spaces in his album with comparatively common stamps, and these are
+much more economically purchased in the form of cheap packets. The
+blanks that remain will then represent stamps worth searching for
+separately, and buying singly as good opportunities occur. Many may be
+obtained in exchanging duplicates with other collectors.
+
+After some experience as a general collector, preferences will
+gradually materialise, and the utter hopelessness of making a thorough
+collection of the postal issues of the world will be apparent. At this
+stage the collector generally sells the bulk of his collection,
+reserving only a few countries to be followed up in future on
+specialist lines. The remedy and the change are drastic, and, like
+most drastic remedies, are much too sweeping. Wiser and keener
+Philatelists nowadays retain their general collections, so far as they
+have gone with them, and upon their basis give play to their
+specialist inclinations. That is to say, they single out a country,
+and work at that exclusively on specialist lines; and when they tire
+of that country, or exhaust it so far as their means allow, they have
+in their general collection the nucleus of another country with which
+to build up another specialist collection. On this plan a collector
+can always be working in sympathy and on the lines of the fashionable
+country of the day. He can take up and open out whatever country
+happens to be the vogue. In this way a neglected country every now and
+again comes to the front, and the nucleus of that country which may be
+found in the general collection may suddenly acquire an interest and a
+value never dreamt of. A recent case in point is that of the Orange
+Free State. Its stamps went a-begging for purchasers. Then trouble,
+and unrest, and war brought them into notice, and now the almost
+worthless have become valuable, and the pence have run into shillings,
+and the shillings into pounds.
+
+For many persons, however, limitations and exclusions are necessary
+from the start. In their case a choice must be made, and the safest
+choice will be that of the British Colonies, or, if a still more
+restricted line must be drawn, one of the Continental groups of
+Colonies. A glance at a priced catalogue will be the best guide for
+selection. If it must be an economical selection, the catalogue will
+speak for itself. There is abundant choice in every direction. There
+are colonies with few and simple and inexpensive issues, and there are
+others that require ample means and patient research. But the cheapest
+countries, from an expenditure point of view, are foreign
+countries--such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, German Empire, Italy,
+Chili, China, and so on.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+XV.
+
+Great Collections.
+
+
+Great collections of postage stamps, like great collections of
+pictures, in these days acquire an international rank and reputation.
+The great stamp collections of to-day are in a few hands, and have
+been built up by lavish wealth and lavish industry. Wealth alone will
+not suffice to gather together a really great philatelic collection.
+There must be patient research, and there can be no research apart
+from that full knowledge which comes only to the industrious and
+painstaking Philatelist. The gem that is wanted to complete the finest
+page in the rich man's collection has not unfrequently to be
+personally sought for in the byways, the alleys, and lanes of stamp
+collecting; and despite the keenest search of the wealthy, it
+sometimes, after all, falls by grim mischance into the laboriously
+gathered collection of the man of very limited means.
+
+The Prince of Wales is known to be an enthusiastic and keen stamp
+collector. He is the acting President of the Philatelic Society of
+London. During his recent tour round the world he displayed his great
+interest in the postal issues of the colonies which he visited, and
+brought home much valuable philatelic information and a number of
+proofs of sheets of old colonial stamps which will help to clear up
+many doubtful points. H.R.H. collects only the stamps of Great Britain
+and her colonies, and he possesses many specimens that are absolutely
+unique.
+
+The collection which was made by the late Mr. T. K. Tapling, M.P., is
+now in the keeping of the British Museum, having been bequeathed to
+the nation by its possessor, who was one of the most cultured and
+shrewdest collectors of his day. His collection was his
+life-work--from boyhood till his early death in 1891. It was largely
+made up of the amalgamation of great collections. In his day Tapling
+had the first pick in every direction, and, as a result, his
+collection is to-day one of the grandest and richest and most
+scientific general collections extant. Great rarities may be said to
+be conspicuous by their prominence and by their matchless condition.
+
+But the greatest collection of all is that of M. Philipp la Renotiérè,
+of Paris, known to most collectors as Herr von Ferrary. In the course
+of the last thirty years he has purchased many well-known old
+collections, amongst which may be mentioned that of Judge Philbrick
+for £7,000, Sir Daniel Cooper's for £3,000, W. B. Thornhill's
+Australians, etc. M. la Renotiérè has been a large buyer in the
+leading capitals of Europe for a great many years. His expenditure
+with our own publishers is said to average from £3,000 to £4,000 a
+year. He employs two secretaries who are paid large salaries, one to
+look after the postage stamps and the other the post cards, envelopes,
+and wrappers.
+
+Mr. F. Breitfuss, of St. Petersburg, who has been collecting since
+1860, is credited with the third finest collection in the world. He
+is an omnivorous, but scientific general collector.
+
+Mr. H. J. Duveen, the well-known art connoisseur of London and New
+York, although he did not take to stamp collecting till 1892, has
+already got together the finest collection, outside the British
+Museum, in this country. It is celebrated not only for the beauty of
+its specimens, but also for its completeness, neatness, and scientific
+arrangement. The value of the collection is probably close on £80,000.
+It is enclosed in seventy handsome Oriel albums.
+
+Mr. W. B. Avery, head of the well-known firm of scale-makers of
+Birmingham, has one of the finest general collections. It is justly
+celebrated for the large number of great rarities that it contains,
+amongst which are the two rare "Post Office" Mauritius in superb
+unused condition. The collection cannot be worth at present far short
+of £50,000.
+
+Mr. M. P. Castle, the Vice-President of the Philatelic Society of
+London, who succeeded the late Mr. Tapling in office, is one of the
+keenest of keen collectors. His general collection became so large
+that he parted with it in 1877, and then specialised in Australians.
+This latter collection he sold, in 1894, to our publishers for
+£10,000, at that time the largest sum ever paid for a single
+collection. He subsequently made a grand specialised collection of
+Europeans. This, arranged in sixty-seven volumes, he sold, in 1900,
+for nearly £30,000, and he has now returned to his love for
+Australians.
+
+The Earl of Crawford and Balcarres is a collector of only recent date,
+but he has already formed a really magnificent collection based on
+broad historical lines. He confines himself mostly to the stamps of
+the British Empire, the United States, and the Italian States. His
+lordship is a member of the Council of the Philatelic Society of
+London, and, when in England, a regular attendant at its meetings.
+
+The Earl of Kintore is also the possessor of a very fine collection of
+English Colonials, etc.; among his greater rarities being the "Post
+Office" Mauritius, the complete set of Hawaiian Islands (first issue),
+the 2 cents, rose, British Guiana, and many other gems. He also is a
+member of the London Philatelic Society.
+
+In France the place of honour, after M. la Renotiérè, is deservedly
+taken by M. Paul Mirabaud, the well-known banker of Paris, whose
+magnificent collection of Switzerland was shown in the last Paris
+Exhibition. It forms, however, only a small portion of his fine
+collection.
+
+In Italy probably the most famous collection is that of Prince Doria
+Pamphilj, which is exceptionally rich in the interesting issues of the
+Italian States.
+
+In the United States of America there are many notable collections,
+several of them being worth from £30,000 to £50,000, amongst which may
+be mentioned the Crockers', of San Francisco, Mr. F. W. Ayer's, of
+Bangor, Maine, and Mr. Paul's, of Philadelphia.
+
+In Germany the greatest collection is doubtless that of Mr. Martin
+Schroeder, the well known merchant of Leipzig.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+Stanley Gibbons, Ltd.
+
+_CAPITAL, £75,000. ESTABLISHED 1856._
+
+HIGHEST POSSIBLE AWARDS.
+
+_GOLD MEDAL, Paris, 1892._
+
+_GOLD MEDAL, Chicago, 1893._
+
+FIVE MEDALS
+(_Highest in each Class_),
+GENEVA, 1896.
+
+FOUR MEDALS
+(_Highest in each Class_),
+LONDON, 1897.
+
+The above-mentioned high rewards gained by the Firm have been awarded
+for the perfect condition and completeness of Stamp Collections, and
+for general excellence in Stamp Albums, Catalogues, and Handbooks.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Rare
+Stamps
+Bought, Sold, or Exchanged.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_LARGE NEW PROSPECTUS_
+(_Seventy-six Pages_),
+
+With full details of all
+STAMP ALBUMS,
+CATALOGUES, HANDBOOKS,
+and List of nearly
+2,000 SETS and PACKETS
+at Bargain Prices,
+
+_sent post-free on application_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+STANLEY GIBBONS,
+
+LIMITED,
+
+New Announcements.
+
+_ANNUAL SALE OVER THIRTY THOUSAND PACKETS._
+
+NOW READY, the following Popular Series of
+
+PACKETS OF FOREIGN POSTAGE STAMPS
+
+_All the Stamps contained in the following Packets are warranted
+absolutely genuine, free from reprints. They are also in good
+condition and perfect._
+
+These Packets cannot be sent by book post to Postal Union Countries.
+The cost by letter rate is 2-1/2d. for every 100 Stamps. The amount
+required for postage can therefore be reckoned, and should be added
+when remitting.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_New and Improved Packets of Used and Unused Stamps._
+
+No. 1.--The Sixpenny Packet of Mixed Continental Stamps contains 100,
+including many obsolete and rare. (This packet contains duplicates.)
+Post-free, 7d.
+
+No. 2.--The Sixpenny Packet of Used Foreign Stamps contains 50
+varieties, all different, including Egypt, Spain, Chili, New South
+Wales, Transvaal, Roumania, Porto Rico, Argentine, Sweden, Brazil,
+Turkey, &c. Post-free, 7d.
+
+No. 3.--The Sixpenny Packet of Used Colonial Stamps contains 12
+varieties, including Natal, Ceylon, India H.M.S., Cape of Good Hope,
+British Guiana, Mauritius, Tasmania, New South Wales Service,
+Victoria, Jamaica, South Australia O.S., &c. All different. Post-free,
+7d.
+
+No. 4.--The Shilling Packet of Used and Unused Foreign Stamps contains
+50 varieties, including French Soudan, Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal,
+Sandwich Isles (head of King), Italy, Turkey, Finland, Brazil,
+Roumania, Portugal, Argentine Republic, Ecuador, Salvador, Greece,
+Mexico, Shanghai, Philippine Isles, Japan, and others rare. All
+different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 5.--The Shilling Packet of Colonial Stamps contains 25 varieties,
+including Cyprus, Natal, Jamaica, provisional South Australia,
+Victoria 1/2d. rose, surcharged Ceylon, Straits Settlements, India
+Service, Queensland, Hong Kong, Barbados, Swan River, South Australia,
+Centennial New South Wales, Mauritius, Malta, and others rare. All
+different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 6.--The Eighteenpenny Packet of Used Foreign Stamps contains 100
+varieties, including Mauritius, Hong Kong, Finland, Japan 15 and 25
+sen, Barbados, Chili, Brazil, Greece, Russia, Porto Rico, India
+envelope, Jamaica, Belgium, Spain, Canada, &c. All different and
+warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/7.
+
+No. 7.--The Two Shilling Packet of Rare Used and Unused Foreign Stamps
+contains 100 varieties, including Porto Rico, Colombia, New Zealand,
+registered Canada, rare Turkish, Dutch Indies, Ceylon, Mozambique,
+Mauritius, Portugal, French Colonies, O. F. State, Cyprus, Norway,
+Sardinia, Belgium, West Australia, Chili, Egypt, Bavaria, and others
+rare. All different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 2/1.
+
+
+
+
+Approval Sheets and Collections of Stamps.
+
+NEW SHEETS OF STAMPS FOR BEGINNERS AND MEDIUM COLLECTORS.
+
+
+We have just been arranging our Approval Sheets of Stamps on an
+entirely new and much simpler plan than formerly. The Stamps are
+mounted on Sheets, containing an average of 100 Stamps per Sheet. They
+are all arranged in the order of our New Catalogue. First, Great
+Britain and the Colonies, then all Foreign Countries. These Sheets
+contain about 5,000 different Stamps, and a Sheet of any particular
+country will be sent on demand. The Sheets arranged to date are over
+forty in number, and contain all Great Britain and the Colonies, and
+all Foreign Countries.
+
+TO ADVANCED COLLECTORS.--For Collectors more advanced we have an
+assortment of many hundreds of small books of Choice picked Stamps of
+every Country or District in the World. Most of these special books
+contain twenty pages (5×3-1/2 inches), and can be sent by post in an
+ordinary registered envelope to all parts of the world. These books,
+as a rule, include Used and Unused Stamps, but Special Approval Books
+will be made up to suit individual requirements. Collectors writing
+for such should state if they wish for Used or Unused Stamps; if
+singles, pairs, or blocks of 4 are required; also, in Used Stamps, if
+special Postmarks are sought for. In all cases, in these books, we
+shall lay ourselves out to meet the special requirements of each
+individual client, whether the amount required be large or small.
+
+Great Rarities are our Speciality. We have a large number of Stamps on
+hand from £100 to £750 each, and shall be pleased to give prices and
+particulars to advanced Philatelists.
+
+We purchase really Rare Stamps at a much higher Cash Price than that
+paid by any other Stamp Merchant.
+
+
+
+
+Grand Collection Packets.
+
+NEW AND GREATLY REDUCED PRICES FOR 1902.
+
+
+No. 64 CONTAINS 100 VARIETIES,
+
+Including used and unused. Price 6d.; post-free, 7d.
+
+No. 65 CONTAINS 250 DIFFERENT VARIETIES,
+
+Both used and unused Stamps, Envelopes [box] and Post Cards [box] and is
+well recommended as a capital start for a collector. Price 3/-;
+post-free, 3/1.
+
+No. 66, 500 VARIETIES,
+
+And is strongly recommended as the cheapest collection of 500
+different Stamps ever offered--the Stamps could not be bought
+separately for three times the marvellously low price at which it is
+now offered. The Stamps, &c., are clean, picked specimens fit for any
+collection. The best 500 varieties in the trade.
+
+Price 6/-; post-free, 6/1.
+
+No. 67, 1,000 VARIETIES.
+
+This packet contains 1,000 different Stamps (and no Envelopes, Bands,
+and Cards), and is the cheapest packet ever offered by S. G., Ltd.,
+satisfaction being absolutely guaranteed. The price it is offered at
+is the lowest ever quoted for such a collection, embracing as it does
+scores of scarce varieties, provisionals, new issues, and many very
+fine and obsolete varieties.
+
+Price £1, post-free and registered.
+
+No. 68, 1,500 VARIETIES.
+
+Each specimen is in perfect condition, and the 1,500 different Stamps
+form a noble start for anyone. A large number of really rare and
+valuable Stamps are contained in this collection; but it is impossible
+to enumerate them, as we are constantly adding New Issues and Older
+Stamps when we purchase such. Satisfaction is guaranteed. Price £2
+10s., post-free and registered.
+
+No. 69, 2,000 VARIETIES.
+
+A grand packet for a dealer or collector, every Stamp being different
+and genuine, and thus forming a choice collection in itself or a stock
+to make up sheets or for exchange purposes. Price £4 10s., post-free
+and registered.
+
+No. 69A, 3,000 VARIETIES.
+
+A very fine packet, containing many rare stamps, all arranged in
+order, and mounted ready to price or remove to a collection.
+
+Price £11 10s., post-free and registered.
+
+No. 69B, 4,000 VARIETIES.
+
+A valuable collection, all mounted on sheets in order. Really good
+value; being sold by us to collectors at less than the price usually
+charged in the trade.
+
+Price £18, post-free and registered.
+
+
+
+
+Grand New Variety Packets.
+
+
+In order to meet the wishes of a great number of our customers, we
+have prepared a series of packets, as under, entirely different from
+one another, no stamp in any one packet being in any of the rest of
+the series; and the purchaser of the series of eight packets will have
+1,305 extra good varieties, and no duplicates.
+
+These packets do NOT contain any Post Cards, cut Envelopes, Fiscals,
+or Reprints, and are well recommended as good value, and are only a
+small proportion of the Catalogue value of the single stamps contained
+in them.
+
+No. 70 contains 500 Stamps of Europe, all different.   Price 7/6; post-free, 7/8.
+ "  71    "     125 Stamps of Asia           "               7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  72    "     125 Stamps of Africa         "               7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  73    "     105 Stamps of Australia      "               7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  74    "     125 Stamps of West Indies    "               7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  75    "     125 Stamps of South America, all different.  7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  76    "     100 Stamps of North America          "       7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  77    "     100 Stamps of Central America        "       7/6      "      7/7.
+
+The set of eight packets, containing 1,305 varieties, if all bought at
+one time, will be supplied at the special reduced price of 55/-.
+Postage abroad 2-1/2d. extra for each 125 stamps.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_THE JUBILEE EXHIBITION PACKETS._
+
+No. 78.--The "Queen's Portrait" Packet. 100 Stamps. Price 10s.
+
+The Ten Shilling Packet contains 100 Unused Postage Stamps, each one
+bearing a likeness of HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA. This packet contains
+perfect specimens only, nearly all with original gum. This is a real
+bargain, but as an extra inducement to purchasers we present a
+specimen of a Diamond Jubilee Stamp with each packet; thus each buyer
+becomes a subscriber to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales' Hospital Fund.
+
+No. 79.--The "Queen's Portrait" Packet. 100 Rare Colonials. Price £1
+10s.
+
+The Thirty Shilling Packet contains 100 rare unused Postage Stamps,
+each one bearing a likeness of HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA. The stamps
+in this packet are entirely different from those in No. 78, and
+purchasers of both will thus possess two hundred distinct varieties.
+Most of the English Colonies are represented by carefully-selected
+specimens of the higher value stamps. With this packet we present the
+Half-crown Diamond Jubilee Stamp; thus each purchaser subscribes that
+sum to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales' Hospital Fund.
+
+No. 80.--The "Picturesque" Packet. 100 Pictures. Price 12s. 6d.
+
+Contains 100 Unused Stamps in perfect condition, each one being
+especially selected for beauty, quaintness, or originality of design.
+Among others, we mention:
+
+Natives Paddling on the Congo River.
+Native Village and Scenery in the Congo District.
+A Native Village in Djibouti. The Bridge of Sighs in Kewkiang.
+
+ZOOLOGY IS REPRESENTED BY--The Elephant, the Hippopotamus, the Bird of
+Paradise, the Stag, the Codfish.
+
+Three of the exquisite Portraits of Her Majesty, as depicted on the
+Canadian Jubilee Stamps, showing the Vignettes of the Queen in 1837
+and 1897, form an appropriate addition to this choice and remarkable
+packet.
+
+
+
+
+GREATER BRITAIN PACKETS
+
+OF
+
+_British Colonial Stamps_.
+
+NO DUPLICATES.
+
+
+EVERY Packet of this series contains different varieties, no Stamp
+being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by this novel
+method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates, which is as
+a rule the bane of most packet buying.
+
+                                                 |Price.  |Post-free. |
+                                                 |s. _d._ |s. _d_.    |
+
+No. 111| contains |20 varieties of Stamps of ASIA| 0 6    | 0 7       |
+
+    112|    "     |25      "     "    "          | 2 0    | 2 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    113|    "     |40      "     "    "          | 3 6    | 3 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    114|    "     |40      "     "    "          | 6 6    | 6 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    115|    "     |50      "     "    "          |16 6    |16 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    116|    "     |45      "     "    "          |12 0    |12 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    117|    "     |30      "     "    "          | 4 0    | 4 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    118|    "     |40      "     "    "          |21 0    |21 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    121|    "     |20      "     "    "    AFRICA| 0 6    | 0 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    122|    "     |25      "     "    "          | 2 6    | 2 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    141|    "     |20      "     "    WEST INDIES| 0 9    | 0 10      |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    142|    "     |20      "     "    "          | 2 0    | 2 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    151|    "     |25      "     "    AUSTRALASIA| 0 6    | 0 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    152|    "     |30      "     "    "          | 1 6    | 1 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    153|    "     |30      "     "    "          | 4 6    | 4 7       |
+
+FOREIGN COUNTRIES PACKETS
+
+OF
+
+_European Stamps_.
+
+EVERY Packet in this series contains different varieties, no
+particular stamp being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by
+this method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates.
+
+                                                  |Price.  |Post-free.|
+                                                  |s. _d._ |s. _d_.   |
+
+No. 201 contains| 50 varieties of Stamps of Europe|0 9     |0 10      |
+
+202        "    |40      "      "    "    "    "  |1 0     |1 1       |
+                |                                 |        |          |
+203        "    |50      "      "    "    "    "  |2 0     |2 1       |
+                |                                 |        |          |
+204        "    |30      "      "    "    "    "  |2 6     |2 7       |
+                |                                 |        |          |
+205        "    |50      "      "    "    "    "  |3 6     |3 7       |
+                |                                 |        |          |
+206        "    |60      "      "    "    "    "  |7 6     |7 7       |
+
+
+
+
+THE 20th CENTURY PACKETS
+
+Of Envelopes, Registered Envelopes, Wrappers, and Letter Sheets,
+
+ALL UNUSED, ENTIRE, AND GUARANTEED GENUINE ORIGINALS.
+
+NO DUPLICATES.
+
+Every Packet of this series contains different Envelopes, etc., no
+piece being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by this novel
+method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates, which is as
+a rule the bane of most packet buying.
+
+The prices of these new Packets are wonderfully cheap, as we are
+clearing off our stock of entires.
+
+_These Packets cannot be sent by book post abroad. The average rate
+abroad by letter post or parcel post varies so much that sufficient
+should be remitted, and balance, if any, will be credited or returned.
+The prices quoted "post-free" are for Great Britain only._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+ENVELOPE PACKETS.
+
+_Section I.--GREAT BRITAIN & COLONIES._
+
+No. 601.--Contains 29 common varieties, including Bechuanaland,
+Chamba, Cochin, Leeward Isles, etc. Price 2/-; post-free, 2/1.
+
+No. 602.--Contains 36 scarce varieties, including Great Britain
+compound, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Cape, Ceylon, Gibraltar, Grenada,
+Heligoland, etc. Price 8/6; post-free, 8/7.
+
+No. 603.--Contains 36 scarce varieties, including Newfoundland, New
+South Wales, St. Vincent, South Australia, Trinidad, and a really
+grand lot of Victorian. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/1.
+
+No. 604.--Contains 47 varieties of Great Britain only, including a
+superb lot of the rarer compound Envelopes, old dates and high values;
+also scarce Registered Envelopes, Wrappers, etc. A very fine packet
+and good value. Price 40/-; post-free, 40/2.
+
+No. 605.--Contains 50 _rare_ varieties of Bahamas, Barbados, British
+Bechuanaland, British Central and East and South Africa, British
+Guiana, Canada, Cape, and Ceylon. Price 25/-; post-free, 25/3.
+
+No. 606.--Contains 45 _rare_ varieties, including some very scarce
+Ceylon registered, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Gold Coast, Grenada, Heligoland,
+and India. Price 27/6; post-free, 27/9.
+
+No. 607.--Contains 34 varieties of the Indian States, including
+Chamba, Gwalior, Jhind, Nabha, Puttialla, Bamra, Charkhari, Cochin,
+Duttia, Holkar, Hyderabad, and Travancore. Price 10/-; post-free,
+10/1.
+
+No. 608.--Contains 29 scarce varieties of Leeward Isles, Malta,
+Mauritius, Newfoundland, New South Wales, New Zealand, and Niger
+Coast. Price 12/-; post-free, 12/2.
+
+No. 609.--Contains 29 scarce varieties of Queensland, St. Lucia, St.
+Vincent, Sierra Leone, South Australia, Straits Settlements, Tasmania,
+Tobago, Trinidad, and Victoria. Price 12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+SPECIAL OFFER.
+
+Packets 601 to 609 inclusive, containing 335 different varieties of
+Envelopes, Wrappers, etc., of Great Britain and her Colonies. Price £6
+10s. Postage extra.
+
+
+
+
+ENVELOPES.
+
+_Section II.--FOREIGN COUNTRIES._
+
+No. 610.--Contains 20 common varieties. Price 1/-; post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 611.--Contains 21 scarcer varieties. Price 2/6; post-free, 2/7.
+
+No. 612.--Contains 21 varieties, including Argentine, Brazil, Ecuador,
+Guatemala, etc. Price 4/6; post-free, 4/7.
+
+No. 613.--Contains 24 varieties, including Persia, Russia, Shanghai,
+Uruguay, etc. Price 6/6; post-free, 6/7.
+
+No. 614.--Contains 41 scarce varieties of Argentine, Austria, Austrian
+Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chili, and Costa Rica. Price
+16/6; post-free, 16/8.
+
+No. 615.--Contains 62 varieties of Danish West Indies, Ecuador, Egypt,
+France, and Envelopes of _twenty_ different French Colonies. Price
+12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+No. 616.--Contains 43 _rare_ varieties of the German States, including
+very scarce Lubeck, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
+Prussian, Saxony, Thurn and Taxis, Wurtemberg, etc. A really good
+packet and exceptional value. Price 50/-; post-free, 50/3.
+
+No. 617.--Contains 40 varieties of Guatemala, Hawaiian Isles, Holland,
+Dutch Indies, and Honduras. Price 12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+No. 618.--Contains 35 scarce varieties of Japan, including rare plate
+numbers, Liberia, Mexico, Monaco, and Montenegro. Price 20/-;
+post-free, 20/3.
+
+No. 619.--Contains 30 varieties of Nicaragua, especially strong in the
+older issues. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/1.
+
+No. 620.--Contains 38 scarce varieties of Paraguay, Persia, Peru,
+Portugal, Roumania, Russia, etc. Price 18/6; post-free, 18/9.
+
+No. 621.--Contains 39 scarce varieties of Finland, Russian Local
+Envelopes, Shanghai, Transvaal, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,
+and Uruguay. Price 17/6; post-free, 17/9.
+
+No. 622.--Contains 77 varieties of Salvador, including many really
+rare and provisional issues. A very fine and interesting set. Price
+25/-; post-free, 25/3.
+
+No. 623.--Contains 32 old varieties of the United States of America,
+including scarce dies and papers of the Reay and Plimpton issues, and
+the old 3 cent letter sheet on blue paper. Price 15/-; post-free,
+15/3.
+
+SPECIAL OFFER.
+
+PACKETS 610 to 623 inclusive, containing 527 varieties of Envelopes,
+Wrappers, etc., of Foreign Countries. Price £9 5s. Postage extra.
+
+
+
+
+THE 20th CENTURY PACKETS
+
+Of Post Cards and Letter Cards.
+
+_ALL UNUSED, ENTIRE, AND GUARANTEED GENUINE ORIGINALS._
+
+NO DUPLICATES.
+
+POST CARD PACKETS.
+
+_Section I.--GREAT BRITAIN & COLONIES._
+
+No. 650.--Contains 13 common varieties. Price 1/-; post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 651.--Contains 13 common varieties, different from the last. Price
+1/-; post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 652.--Contains 16 common varieties, all different from those in
+the other packets. Price 1/3; post-free, 1/4.
+
+No. 653.--Contains 24 scarce varieties of Cards, including Bangkok,
+Barbados, British Central Africa, etc. Price 4/6; post-free, 4/7.
+
+No. 654.--Contains 26 scarce varieties, including Falkland, Gibraltar,
+Heligoland, Hong Kong, etc. Price 4/6; post-free, 4/7.
+
+No. 655.--Contains 23 scarce varieties, including Nevis, Newfoundland,
+North Borneo, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, etc. Price 4/-; post-free, 4/1.
+
+No. 656.--Contains 24 scarce varieties, including Tasmania, Tobago,
+Trinidad, Turks Islands, Virgin Isles, Zululand, etc. Price 4/-;
+post-free, 4/1.
+
+No. 657.--Contains 38 rare varieties, including scarce Cards from
+Great Britain, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, etc. Price 10/-;
+post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 658.--Contains 47 rare varieties from British Central, East, and
+South Africa, Canada, Ceylon, Cape of Good Hope, Cyprus, Gambia, etc.
+Price 10/6; post-free, 10/8.
+
+No. 659.--Contains 47 rare varieties from Gibraltar, Gold Coast,
+Grenada, Heligoland, Hong Kong, India, Chamba, Gwalior, Puttialla,
+etc. Price 12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+No. 660.--Contains 39 rare varieties from Sirmoor, Cashmere, Jamaica,
+Labuan, Montserrat, Natal, Nevis, etc. Price 12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+No. 661.--Contains 41 rare varieties, including New South Wales, New
+Zealand, Niger Coast, North Borneo, Queensland, St. Lucia, Seychelles,
+Sierra Leone, etc. Price 9/6; post-free, 9/8.
+
+No. 662.--Contains 41 rare varieties from South Australia, Straits,
+Tasmania, Tobago, Trinidad, Turks Islands, Victoria, Western
+Australia, etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+SPECIAL OFFER.
+
+Packets 650 to 662 inclusive, containing a really grand collection of
+392 varieties of Post Cards of Great Britain and Colonies. Price £4.
+Postage extra.
+
+
+
+
+Section II.--FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
+
+No. 670.--Contains 20 common varieties. Price 1/6; post-free, 1/7.
+
+No. 671.--Contains 27 other common varieties. Price 2/6; post-free,
+2/7.
+
+No. 672.--Contains 38 varieties, including some scarce. Price 3/-;
+post-free, 3/1.
+
+No. 673.--Contains 35 varieties, including some scarce ones. Price
+3/6; post-free, 3/7.
+
+No. 674.--Contains 31 scarcer varieties, including Austrian Italy,
+Hungary, Belgium, Congo, and Brazil. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/1.
+
+No. 675.--Contains 31 scarce varieties, including Bulgaria, Chili,
+Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Morocco, Tunis, etc. Price 4/-;
+post-free, 4/1.
+
+No. 676.--Contains 36 scarce varieties, including German East Africa,
+Greece, Guatemala, Hawaiian Islands, Holland, Curaçao, Dutch Indies,
+Surinam, etc. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/2.
+
+No. 677.--Contains 45 scarce varieties, including Italy, Eritrea, San
+Marino, Japan, Luxemburg, Mexico, etc. Price 8/-; post-free, 8/2.
+
+No. 678.--Contains 48 scarce varieties, including Monaco, Montenegro,
+Nicaragua, Orange Free State, Paraguay, Persia, Peru, Azores, Madeira,
+etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 679.--Contains 39 scarce varieties from Roumania, Russia, Finland,
+Servia, Shanghai, Siam, South African Republic, Spain, etc. Price 7/-;
+post-free, 7/2.
+
+No. 680.--Contains 45 scarce varieties from Cuba, Norway, Sweden,
+Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, etc. Price 9/6; post-free, 9/8.
+
+No. 681.--Contains 39 rare varieties from Argentine, Austrian Italy,
+Hungary, etc. Price 6/6; post-free, 6/7.
+
+No. 682.--Contains 51 rare varieties from Belgium, Congo, Bolivia,
+Brazil, etc. Price 15/-; post-free, 15/2.
+
+No. 683.--Contains 54 rare varieties from Bulgaria, Chili, Colombia,
+Costa Rica, Denmark, Iceland, etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 684.--Contains 54 rare varieties from Ecuador, Egypt, France,
+Tunis, Baden, Bavaria, etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 685.--Contains 72 rare varieties from Wurtemberg, Greece,
+Guatemala, Hawaiian Islands, Hayti, Holland and Colonies. Price 15/-;
+post-free, 15/3.
+
+No. 686.--Contains 62 rare varieties from Italy, Japan, Luxemburg,
+Mexico, etc. Price 14/-; post-free, 14/3.
+
+No. 687.--Contains 50 rare varieties from Monaco, Montenegro,
+Nicaragua, Paraguay, Persia, etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 688.--Contains 59 rare varieties from Peru, Portugal and Colonies,
+Roumania, etc. Price 15/-; post-free, 15/3.
+
+No. 689.--Contains 78 rare varieties from Russia, Finland, Salvador,
+etc. Price 15/-; post-free, 15/3.
+
+No. 690.--Contains 48 rare varieties from Shanghai, Siam, Spain and
+Colonies, Sweden, etc. Price 16/6; post-free, 16/8.
+
+No. 691.--Contains 43 rare varieties from Switzerland, Turkey, United
+States, Uruguay, Venezuela, etc. Price 9/6; post-free, 9/8.
+
+SPECIAL OFFER.
+
+Packets 670 to 691 inclusive, containing a superb collection of 1,005
+varieties of _Post Cards_ of Foreign Countries; a bargain. Price £8
+10s. Postage extra.
+
+
+
+
+SIXTIETH THOUSAND.
+
+_1/- each_.
+
+THE SEVENTH EDITION OF
+
+The Improved Postage Stamp Album,
+
+No. 0.
+
+THE BEST AND LARGEST SHILLING ALBUM EVER PUBLISHED.
+
+176 large pages. Spaces for 4,700 Stamps.
+
+48 extra pages added in this Edition without extra charge.
+
+_This Album is now selling at the rate of over 1,000 copies a month_.
+
+The demand for this Album has simply been phenomenal, and it gives
+universal satisfaction--not a single complaint has been received. The
+last Edition had nearly 20 extra pages added, and now another 48 pages
+have been added, and all the Geographical and Historical Notes brought
+up fully to date. All the newest Stamp-issuing countries, such as
+Ichang, Las Bela, Tientsin, Bundi, Dhar, etc. etc., have been added.
+At the top of each page there is the name of the country, and a mass
+of valuable information, including date when Stamps were issued,
+population, area, reigning sovereign, capital, etc. Spaces of proper
+sizes are provided for all Stamps, and the book is bound in a superior
+manner in gilt cloth. The Album contains a pocket to hold duplicate
+Stamps, and fifty Stamps will be presented _gratis_ with each Album.
+There is also an Illustrated Frontispiece of the Rarest Stamps, with
+prices attached that we pay for each.
+
+Price, bound in handsome gilt cloth, 1/-, or post-free 1/3.
+
+     E. S. says: "I asked a friend where the best place was to buy a
+     Stamp Album cheap. He referred me to you, saying that he had bought
+     one and sold it next day for 1/6, after keeping the stamps."
+
+     A. A. writes: "I received your Stamp Album on Thursday, and I
+     wonder how you can sell it so cheap; for as soon as a friend saw it
+     he offered me 2/- for it. Please send me another."
+
+     C. A. W. writes: "Please send me one of your marvellous 1/- Albums,
+     with packet of stamps, in order that I may convince my incredulous
+     friends that such a thing is possible."
+
+     Miss M. R. writes from Piccadilly: "I was greatly pleased with the
+     Album I received this morning, which all my friends admired, and
+     thought it very cheap."
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+Improved Postage Stamp Album.
+
+_FOURTEENTH EDITION_.
+
+GREATLY ENLARGED AND RE-WRITTEN.
+
+Size of Page, 10 by 7-3/4 ins.
+
+_One Hundred Stamps, all different, are presented with each Album
+sold_.
+
+[Illustration: COVER OF NO. 3.]
+
+This new Edition is printed on a _superior_ quality paper, especially
+made for it. The shape is oblong, and spaces are provided according to
+the different requirements of the various countries.
+
+A large number of guards have been provided so that the Album shall
+not bulge when full.
+
+The Album is divided into Continents, and the name of the country only
+is given at the head of each page.
+
+Fifty-seven different watermarks are illustrated in actual size, and
+lists are given of the various watermarks of the different countries.
+
+Two pages of illustrations of _rare stamps_ are given, with the price
+under each stamp that we will pay for it.
+
+Special attention has been paid to the binding, which is exceptionally
+strong, and the covers are artistically designed.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_PRICES (all well Packed)._
+
+No. 2.--Strongly and neatly bound in Plain Cloth, gilt lettered back
+and sides, 304 pages. Price 3/6; post-free, 3/11; abroad, 4/6.
+
+No. 3.--Well bound in Art Vellum, as illustration, blocked in gold and
+colours, 304 pages. Price 5/-; post-free, 5/6; abroad, 6/2.
+
+No. 4.--Handsomely half-bound, Art Vellum sides, gold lines and gilt
+letters on back, gilt edges, with extra leaves after each continent
+for new issues, making in, all 368 pages. Price 7/6; post-free, 8/-;
+abroad, 8/9.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+EXTRA LEAVES
+
+_Can be supplied to this and the older small sizes, as under._
+
+14th (New) Edition.
+               Plain edges, for Nos. 2 or 3 ... 9d. per doz.; 5/- per 100.
+               Gilt    "     "   No. 4      ... 1/3   "       8/6   "
+
+12th or 13th Edition (smaller size)--
+               Plain edges, for Nos. 2 or 3 ... 6d.   "       3/9   "
+               Gilt    "     "   No. 4      ... 1/-   "       7/-   "
+
+
+
+
+NEW EDITION.
+
+_100 POSTAGE STAMPS, all genuine and
+different, and of a catalogue value of over 8/-, are presented with
+each STRAND ALBUM_.
+
+THE STRAND POSTAGE STAMP ALBUM.
+
+Well arranged, reliable, and thoroughly correct.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The book, which is printed on an unusually good quality paper, is
+bound in a new and specially designed cover. The shape is as
+illustrated, and the size a new and convenient one, viz. 9-1/2 in. by
+7-1/2 inches. Sufficient guards have been inserted so that when the
+Album is full the covers shall be level with each other, and not
+bulged, as is often the case in imperfectly constructed books.
+
+Nos. 15 and 16 include a series of Six Maps, specially engraved for
+this Publication, and beautifully printed in Colours.
+
+No. 14. 320 pages. Spaces for 8,000 Stamps.
+
+Nos. 15 and 16. 400 pages. Spaces for 11,000 Stamps.
+
+Concise Geographical and other particulars with Illustrations are
+given at the head of each country, the pages being divided into
+rectangles, as is usual, with this most important innovation, that
+they vary in size so as to conveniently accommodate the Stamps desired
+to be placed in position. This is an advantageous improvement that
+will commend itself to every collector. Post Cards are not provided
+for, as all Philatelists of experience know it is best to collect them
+separately.
+
+A new and very important departure has been made in Nos. 15 and 16, in
+including for the first time in any Philatelic Album a series of Six
+specially drawn Maps, printed in colours, and giving the names of all
+Stamp-issuing Countries. They are of course fully brought up to date,
+and are not needlessly encumbered with unnecessary names, so as to
+increase their usefulness for easy and instant reference.
+
+Each Album now has four full-page Illustrations of the Watermarks
+found on all Stamps.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+PRICES.
+
+No. 14.--Strongly and neatly bound in plain cloth, gilt lettered, 320
+pages, 2/6; post-free, 2/11; abroad, 3/4.
+
+No. 15.--Strongly and handsomely bound in plain cloth, with gilt edges
+and lettering, and 6 Maps, and 80 extra leaves, 5/-; post-free, 5/5;
+abroad, 6/-.
+
+No. 16.--Handsomely bound in half morocco, lettered on back, plain
+cloth sides, with 6 Maps, gilt edges, 400 pages, 8/6; post-free, 9/-;
+abroad, 9/6.
+
+BLANK LEAVES. For No. 14.--9d. per dozen; 5/- per 100, post-free. For
+No. 15 or 16, gilt edges.--1/3 per dozen; 9/- per 100, post-free.
+
+
+
+
+THE CENTURY ALBUM.
+
+[Illustration: ALL THE WORLD IN ONE VOLUME.]
+
+_NOW READY. In One Volume, 580 pages. Size of each page 10 by 13
+inches._
+
+The CENTURY ALBUM
+
+OF THE
+
+Postage Stamps of the World.
+
+_Including a full Descriptive Catalogue, and Illustrated with several
+thousand full-sized reproductions of the Stamps_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+This Album is produced in a very large edition at a cost of between
+£2,000 and £3,000, and will be found to fulfil a long-felt want for an
+Album in One Volume, of high-class style, and on thoroughly good and
+highly surfaced paper, well and strongly bound.
+
+The Century Album is printed on one side of the paper only, catalogue
+and illustrations on the left, and numbered spaces to correspond on
+the right-hand pages.
+
+All minor varieties of perforation, watermark, and type are omitted,
+and only such varieties are included as can be distinguished by the
+young Philatelist.
+
+Space has been provided for some 18,000 stamps, and provision made for
+new issues by the insertion of numerous blank pages.
+
+IN TWO QUALITIES.
+
+No. 21.--On extra stout highly glazed paper, strongly bound in cloth,
+gilt lettered and artistically designed cover, coloured edges.
+
+Price 12/6; post-free in Great Britain, 13/4.
+
+No. 22.--As last, but half bound in morocco, plain sides, raised
+bands, and gilt lettering on back, gilt edges; supplied in strong box.
+
+Price 25/-; post-free in Great Britain, 26/-.
+
+Extra Blank Leaves for this Album, 8d. per dozen, plain; or 1/- per
+dozen with gilt edges.
+
+
+
+
+THE IMPERIAL ALBUM
+
+(OPEN), SHOWING GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+The Sale of these Albums averages over 6,500 per annum.
+
+IMPERIAL ALBUM.
+
+_NOW READY. NINTH EDITION_, 1902.
+
+Great Britain and Colonies.
+
+504 pages. Size of pages, 8-3/4 by 11-1/2 inches. About 1,800
+Illustrations.
+
+Since the publication of the previous edition of this Album, we have
+published the "Century" Album, designed for those who desire to
+collect in the simplest form, without regard to perforations or
+watermarks, and who desire a complete Album in one volume.
+
+In order, however, to further the wishes of those who collect on more
+elaborate methods, the present edition has been prepared and very
+considerably enlarged, and for all practical purposes runs parallel
+with our current Postage Stamp Catalogue.
+
+The close of the century marks an epoch in the history of postage
+stamps, and the present edition may be considered as
+
+A PERMANENT ALBUM
+
+_Of the Postage Stamps issued during_
+
+THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
+
+New issues appearing after the date of this edition are best collated
+and arranged in blank albums, preferably with movable leaves, such as
+our ORIEL or PHILATELIC ALBUMS.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_This Album is issued in FOUR qualities only (No. 6 has been
+discontinued) of paper, binding, &c._
+
+No. 5.--On extra stout paper, bound in embossed cloth, gilt lettering,
+sprinkled edges. _Marone-colour covers_.
+
+Price without postage, 10/-; post-free in Great Britain, 11/-.
+
+No. 7.--On extra stout paper, handsomely bound, extra gilt, bevelled
+boards, gilt edges, and patent expanding clasp. _Dark green covers_.
+
+Price without postage, 15/-; post-free in Great Britain, 16/-.
+
+No. 8.--On highly rolled plate paper, extra strongly bound in half
+green morocco, lettered on back, cloth sides, gilt edges, no locks or
+clasps.
+
+Price without postage, 25/-; post-free in Great Britain, 26/-.
+
+No. 9.--On highly rolled plate paper, magnificently bound in finest
+green Levant morocco, rounded corners, with gold line round the
+bevelled edges, lettered on back, gilt edges, patent expanding lock.
+
+Price without postage, 50/-; post-free in Great Britain, 51/-.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+IMPERIAL ALBUM.
+
+_NOW READY. NINTH EDITION, 1902._.
+
+Foreign Countries.
+
+870 pages, measuring 8-3/4 x 11-1/2 inches. About 2,400 Illustrations.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_This Album is issued in FOUR qualities only of paper, binding, &c.
+(No. 66 has been discontinued.)_
+
+No. 65.--On extra stout paper, bound in embossed cloth, gilt
+lettering, sprinkled edges. _Marone-colour covers_.
+
+Price without postage, 15/-; post-free in Great Britain, 16/-.
+
+No. 67.--On extra stout paper, handsomely bound, extra gilt, bevelled
+boards, gilt edges, and patent expanding clasp. _Dark green covers_.
+
+Price without postage, 21/-; post-free in Great Britain, 22/-.
+
+No. 68.--On highly rolled plate paper, extra strongly bound in half
+green morocco, lettered on back, cloth sides, gilt edges, no locks or
+clasps.
+
+Price without postage, 30/-; post-free in Great Britain, 31/-.
+
+No. 69.--On highly rolled plate paper, magnificently bound in finest
+green Levant morocco, rounded corners, with gold line round the
+bevelled edges, lettered on back, gilt edges, patent expanding lock.
+
+Price without postage, 60/-; post-free in Great Britain, 61/-.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+These Albums are too heavy for book post abroad, but can be sent by
+parcel post where same is in operation; the weight is about 8 to 10
+lbs., and cost can be calculated for each country.
+
+
+
+
+The PHILATELIC ALBUMS A to E.
+
+_As described on page_ 20.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The "ORIEL" Albums are of a similar style, but more portable and in a
+superior binding. _See page_ 21.
+
+The leaves in this Album are retained in their places by an original
+and newly patented plan, entirely doing away with the unsightly screws
+hitherto necessary on the outside of books of this class.
+
+Pronounced by all who have seen it an ingenious and admirable
+arrangement, pre-eminently adapted for the purpose, and completely
+solving a difficulty experienced by collectors in general.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE FIFTH EDITION OF
+
+THE PHILATELIC ALBUM.
+
+The most suitable Album published for Advanced Collectors.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Several important improvements have been introduced into this New
+Edition, suggested by increased experience, and greatly enhancing the
+use of this Work. Especially produced in answer to numerous inquiries
+for a really permanent blank Album. It will be found suitable for the
+reception of the most extensive and complete collection possible. It
+is also adaptable for Post Cards, Revenue Stamps, or entire Envelopes.
+Collectors using Albums of this class frequently resort to books not
+specially manufactured for the purpose, and hence unsuitable, or the
+more expensive and very often unsatisfactory mode of having them
+expressly made; it is to meet this want that this Album is published,
+and all that experience can suggest has been carried out to make it
+worthy the use of even the most advanced collectors, and adaptable to
+any arrangement that may be desirable.
+
+It is likewise especially applicable for the use of those Philatelists
+who arrange their collections by the Catalogue published by ourselves
+or any other standard list. This Album is also peculiarly suitable for
+those who collect special countries only, taking as their guide the
+various lists published by the London Philatelic Society, etc. Each
+leaf has a double linen joint on an entirely new plan, allowing the
+leaves to set properly when the book is opened, and giving strength at
+the same time. A narrow marginal border embellishes each page, with a
+semi-visible network of quadrillé dotted lines, designed to assist the
+correct insertion of the specimens to be mounted. The leaves are 100
+in number, and printed on one side only, on a very fine quality white
+card paper. They are movable, allowing rearrangement or extension into
+two or more volumes, as may be desired at any future time. It is
+hardly necessary to point out the advantage of this; moreover, if a
+page becomes spoilt, it can be at once replaced. A handsomely arranged
+title is included. An inspection is desired where possible.
+
+PRICES.
+
+A.--Strongly bound in half morocco, gilt ornaments and lettering;
+packed in a box, 30/-; carriage extra. Under 11 lbs., can be sent by
+parcel post for 31/-.
+
+B.--Handsomely bound in full Persian morocco, bevelled boards, gilt
+edges, double-action expanding lock and key; packed in a box, 50/-;
+carriage paid, 51/-.
+
+Spare blank linen-jointed leaves can be had, 1/9 per dozen, or 2/3 per
+dozen if with gilt edges, post-free; abroad extra. A sample leaf sent
+for 2-1/2d., post-free.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At the request of several London collectors we have prepared an Album
+of portable size, and convenient for taking to meetings of the
+Philatelic Society, etc. Our large blank Albums, as described above,
+are found to be too heavy and cumbersome for such purposes, and our
+new book will be found a very suitable one.
+
+The size of the pages in E is 11 x 9-1/2. Weight, 7 lbs. 100 leaves.
+
+E.--Strongly bound in half morocco, gilt ornaments and lettering;
+packed in a box, 25/-, or 25/9 by parcel post.
+
+
+
+
+THE ORIEL
+
+Postage Stamp Album.
+
+This new album has been based on a special order from Mr. M. P.
+CASTLE, Vice-President of the Philatelic Society of London, to whom we
+have supplied 60 of these books, and to whom reference is kindly
+permitted. It has met with such an unusually favourable reception from
+those Collectors who have already used it that, on account of its
+general adaptability, it must undoubtedly quickly take a front rank in
+this class of publication. Amongst its numerous advantages, one
+especially may be named, and that is, its convenient size, rendering
+it extremely portable, and suitable for attending philatelic meetings,
+etc.
+
+To those Philatelists who are unable to personally inspect same at our
+Establishment, a brief description will be acceptable:--
+
+Each Album contains 50 leaves of the best hand-made paper, faced with
+Japanese tissue paper, so as to prevent all friction, and is bound in
+half red morocco, with cloth sides finished in gold. A space on the
+back of the cover is left plain, so that a Collector can have his
+books lettered or numbered to show the contents. Each Album is
+contained in a cloth drop-in case lined with lamb's wool. The leaves,
+unless specially ordered, are supplied perfectly blank, without any
+lined border or background, but if desired special leaves can be
+supplied with a fine quadrillé background, as supplied to the other
+Philatelic Albums of this form. Exact size of leaves from the outside
+edges, 10 inches by 10-1/4; available for mounting stamps, 8-3/4
+inches by 10-1/4.
+
+The price of the Album is 30/-; post-free, 30/7 (too heavy for post
+abroad, so will be sent carriage forward).
+
+The Leaves, either plain or with quadrillé background, can be supplied
+at the price of 4/6 per dozen, or 32/6 per 100.
+
+
+
+
+THE PHILATELIST'S COLLECTING BOOK.
+
+FOR THE COAT POCKET.
+
+With Patent Fastening to Flap.
+
+_Size, 6-1/2 by 4-1/4 inches. Handsomely bound in Art Cloth._
+
+Each book contains 12 pages, having four strips of linen, 3/4-inch
+wide, arranged horizontally, glued at the bottom edge and with the
+upper one open, for the safe retention and preservation of recent
+purchases or duplicates. A large pocket is also provided at the back
+for Envelopes or Stamps in bulk. In daily use by leading London
+Collectors.
+
+No. 17.--As illustrated. Price 2/6; post-free, 2/7.
+
+No. 18.--Oblong, twenty-four pages, six strips on each page,
+interleaved with strong glazed paper to prevent rubbing. Price 5/-;
+post-free, 5/3.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE MONTHLY JOURNAL.
+
+_Edited by MAJOR E. B. EVANS._
+
+Published on the 1st of each month, and chiefly noted for:--
+
+1st.--Verbatim Reports of all Law Cases of Interest to Philatelists.
+
+2nd.--Earliest Information on New Issues.
+
+3rd.--Largest Stamp Journal Published: recent numbers containing from
+50 to 72 pages.
+
+4th.--Quality of its Articles; with MAJOR EVANS as Editor this can be
+taken for granted.
+
+5th.--Entirely Original Articles by the leading Philatelic Writers of
+the day.
+
+SUBSCRIPTION--2/- per annum, or 5/- for three years.
+
+_Sample Copy sent gratis and post-free on application._
+
+All Subscriptions must be prepaid, and commence with the JULY Number.
+The Prices for Back Numbers will be found in the current number of the
+_Journal_. There is no discount to the Trade.
+
+_The Monthly Journal_ now includes the Addenda to our Current Priced
+Catalogue. The old method of publishing addenda quarterly has been
+discontinued; and in the months of March, June, September, and
+December a Special Number of the Journal is sent to all Subscribers,
+containing lists of all Stamps, etc., that have appeared since the
+publication of the Catalogue. In the other months there will be quoted
+Special Bargains, Rarities, and prominent Alterations in Prices.
+
+_We therefore_ STRONGLY RECOMMEND _all purchasers of the Catalogue to_
+SUBSCRIBE TO "THE MONTHLY JOURNAL"--_forming, as it does, a complete
+continuation of the Catalogue up to date._
+
+
+
+
+The Stamp King.
+
+A PHILATELIC NOVEL.
+
+BY MESSRS. BEAUREGARD AND GORSSE.
+
+_Translated from the French by_ EDITH C. PHILLIPS.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_The story commences at the New York Philatelic Club, and traces out
+in a most amusing manner the struggles of the two leading members to
+secure the rarest stamp in the world. The chase leads these collectors
+to London, Paris, and Naples, and ends, after many curious adventures,
+in New York._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+EXTRACTS FROM REVIEWS.
+
+The Daily News says: "A delightful addition to modern books of
+adventure.... Incidentally, there is a marvellous revelation of the
+inner affairs and methods of the stamp-collecting world; but the main
+interest of the book, to our mind, is its remarkable story, and it can
+and will be read with pleasure by many who care nothing whatever about
+the philatelic mania.... It would be spoiling a very good thing to
+tell the rest of the story of the adventures of these two, ... and we
+shall be much mistaken if this book, in popular form, does not meet
+with phenomenal favour."
+
+The Spectator says: "A most diverting extravaganza, rather in the
+style of Jules Verne.... The apology of the translator for the lack of
+verisimilitude in the last scene is entirely unnecessary; otherwise
+she has done her work with credit, while M. Veilliemin's spirited
+illustrations heighten the attractions of a most entertaining and
+ingenious story."
+
+The People: "A novel that will certainly interest the ordinary reader
+and doubly interest the Philatelist. It is profusely illustrated, and
+with a class of illustration that puts to shame much of the rubbish
+that we find in English novels."
+
+The London Philatelist says: "It may at once be said that it is
+amusing in the extreme, and cannot fail to entertain all its readers.
+We have to heartily congratulate the translator upon the accuracy and
+excellence of her handiwork. _The Stamp King_, we should add, is both
+superbly illustrated and beautifully printed, and will assuredly
+command a wide circle of readers."
+
+Vanity Fair: "This very sprightly novel on the stamp-collecting mania
+is most amusing, and might be just the thing for a present to young
+folks who are ardent collectors and readers of cheery, harmless
+fiction. It is excellently 'got up,' the illustrations are very good,
+and the story itself is quite exciting. All people who love (or
+loathe) stamp collecting are honestly advised to read the racy story
+of Miss Betty Scott."
+
+The Liverpool Mercury: "The enthusiasm of Philatelists in their
+favourite pursuit is well illustrated in this capital story. It
+possesses many merits, the interest being sustained throughout. The
+translation is admirable, scarcely a trace is to be seen of French
+idiom, while the rendering into American vernacular is particularly
+clever and satisfactory."
+
+The Court Circular: "A very great amount of interest is taken in stamp
+collecting, and a book pleasantly dealing with the stamp hobby, such
+as the one before us, will be sure to find a wide circle of readers."
+
+The Lady's Pictorial: "This curious story is unique, for never before
+or since its publication has the stamp-collecting hobby been turned to
+account as the central idea of a really interesting romance and love
+story."
+
+Gentlewoman: "The story is full of exciting incidents."
+
+_Half bound in Art Buckram, cloth sides, gilt lettering, plain edges,
+200 pages, 80 fine illustrations. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/4; abroad,
+6/8._
+
+
+
+
+The Stamp Collector.
+
+By HARDY and BACON.
+
+This well-known and most interesting handbook was published in 1898 by
+Mr. George Redway in his _Collector Series_. On the failure of this
+publisher lately, we purchased the balance of the edition--about 1,200
+copies--and are now able to offer the work at a great reduction on its
+original price.
+
+_The chief contents are as follows:_
+
+The Issue of Postage Stamps. Collecting--Its Origin and Development.
+Stamps made for Collectors. Art in Postage Stamps. Stamps with
+Stories. History in Postage Stamps. Local Stamps. The Stamp Market.
+Post Cards. Famous Collections. List of Philatelic Societies.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Well bound in art cloth, gilt lettered, 247 illustrations, 294 pages.
+Price 4/6; post-free, 4/10; abroad, 5/1.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Mulready Envelope and its Caricatures.
+
+This Work is a reprint in book-form, with a few alterations and
+additions, of a series of papers that have appeared in "The Monthly
+Journal." The book consists of 240 pages and some 45 full-page
+Illustrations of the most curious varieties of these interesting
+Caricatures. This New Work will be of interest, not only to Stamp
+Collectors, but also to those interested in Engravings--especially in
+the works of LEECH, MULREADY, CRUIKSHANK, DOYLE, PHIZ (H. K. BROWNE),
+THEO. HOOK, etc. etc. The Work has been produced in a very superior
+manner, and is printed on special paper with extra large margins; and
+by the kind permission of the Board of Inland Revenue an Illustration
+of the original Mulready is also included.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+No. 1.--Strongly bound in extra cloth, gilt lettering, marbled
+burnished edges, &c., 6/-; post-free, 6/4; abroad, 6/8.
+
+No. 2.--_Edition de Luxe_, handsomely bound, extra gilt, hand-made
+paper, with uncut edges, 10/-; post-free, 10/4; abroad, 10/8.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The "Philatelists' Vade Mecum."
+_(SECURED BY LETTERS PATENT.)_
+
+Is an entirely New and Original Invention for enabling Collectors to
+Mount Stamps without handling them, and is a _multum in parvo_ of
+Philatelic requisites.
+
+It consists of a pair of broad-headed flat metal tongs, one of which
+is fitted with a solid wedge. The object of this is to permit the free
+end of a mount held by the tong to be bent over, moistened, applied to
+the back of the stamp, and pressed down, and the mount can then be
+released, the stamp lifted, the other end of the mount moistened, and
+the stamp fastened thereby on the page. In the handle is inserted a
+glass of high magnifying power. On one side of the middle part is a
+millimètre scale (divided to half millimètres), and on the other a
+two-inch scale (divided to sixteenths), both accurately marked off.
+The stamp can be firmly held along either scale by the tongs. The
+tongs are made of solid nickel, polished, and fit into a handsome
+velvet-lined case, the size of which, when closed, is slightly less
+than 6 inches long, 1-3/4 inches wide, and only 1/2 inch thick.
+
+_PRICE, with case complete, 2/6; post-free, 2/7; abroad, 3/9._
+
+
+
+
+SECOND EDITION. REVISED TO DATE.
+
+A GLOSSARY FOR PHILATELISTS,
+
+ENTITLED
+
+Stamps and Stamp Collecting.
+
+BY MAJOR E. B. EVANS.
+
+
+This Work is intended to fill a void which has hitherto existed in the
+Philatelist's Library. It will be found invaluable as a most useful
+and indeed a standard book to refer to in all cases of doubt or
+obscurity appertaining to Postage Stamps and their surroundings.
+
+The Collector is not infrequently perplexed by the various terms
+employed, and the fullest explanations are here given of such.
+
+Much interesting information is also included as to the various
+classes of and the manufacture of the paper employed, the typography,
+the embossing, the perforating or rouletting, together with many
+instructive and interesting details connected with the fascinating
+science of Stamp collecting.
+
+_Price 2/- in strong Paper Cover, 4/- in Gilt Cloth; post-free, 3d.
+extra._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A COLOUR DICTIONARY,
+
+GIVING OVER
+
+_Two Hundred Names of Colours used in Printing, &c._
+
+Specially prepared for Stamp Collectors by B. W. WARHURST.
+
+Useful for many businesses in which coloured articles are bought and
+sold, and to give a more definite idea of the colours represented by
+certain names in common use, which are very frequently misunderstood.
+
+SUITABLE FOR USE IN SCHOOLS.
+
+Printed in TEN differently coloured inks on as many different papers,
+and further explained by diagram and ILLUSTRATED IN FIFTY-EIGHT
+COLOURS.
+
+_Price 2/6 in strong Paper Cover, 4/6 in Gilt Cloth; postage 3d.
+extra._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+POCKET MAGNIFYING GLASSES.
+
+After examining some scores of different sorts, we have been able to
+get one combining the greatest power with the largest field obtainable
+for pocket use. These glasses are mounted in handsome vulcanite
+frames, and are very compact. There are two lenses in each, which may
+be used singly, or if a very strong power is desired, may be combined.
+
+_Price 7/6; post-free, 7/7; abroad, 8/4._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+SURCHARGE MEASURER.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+The accompanying illustration will give the best idea of what this is.
+It consists of a pair of needle-pointed spring compasses, capable, by
+means of an adjusting screw, of measuring with the greatest accuracy
+all surcharges up to 40 millimètres in length. In addition to the
+measure a millimètre gauge is obtained by running the head of the
+screw along a piece of paper, a series of lines exactly a millimètre
+apart being thus indented in the paper. For measuring surcharges on
+such stamps as Natal, Straits Settlements, &c., this will be found
+invaluable, and also in the detection of forgeries--a forgery or
+forged surcharge very seldom being _exactly_ the same size as the
+original.
+
+_Price 7/6; post-free, 7/7; abroad, 7/11._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+Prepared Stamp Mounts.
+
+ACTUAL SIZE AND SHAPE.
+
+[Illustration: No. 1. No. 2. No. 3.]
+
+
+For affixing Stamps in Collections neatly and expeditiously. Far
+superior to the old plan of gumming the Stamps, and inserting them so
+that it is only with great difficulty they can be withdrawn. These
+Mounts are made of a thin strong white paper, and are ready gummed. By
+their use, Stamps can be removed at any time without injuring them, or
+in any way disfiguring the Collection. They are invaluable to those
+who collect watermarks. They should be used on the hinge system; thus,
+Moisten the Stamp, attaching the back of it to one half of the mount,
+the other half being fastened to the Album. The Stamp will then be
+facing the page; but do not turn it over until perfectly dry. A
+Collection with the Stamps mounted in this manner is far more
+valuable, if at any time a sale is desired. Three sizes are kept in
+stock: No. 2, medium size, suitable for ordinary-sized adhesives; No.
+1, smaller size; No. 3, large size--for such Stamps as old Portuguese,
+or for cut Envelopes. This size may also be used for Cards by using
+two mounts for each card.
+
+PRICES:
+
+_No. 1, 2, or 3 size, 3d. per 100; 1/6 per 1,000, post-free; 5,000,
+6/6; 10,000, 12/-._
+
+_The Prepared Paper can be supplied in Large Sheets, ready Gummed, at
+3d. per Sheet, post-free_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[Illustration: No. 4. No. 5. No. 6.]
+
+NEW CHEAP MOUNTS. At the request of many clients we have prepared a
+New Cheap Mount, made from a thicker paper; a gum is employed that
+permits the Mount to be removed from a book or sheet without damage to
+the paper, or tearing the Mount, which can thus be used several times
+over, such Mounts being particularly serviceable for exchange clubs,
+or for use in dealers' stock books, &c. The Mounts are put up in neat
+glazed card boxes, 1,000 of a size in a box, and are sold in sets of
+three sizes, viz., three boxes and 3,000 Mounts for 2/6; 9,000, price
+6/6; or _separately, any size_, at 1/- per 1,000 post-free.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+NEW SPECIALITY.
+
+FOR STAMP COLLECTORS.
+
+_SPECIAL POCKET BOOKS, PURSES,_
+
+AND
+
+CARD CASES.
+
+Each of the following New and Useful Specialities has separate
+compartments provided for Postage Stamps, consisting of strips of thin
+celluloid protecting the stamps, and enabling them to be seen at once,
+and arranged so that the stamps can be put in or withdrawn in an
+instant without damage.
+
+70.--TUCK CASE FOR THE WAISTCOAT. Pocket size.                   _s. d._
+3-1/2 x 2-3/8. Very thin, made in morocco leather, lined
+leather of a neutral colour, with transparent pockets through
+which stamps can be seen.
+                                         Price 2/6; post-free,    2 7
+
+71.--BEST MOROCCO GENTLEMAN'S CARD CASE, with usual pockets for
+visiting cards, and special compartments for stamps secured by a
+tuck flap fastening. (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.)
+                                         Price 4/6; post-free,    4 7
+
+72.--BEST MOROCCO WALLET. 5-3/4 x 3-1/2 inches. Lined leather
+throughout, flap and nickel lock fastening, gusset and tight
+pockets for letters; special provision for stamps under
+transparent pockets secured by an inner flap, and tuck fastening;
+leather covered notebook. (Highly Recommended.)
+                                         Price 10/-; post-free,  10 2
+
+73.--LIMP MOROCCO LETTER CASE. Size, 6-1/4 x 4 inches. With
+gusset pocket for private letters, tight pocket for foreign post
+cards, and an array of transparent pockets for stamps.
+                                         Price 3/6; post-free,    3 7
+
+74.--Ditto, ditto, with a gilt-edged ruled book under an elastic.
+                                         Price 4/-; post-free,    4 1
+
+75.--BEST MOROCCO LETTER CASE, lined leather throughout, with
+gusset pocket for private letters, and special pocket containing
+an ingenious receptacle to hold a large assortment of stamps.
+Being detachable, it can be used either with or without the outer
+case.
+                                         Price 5/6; post-free,    5 8
+
+76.--BEST MOROCCO PURSE. 4 x 2-1/2 inches. Flap and nickel lock
+fastening, stitched expanding pockets. The front to open out,
+displaying transparent pocket for stamps, with a separate flap to
+fasten. The purse can be used independently of the stamp
+compartment.
+                                         Price 6/6; post-free,    6 7
+
+
+
+
+STANLEY GIBBONS'
+
+New Stamp Catalogue.
+
+_5,000 NEW AND ENLARGED ILLUSTRATIONS._
+
+POCKET SIZE, IN TWO VOLUMES.
+
+VOL. I. contains all
+
+ADHESIVE STAMPS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THE BRITISH COLONIES.
+
+New and Enlarged Edition. Price 2/-; post-free, 2/3.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+VOL. II. contains the
+
+POSTAGE STAMPS OF THE REST OF THE WORLD.
+
+Price 2/-; post-free, 2/3.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Orange River Colony, Transvaal, and Mafeking Siege Stamps are
+transferred to Part I., being now English Colonies.
+
+Particular attention has--in both volumes--been given to the
+production of enlarged illustrations of many minor varieties, which
+can easily be distinguished from a large print, but which are
+difficult to describe.
+
+Many important countries have been thoroughly revised and re-written.
+_One hundred extra pages_ have been added to the two volumes without
+any extra charge.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+REAL MARKET PRICES.
+
+It is, above all things, highly important that Collectors and Dealers
+should know the exact and real market values of all Stamps. This Firm
+has taken the greatest pains to arrive at these prices, and the prices
+quoted in these Catalogues are those at which STANLEY GIBBONS will
+supply the Stamps if unsold at the time of the order.
+
+To facilitate business in all parts of the world, an Introduction,
+Details as to Approval Selections, Glossaries of Philatelic Terms,
+etc., are given in English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+STANLEY GIBBONS, LTD., 391, STRAND, LONDON, W.C.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stamp Collecting as a Pastime, by 
+Edward J. Nankivell
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME ***
+
+***** This file should be named 18204-8.txt or 18204-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/1/8/2/0/18204/
+
+Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Sankar Viswanathan, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+*** END: FULL LICENSE ***
+
diff --git a/18204-8.zip b/18204-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..447bb3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-8.zip
diff --git a/18204-h.zip b/18204-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f783284
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h.zip
diff --git a/18204-h/18204-h.htm b/18204-h/18204-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7af49ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/18204-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,4711 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Stamp Collecting
+as a Pastime, by Edward J. Nankivell
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
+<!--
+    p {  margin-top: .75em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .75em;
+         }
+    h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
+         text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+         clear: both;
+         }
+    hr { width: 33%;
+	 margin-top: 2em;
+	 margin-bottom: 2em;
+         margin-left: auto;
+         margin-right: auto;
+         clear: both;
+       }
+
+    a[name] {position:absolute;}
+
+    a:link {color:#0000ff; text-decoration:none}
+              link {color:#0000ff;
+                                text-decoration:none}
+              a:visited {color:#0000ff;
+                              text-decoration:none}
+              a:hover {color:#ff0000}
+
+     table { empty-cells:show; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; }
+	.tocch    { text-align: right; vertical-align: top;}
+    .tocpg   {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;}
+.tb1 { width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color:#000000; border-width:0.025em;  }
+.tb2 { width: 80%; }
+.tb3 { width: 100%; }
+.tb4 { width: 40%; }
+.tb5 { width: 70%; }
+td.edge {  border: 1px solid black; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;}
+td.edge1 {  border: 1px solid black; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;}
+td.edge2 {  border: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;}
+td.edge3 {  border: 0; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;}
+td.edge4 { width: 90%; }
+
+
+body{margin-left: 10%;
+         margin-right: 10%;
+        }
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+            /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                position: absolute;
+                left: 92%;
+                font-size: smaller;
+                text-align: right;
+              } /* page numbers */
+
+    .blockquot{margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 10%;}
+
+
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+    .u        {text-decoration: underline;}
+
+    .caption  {font-weight: bold;}
+
+    .figcenter   {margin: auto; text-align: center;}
+
+    .figleft     {float: left; clear: left; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom:0em; margin-top:
+                 0em; margin-right: 0em; padding: 0; text-align: center;}
+
+    .figright    {float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;
+                 margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;}
+
+
+
+-->
+    /* XML end  ]]>*/
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's Stamp Collecting as a Pastime, by Edward J. Nankivell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Stamp Collecting as a Pastime
+
+Author: Edward J. Nankivell
+
+Release Date: April 18, 2006 [EBook #18204]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Sankar Viswanathan, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<h4>THE </h4>
+  <h4>Stanley Gibbons Philatelic Handbooks.
+
+</h4>
+<h1>STAMP COLLECTING<br />
+
+  AS A PASTIME</h1>
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>EDWARD J. NANKIVELL</h2>
+
+<h5>MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISTS<br />
+
+  MEMBER OF THE PHILATELIC SOCIETY OF LONDON</h5>
+
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_001.jpg" alt="Seal" width="75" height="65" /></p>
+<h3>London</h3>
+  <h3>STANLEY GIBBONS, <span class="smcap">Ltd</span>., 391, STRAND, W.C.</h3>
+  <h3>New York</h3>
+ <h3> 167, BROADWAY</h3>
+  <h3>1902</h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p>
+<h2>PREFACE</h2>
+<div class="figleft"><img src="images/image_003.jpg" alt="Drop Cap." width="75" height="105" /></div>
+<p><br />
+
+any people are at a loss to understand the fascination that surrounds
+the pursuit of stamp collecting. They are surprised at the
+clannishness of stamp collectors, and their lifelong devotion to their
+hobby. They are thunderstruck at the enormous prices paid for rare
+stamps, and at the fortunes that are spent and made in stamp
+collecting.</p>
+
+<p>The following pages will afford a peep behind the scenes, and explain
+how it is that, after nearly half a century of existence, stamp
+collecting has never been more popular than it is to-day.</p>
+
+<p>And perchance many a tired worker in search of a hobby may be
+persuaded that of all the relaxations that are open to him none is
+more attractive or more satisfying than stamp collecting.</p>
+
+<p>Its literature is more abundant than that devoted to any other hobby.
+Its votaries are to be found in every city and town of the civilised
+world. Governments and statesmen recognise, unsolicited, the claims of
+stamp collecting&mdash;the power, the influence, and the wealth that it
+commands. From a mere schoolboy pastime it has steadily developed into
+an engrossing hobby for the leisured and the busy of all classes and
+all ranks of life, from the monarch on his throne to the errand boy in
+the merchant's office.</p>
+
+<p>In the competition of modern life it is recognised<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> that those who
+must work must also play. The physician assures us that the man who
+allows himself no relaxation, no recreation, loses his energy, and
+ages earlier than the man who judiciously alternates work and play.</p>
+
+<p>As stamp collecting may be indulged in by all ages, and at all
+seasons, it is becoming more and more the favourite indoor relaxation
+with brain-workers. It may be taken up or laid down at any time, and
+at any stage. Its cost may be limited to shillings or pounds, and it
+may be made a pleasant pursuit or an engrossing study, or it may even
+be diverted into money-making purposes.</p>
+
+<p>So absorbing is the hobby that in stamp circles there is a saying,
+"Once a stamp collector, always a stamp collector."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+<table summary="Contents">
+<tr><td></td>
+  <td></td>
+  <td></td><td class="tocpg">PAGE</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">I. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#I">Stamp Collecting as a Pastime</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_7">7</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">II. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#II">The Charm of Stamp Collecting</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_10">10</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">III. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#III">Its Permanence</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_14">14</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">IV. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#IV">Its Internationality</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">V. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#V">Its Geographical Interest</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_20">20</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">VI. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#VI">Its Historical Finger Posts</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">VII. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#VII">Stamps With a History</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_28">28</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">VIII. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#VIII">Great Rarities</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">IX. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#IX">The Romance of Stamp Collecting</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">X. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#X">Philatelic Societies and their Work</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">XI. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#XI">The Literature of Stamps</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_47">47</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">XII. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#XII">Stamps as Works of Art</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_51">51</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">XIII. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#XIII">Stamp Collecting as an Investment</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">XIV. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#XIV">What to Collect and How to Collect</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">XV. </td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><span class="smcap"><a href="#XV">Great Collections</a></span></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_006.jpg" width="600" height="198" alt="Images of Stamps" title="Images of Stamps" />
+</div>
+<h2><a name="I" id="I"></a>I.</h2>
+
+<h2>As a Pastime.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_006_1.jpg" width="75" height="107" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  ccording to the authorities, the central idea of a pastime is "that
+it is so positively agreeable that it lets time slip by unnoticed; as,
+to turn work into pastime." And recreation is described as "that sort
+of play or agreeable occupation which refreshes the tired person,
+making him as good as new."</p>
+
+<p>Stamp collectors may fairly claim that their hobby serves the double
+purpose of a pastime and a recreation. As a pastime, it certainly
+makes time pass most agreeably; for the true student of the postal
+issues of the world, it turns work into a pastime. As a recreation, it
+is of such an engrossing character that it may be relied upon to
+afford the pleasant diversion from business worries that so many tired
+mental workers need nowadays.</p>
+
+<p>For nearly half a century it has maintained unbroken its hold as one
+of the most popular of all forms of relaxation, and its popularity
+extends to all classes and to all countries.</p>
+
+<p>But this very devotion of stamp collectors to their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> hobby has puzzled
+and excited the uninitiated. The ordinary individual, especially the
+man who has no soul for a hobby of any kind, regards it as a passing
+fancy, a harmless craze, a fashion that must have its day and
+disappear, sooner or later. But the passing fancy has endured for
+nearly half a century, the harmless craze still serves its useful
+purpose, and the fashion has acquired such a permanence as to convince
+most people that it has come to stay.</p>
+
+<p>Of all pastimes, and of all the forms of recreation, not one can claim
+more lifelong devotees than this same stamp collecting. And where is
+another pastime with such international ramifications? In every
+civilised country, in every city, and in every town of any importance,
+the wide world over, thoughtful men and women are to be found formed
+into sociable groups, or societies, quietly and pleasantly enjoying
+themselves in the harmless and enduring pursuit of stamp collecting.</p>
+
+<p>There must be some reason for this popularity, this devotion of all
+classes to a pursuit, this unbroken record of progress. It cannot be
+satisfactorily accounted for as a passing fancy or fashion. It has too
+long stood the test of years to be so easily explained away. Fancies
+and fashions come and go, but stamp collecting flourishes from decade
+to decade. Princes and peers, merchants and members of Parliament,
+solicitors and barristers, schoolboys and octogenarians, all follow
+this postal Pied Piper of Hamelin,</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles,
+cousins,"</p></div>
+
+<p>all bent upon the pursuit of this pleasure-yielding hobby.</p>
+
+<p>Why is it? Whence comes the fascination?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>To the unprejudiced inquirer the reply is simple. To the leisured man
+it affords a stimulating occupation, with a spice of competition; to
+the busy professional man it yields the delight of a recreative
+change; to the studious, an inexhaustible scope for profitable
+research; to the old, the sociability of a pursuit popular with old
+and young alike; to the young, a hobby prolific of novelty, and one,
+moreover, that harmonises with school studies in historical and
+geographical directions; to the money maker, an opening for occasional
+speculation; and to all, a satisfying combination of a safe investment
+and a pleasure-yielding study.</p>
+
+<p>Old postage stamps&mdash;bits of paper, as they are contemptuously called
+by some people&mdash;may have no intrinsic value, but they are,
+nevertheless, rich in memories of history and of art; they link the
+past with the present; they mark the march of empires and the
+federation of states, the rise and fall of dynasties, and the peaceful
+extension of postal communication between the peoples of the world;
+and, some day in the distant future, they may celebrate even yet more
+important victories of peace.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;"><img src="images/image_008.jpg" width="250" height="141" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></span></span></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><img src="images/image_009.jpg" width="600" height="223" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<h2><a name="II" id="II"></a>II.</h2>
+
+<h2>The Charm of Stamp Collecting.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_009_1.jpg" width="75" height="103" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  is Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in a letter to a
+correspondent, referring to stamp collecting, wrote: "It is one of the
+greatest pleasures of my life"; and the testimony of the Prince of
+Wales is the testimony of thousands who have taken up this engrossing
+hobby.</p>
+
+<p>The pursuit of a hobby is very often a question of expense. Many
+interesting lines of collecting are practically closed to all but the
+wealthy. But stamp collecting is open to all, for the expenditure may
+in its case be limited at the will of the collector to shillings or
+pounds. Indeed, the adaptability of this hobby is one of its chiefest
+charms. The rich collector may make his choice amongst the most
+expensive countries, whilst the man of moderate means will wisely
+confine himself to equally interesting countries whose stamps have not
+gone beyond the reach of the man who does not wish to make his hobby
+an expensive one. The schoolboy may get together a very respectable
+little collection by the judicious expenditure of small savings from
+his pocket money, and the millionaire will find<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> ample scope for his
+surplus wealth in the fine range of varieties that gem the issues of
+many of the oldest stamp-issuing countries, and which only the
+fortunate few can hope to possess.</p>
+
+<p>In all there are over three hundred countries from which to make a
+selection. In the early days collectors took all countries, but as
+country after country followed the lead of England in issuing adhesive
+stamps for the prepayment of postage, and as series followed series of
+new designs in each country, the task of covering the whole ground
+became more and more hopeless, and collector after collector began
+first to restrict his lines to continents, and then to groups or
+countries, till now only the wealthy and leisured few attempt to make
+a collection of the world's postal issues.</p>
+
+<p>This necessary restriction of collecting to groups and individual
+countries has led to specialism. The specialist concentrates his
+attention upon the issues of a group or country, and he prosecutes the
+study of the stamps of his chosen country with all the thoroughness of
+the modern specialist. He unearths from forgotten State documents and
+dusty files of official gazettes the official announcements
+authorising each issue. He inquires into questions surrounding the
+choice of designs, the why and wherefore of the chosen design, the
+name of the engraver, the materials and processes used in the
+production of the plates, the size of the plates, and the varying
+qualities of the paper and ink used for printing the stamps&mdash;in fact,
+nothing that can complete the history of an issue, from its inception
+to its use by the public, escapes his attention. He constitutes
+himself, in truth, the historian of postal issues. The scope for
+interesting study thus opened up is almost boundless. It includes
+inquiries into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> questions of heraldry in designs, of currency in the
+denominations used, of methods of engraving dies, of the transference
+of the die to plates, of printing from steel plates and from
+lithographic stones, of the progress of those arts in various
+countries, of the manufacture, the variety, and the quality of the
+paper used&mdash;from the excellent hand-made papers of early days to the
+commonest printing papers of the present day&mdash;of postal revenues and
+postal developments, of the crude postal issues of earliest times, and
+the exquisite machine engraving of many current issues.</p>
+
+<p>He who fails to see any justification for money spent and time given
+up to the collecting of postage stamps will scarcely deny that these
+lines of study, which by no means exhaust the list, can scarcely fail
+to be both fascinating and profitable, even when regarded from a
+purely educational standpoint. It is true it may be contended that all
+collectors do not go thus deeply into stamp collecting as a study;
+nevertheless the tendency sets so strongly in the direction of
+combining study with the pleasure of collecting, that the man who
+nowadays neglects to study his stamps is apt to fall markedly behind
+in the competition that is ever stimulating the stamp collector in his
+pleasant and friendly rivalry with his fellows.</p>
+
+<p>Then, again, an ever-increasing supply of new issues from one or other
+of the many groups of stamp-issuing countries periodically revives the
+interest of the flagging collector, and binds him afresh to the hobby
+of his choice. Old, seasoned collectors, whose interest once set never
+flags from youth to age, relegate new issues to a back seat. They find
+more than enough to engage their lifelong devotion in the grand old
+issues of the early settlements. But the collector of modern<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> issues
+who cannot afford to indulge in the great rarities, finds new issues a
+source of perpetual enjoyment. They follow one another month after
+month, and infuse into the collector's life the irresistible charm of
+novelty, and every now and again an emergency issue comes as a
+surprise. There is a scramble for possession, and a spice of
+speculation in the possibility, never absent from a makeshift and
+emergency issue, that the copies may be scarce, and may some day ripen
+into rarity.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;"><img src="images/image_012.jpg" width="150" height="183" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></span></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><img src="images/image_013.jpg" width="600" height="200" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<h2><a name="III" id="III"></a>III.</h2>
+
+<h2>Its Permanence.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_013_1.jpg" width="75" height="116" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  <br />
+  ver since the collection of postage stamps was first started it has
+been sneered at as a passing craze, and it has been going to die a
+natural death for the past forty years. But it is not dead yet.
+Indeed, it is very much more alive than it has ever been. Still the
+sneerers sneer on, and the false prophets continue to prophesy its
+certain end.</p>
+
+<p>To the unsympathetic, the ignoramus, the lethargic, the brainless,
+everything that savours of enthusiasm is a craze. The politician who
+throws himself heart and soul into a political contest is "off his
+head," is seized with a craze. The philanthropist who builds and
+endows hospitals and churches is "a crank," following a mere craze.
+The earnest student of social problems is "off the track," on a craze.
+The man who seeks relaxation by any change of employment is certain to
+be classed by some idiot as one who goes off on a craze. You cannot,
+in fact, step off the beaten track tramped by the common herd without
+exciting some remark, some sneer, perchance, at your singularity.</p>
+
+<p>The most ignorant are the most positive that stamp collecting is only
+a passing fancy of which its votaries<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> will tire, sooner or later; and
+yet for the last forty years, with a brief exception, due to an
+abnormal depression in trade, it has always been on the increase.
+Indeed, it has never in all those years been more popular with the
+cultured classes than it is to-day. The Philatelic Society of London
+has an unbroken record of regular meetings of its members extending
+over a quarter of a century. The literature devoted to stamp
+collecting is more abundant than that of any other hobby. Its votaries
+are to be found in every city and town of the habitable globe.</p>
+
+<p>"All very fine," say our bogey men, our prophets of impending evil;
+"but blue china has gone to the wall, autographs are losing caste, old
+books and first editions are on the downgrade, pipes are relegated to
+the lumber-room, metallurgical cabinets are coated with dust, and even
+walking-sticks survive only at Sandringham!" Just so. We are
+all&mdash;Governments, people, and weather&mdash;going to the bad as fast as we
+can go, according to the croakers, the wiseacres, and the
+self-appointed prophets. Nevertheless, stamp collecting has survived
+the sneers and the evil prophecies of forty years, and so far as human
+foresight can penetrate the future, it seems likely to survive for
+many a generation yet.</p>
+
+<p>And why not? In the busy, contentious bustle of the competition of the
+day, the brain, strained too often to its utmost tension, demands the
+relaxation of some absorbing, pleasure-yielding hobby. Those who have
+tried it attest the fact that few things more completely wean the
+attention, for the time being, from the vexations and worries of the
+day than the collection and arrangement of postage stamps. In fact,
+stamp collecting has an ever-recurring freshness all its own, a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> scope
+for research that is never likely to be exhausted, a literature varied
+and abundant, and a close and interesting relation to the history and
+progress of nations and peoples that insensibly widens the trend of
+human sympathies and human knowledge.</p>
+
+<p>What more do we want of a hobby? We cannot ensure, even for the
+British Empire, an eternity of durability: nations decay and fashions
+change. Some day even stamp collecting may be superseded by a more
+engrossing hobby. The indications, however, are all in favour of its
+growing hold upon its universal public. The wealth invested in it is
+immense, its trading interests are prosperous and international, and
+no fear of changing fashion disturbs either dealer or collector.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;"><img src="images/image_015.jpg" width="150" height="172" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><img src="images/image_016.jpg" width="600" height="276" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<h2><a name="IV" id="IV"></a>IV.</h2>
+
+<h2>Its Internationality.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_022_1.jpg" width="75" height="76" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  herever you go you find the stamp collector in evidence. The hobby
+has its devotees in every civilised country. Its hold is, in fact,
+international. In Dresden there is a society with over two thousand
+members upon its books; in out-of-the-way countries like Finland there
+are ardent collectors and flourishing philatelic societies. The Prince
+of Siam has been an enthusiastic collector for many years, and even in
+Korea there are followers of the hobby. Australia numbers its
+collectors by the thousand, and many of its cities have their
+philatelic societies, all keen searchers for the much-prized rarities
+of the various States of the Commonwealth. In India, despite the
+difficulty of preserving stamps from injury by moisture, there are
+numbers of collectors; one of the best-known rajahs is collecting
+stamps for a museum, recently founded in his State, and the Parsees
+are keen dealers. There are collectors throughout South Africa, in
+Rhodesia, and even in Uganda. Wherever a postage stamp is issued there
+may be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> found a collector waiting for a copy for his album. In no part
+of the world can an issue of stamps be made that is not at once
+partially bought up for collectors. If any one of the Antarctic
+expeditions were to reach the goal of its ambition, and were to
+celebrate the event there and then by an issue of postage stamps, a
+collector would be certain to be in attendance, and would probably
+endeavour to buy up the whole issue on the spot. The United States
+teems with collectors, and they have their philatelic societies in the
+principal cities and their Annual Congress. From Texas to Niagara, and
+from New York to San Francisco, the millionaire and the more humble
+citizen vie with each other in friendly rivalry as stamp collectors.</p>
+
+<p>Many countries are now making an Official Collection, and there is
+every probability that some day in the near future most Governments
+will keep a stamp collection of some sort for reference and
+exhibition. Under the rules of the Postal Union, every state that
+enters the Union is entitled to receive, for reference purposes, a
+copy of every stamp issued by each country in the Postal Union. Hence
+every Government receives valuable contributions, which should be
+utilised in the formation of a National or Official Collection. And
+some day stamp collectors will be numerous and influential enough to
+demand that such contributions shall not be buried in useless and
+forgotten heaps in official drawers, but shall be systematically
+arranged for public reference and general study.</p>
+
+<p>Not a few countries are every year rescued from absolute bankruptcy by
+the generosity with which collectors buy up their postal issues; and
+many other countries would have to levy a very much heavier<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> burden of
+taxation from their peoples if stamp collecting were to go out of
+fashion.</p>
+
+<p>So widespread indeed is our hobby that a well-known collector might
+travel round the world and rely upon a cordial welcome at the hands of
+fellow-collectors at every stopping-place en route.</p>
+
+<p>International jealousies are forgotten, and even the barriers of race,
+and creed, and politics, in the pleasant freemasonry of philatelic
+friendships.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;"><img src="images/image_018.jpg" width="250" height="224" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_019.jpg" width="600" height="195" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></div>
+<h2><a name="V" id="V"></a>V.</h2>
+
+<h2>Its Geographical Interest.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;"><span class="figleft" style="width: 75px;"><img src="images/image_006_1.jpg" width="75" height="107" alt="Drop Cap."  /></span></div>
+<p> <br />&nbsp;
+  few years ago many heads of colleges prohibited stamp collecting
+amongst their boys. They found they were carrying it too far, and were
+being made the easy prey of a certain class of rapacious dealers. Now
+the pendulum is swinging in a more rational direction, and many
+masters themselves having become enthusiastic collectors, judiciously
+encourage the boys under their care to collect and study stamps as
+interesting aids to their general studies. They watch over their
+collecting, and protect them from wasteful buying. In some schools the
+masters have given or arranged lectures on stamps and stamp
+collecting, and the boys have voted such entertainments as ranking
+next to a jolly holiday.</p>
+
+<p>The up-to-date master, who can associate work and play, study and
+entertainment, is much more likely to register successes than the
+frigid dominie who will hear of nothing but a rigid attention to the
+tasks of the day. In the one case the lessons are presented in their
+most repellent form, in the other they are made part and parcel of
+each day's pleasant round of interesting study.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The genuine success of the Kindergarten system in captivating the
+little ones lies in its association of play with work. The same
+principle holds good even to a much later age. The more pleasant the
+task can be made, the more ready will be the obedience with which the
+task will be performed. The openings for the judicious and helpful
+admixture of study and entertainment are so few, that one wonders that
+such a helpful form of play as stamp collecting has not become more
+popular than it has in our colleges.</p>
+
+<p>Take, for example, the study of geography, so important to the boys of
+a great commercial nation. The boy who collects stamps will readily
+separate the great colonising powers, and group and locate their
+separate colonies. How many other boys, even after they have passed
+through the last stage of their school life, could do this?
+Little-known countries and states are too often a puzzle to the
+ordinary schoolboy, which are familiar places to the stamp collecting
+youth. Ask the ordinary schoolboy in which continents are such places
+as Angola, Annam, Cura&ccedil;ao, Funchal, Holkar, Ivory Coast, Liberia,
+Nepaul, Reunion, St. Lucia, San Marino, Sarawak, Seychelles, Sirmoor,
+Somali Coast, Surinam, Tahiti, Tobago, or Tonga, and how many of all
+these places, so familiar to the young stamp collector, will he
+properly place? Not many; and the same question might probably be
+asked of many an adult with even less satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>The average series of used stamps are now so cheap that a lad may get
+together a fairly representative collection for what he ordinarily
+spends at the tuck shop. Some educationists have advocated the making
+and exhibiting of school collections of stamps as aids to study. Such
+collections would certainly be much<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> more profitably studied than most
+of the maps and diagrams that nowadays cover the walls.</p>
+
+<p>With few exceptions, every stamp has the name of the country, or
+colony, of its issue on its face; and most colonial stamps bear some
+family likeness to the stamps of the mother country. Our British
+colonial stamps are distinguished by their Queen's heads; the stamps
+of Portugal and its colonies by the portraits of the rulers of
+Portugal; those of Germany by the German currency; those of France
+mostly by French heraldic designs; those of Spain by the portraits of
+the kings and queens of Spain. So that the postage stamp is a key to
+much definite, valuable, and practical information.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;"><img src="images/image_021.jpg" width="200" height="134" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></span></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><img src="images/image_022.jpg" width="600" height="201" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="VI" id="VI"></a>VI.</h2>
+
+<h2>Its Historical Finger Posts.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_022_1.jpg" width="75" height="76" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  hen considered from the historical point of view, postage stamps
+attain their highest level of educational value. They are finger posts
+to most of the great events that have made the history of nations
+during the last fifty years. Here are a few out of many examples which
+might be quoted.</p>
+
+<p>The introduction of adhesive stamps for the prepayment of postage
+found France a Republic. A provisional government had just been
+established on the ruins of the monarchy which had been swept out of
+existence in the revolution of 1848. As a consequence, the first
+postage stamp issued by France, on New Year's Day of 1849, bore the
+head of Ceres, emblematic of Liberty. Three years later Louis Napoleon
+seized the post of power, and, as President of the Republic, his head
+figures on a stamp issued in 1851, under the inscription "<span class="smcap">repub.
+franc.</span>" Two years later the Empire was re-established, and the words
+"<span class="smcap">repub. franc.</span>" were changed to "<span class="smcap">empire franc.</span>" over the same head. In
+1863 the customary laurel wreath, to indicate the first victories of
+the reign,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> won in the war with Austria, was added to the Emperor's
+head. In 1870 the Franco-German War resulted in the downfall of the
+monarchy, and the head of Liberty reappears on a series of postage
+stamps issued in Paris during its investment by the German army. The
+issue of the stamps of Alsace and Lorraine in 1870 marks the
+annexation of the conquered territory.</p>
+
+<p>Italy in 1850 was a land of many petty states, each more or less a law
+unto itself, and each, in the fifties, issuing its own separate series
+of postage stamps. The stamps of the Pontifical States are made
+familiar by their typical design of a tiara and keys, and pompous King
+Bomba ordered the best engraver to be found to immortalise him in a
+portrait for a series of stamps. The other states had each its own
+heraldic design till the foundations of the Kingdom of Italy were
+laid, in 1859-60, by the union of the Lombardo-Venetian States, the
+Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchies
+of Parma and Modena, the Romagna and the Roman (or Pontifical) States
+with Piedmont. The first issue of stamps of the newly formed kingdom
+bore a portrait of King Victor Emmanuel II. with profile turned to the
+right. In 1863, after the Kingdom of Sardinia had been merged in the
+Kingdom of Italy, a new series was issued for united Italy. The same
+king's portrait appears, but turned to the left. In 1879 King Humbert
+succeeded Victor Emmanuel, and his portrait appeared on an issue in
+the year of his accession. The assassination of King Humbert and the
+accession of his son as Victor Emmanuel III. are followed by the new
+portrait of the new king on the current series of the stamps of Italy.</p>
+
+<p>The stamps of Germany tell a somewhat similar<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> story. They mark the
+stages of gradual absorption into a confederation of states, and the
+ultimate creation of a German Empire. The postal issues of Baden
+ceased in 1871, when the Grand Duchy was incorporated in the Empire.
+Bavaria, though also incorporated, holds out in postal matters, and
+still issues its separate series. Bergedorf was in 1867 placed under
+the control of the free city of Hamburg, and thereupon ceased issuing
+stamps. Bremen, Brunswick, Hamburg, Lubeck, Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
+Oldenburg, Prussia, Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein formed the North
+German Confederation, and closed their postal accounts with collectors
+in 1868. Hanover became a province of Prussia after the war of 1866,
+and thereupon ceased its separate issue of postage stamps; and Thurn
+and Taxis followed suit in 1867. In 1870 the North German
+Confederation was merged in the German Empire, which issued its first
+postage stamp with the Imperial eagle in 1872. But the Empire is not
+yet sufficiently united to place a portrait of the Emperor upon its
+Imperial postal series.</p>
+
+<p>Indian postage stamps, overprinted with the initials "<span class="smcap">C.E.F.</span>", for the
+China Expeditionary Force, <i>i.e.</i> the Indian troops sent to China in
+1901 to relieve the besieged Embassies, mark an historical event of no
+small import.</p>
+
+<p>The early provisional issues of Crete of 1898 indicate the joint
+interference of the Great Powers in its affairs, and the later issues,
+in 1900, bear the portrait of Prince George of Greece as High
+Commissioner of Crete.</p>
+
+<p>The Confederate locals of America, issued, in 1861-3, by the
+postmasters of the Southern States when they were cut off by the war
+from the capital and its supplies of postage stamps, and each town was
+thrown upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> its own resources, proclaim the period of the great
+American Civil War.</p>
+
+<p>Collectors are all familiar with the long series of portraits of past
+Presidents of the United States, from Washington to Garfield.</p>
+
+<p>The stamps of Don Carlos mark the Carlist rising in Spain in 1873.</p>
+
+<p>But amongst the most interesting of all stamps that may be classed as
+historical finger posts, none equal in present-day interest the stamps
+of the Transvaal, for they tell of the struggle for supremacy in South
+Africa. In 1870 the Boers issued their first postage stamp, and a
+crude piece of workmanship it was, designed and engraved in Germany.
+Till 1877 they printed their supplies of postage stamps in their own
+crude way from the same crude plates. Then came the first British
+Occupation, when the remainders of the stamps of the first South
+African Republic were overprinted "<span class="smcap">V.R. TRANSVAAL</span>," to indicate
+British government. Then, in 1878, the stamps of the Republic were
+replaced by our Queen's Head. In 1881 the country was given back to
+the Boers, when they in turn overprinted our Queen's Head series in
+Boer currency, to indicate the restoration of Boer domination. And
+now, finally, in 1900 we have the second British Occupation, and a
+second overprinting of South African Republic stamps "<span class="smcap">V.R.I.</span>", to
+signalise once more, and finally, the supremacy of British rule in
+South Africa. The Mafeking stamps are also interesting souvenirs of a
+gallant stand in the same historical struggle.</p>
+
+<p>The war which Chili some years ago carried into Bolivia and Peru has
+been marked in a special manner upon the postage stamps of Chili. As
+in the case of our own troops in South Africa, so the Chilian troops<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
+in Bolivia and Peru were allowed to frank their letters home with the
+stamps of their own country. So also the Chilians further overprinted
+the stamps of Peru with the Chilian arms during their occupation of
+the conquered country in the years 1881-2. Chilian stamps used along
+the route of the conquering army, and postmarked with the names of the
+towns occupied, are much sought after by specialists. These postmarks
+include Arica, Callao, Iquique, Lima, Paita, Pisagua, Pisco, Tacna,
+Yca, etc.</p>
+
+<p>And so the stamp collector may turn over the pages of his stamp album,
+and point to stamp after stamp that marks, for him, some development
+of art, some crisis in a country's progress, some struggle to be free,
+or some great upheaval amongst rival powers. In fact, every stamp
+issued by a country is, more or less, a page of its history.</p>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 240px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 240px;"><img src="images/image_026.jpg" width="240" height="147" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><img src="images/image_027.jpg" width="500" height="185" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><a name="VII" id="VII"></a>VII.</h2>
+
+<h2>Stamps with a History.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_040_1.jpg" width="75" height="108" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  <br />
+  here are numbers of stamps that have an interesting history of their
+own. They mark some official experiment, some curious blunder or
+accident, some little conceit, some historical event, or some crude
+and early efforts at stamp production.</p>
+
+<p>What is known as the V.R. Penny black, English stamp, is said to have
+been designed as an experiment in providing a special stamp for
+official use, its official character being denoted by the initials
+V.R. in the upper corners; but the proposal was dropped, and the V.R.
+Penny black was never issued. For a long time it was treasured up as a
+rarity by collectors, but now that its real claims to be regarded as
+an issued stamp have been finally settled, it is no longer included in
+our stamp catalogues. In the days of its popularity it fetched as much
+as &pound;14 at auction. It is now relegated to the rank of an interesting
+souvenir of the experimental stage in the introduction of Penny
+Postage.</p>
+
+<p>Of curious blunders, the Cape of Good Hope errors of colours are
+amongst the most notable. In 1861 the 1d. and 4d. triangular stamps,
+then current, were suddenly exhausted, and before a stock could be
+ob<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>tained from the printers in England, a temporary supply had to be
+provided locally. This was done by engraving imitations of the
+originals. Stereos were then taken, and made up into plates for
+printing. By an oversight a stereo of the penny value was dropped into
+the fourpenny plate and a fourpenny into the penny plate.
+Consequently, each sheet printed in the required red ink from the
+penny plate yielded a fourpenny wrongly printed in red instead of
+blue, its proper colour; and every sheet of the fourpenny likewise
+yielded a penny stamp printed in blue instead of red. These errors are
+highly prized by collectors, and are now extremely scarce, even poor
+specimens fetching from &pound;50 to &pound;60. At the time, copies were sold by
+dealers for a few shillings each. Similar errors are known in the
+stamps of other countries.</p>
+
+<p>Now and again the sheets of a particular value have, by some
+extraordinary oversight, been printed and issued in the wrong colour.
+In 1869 copies of the 1s. of Western Australia were printed in bistre
+instead of in green, and a few years later the twopence was discovered
+in lilac instead of yellow. In 1863 a supply of shilling stamps was
+sent out to Barbados printed in blue instead of black; but this latter
+error was, according to Messrs. Hardy and Bacon, so promptly
+discovered, that it is doubtful if any of the wrong colour were issued
+for postal use. In 1896 the fastidiously careful firm of De la Rue and
+Co. printed off and despatched to Tobago a supply of 6,000 one
+shilling stamps in the colour of the sixpenny, <i>i.e.</i> in orange-brown
+instead of olive-yellow. Several are said to have been issued to the
+public before the error had been noticed. Indeed, the firm at home is
+credited with having first discovered the mistake, and is said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> to
+have telegraphed to the colony in time to prevent their issue in any
+quantity.</p>
+
+<p>Another and much more common error in the early days of stamp
+production was the careless placing of one stamp on a plate upside
+down. Stamps so placed are termed <i>t&ecirc;te-b&ecirc;che</i>. They have to be
+collected in pairs to show the error. The early stamps of France
+furnish many examples of this class of error. They are also to be
+found on the 6d. and 1s. values of the first design of the stamps of
+the Transvaal, on the early issues of Roumania, on some of the stamps
+of the Colombian Republic, and other countries.</p>
+
+<p>Stamps requiring two separate printings&mdash;<i>i.e.</i> stamps printed in two
+colours&mdash;have given rise to many curious errors in printing. A sheet
+passed through the press upside down after one colour has been printed
+results in one portion of the design being inverted. In the 1869 issue
+of the stamps of the United States no less than three of the values
+had the central portions of their designs printed upside down. The
+4d., blue, of the first issue of Western Australia is known with the
+Swan on its head. Even the recently issued Pan-American stamps,
+printed in the most watchful manner by the United States official
+Bureau of Engraving and Printing, are known with the central portions
+of the design inverted, and these errors, despite the most searching
+examination to which each sheet is several times subjected, escaped
+detection, and were sold to the public. When, however, it is
+remembered that stamps are now printed by the million, it will be
+wondered that so few mistakes escape into the hands of collectors.</p>
+
+<p>As a bit of conceit, the issue of what is known as the Connell stamp
+is probably unequalled. In loyal<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> Canada, in 1860, Mr. Charles Connell
+was Postmaster-General of the little colony of New Brunswick, which in
+those days had its own government and its own separate issue of
+stamps. A change of currency from "pence" to "cents" necessitated new
+postage stamps. It was decided to give the new issue as much variety
+as possible by having a separate design for each stamp. Two of the
+series presented the crowned portrait of the Queen, and one that of
+the Prince of Wales as a lad in Scotch dress. Connell, apparently
+ambitious to figure in the royal gallery, gave instructions to the
+engravers to place his own portrait upon the 5 cents stamp. His
+instructions were carried out, and in due time a supply of the 5 cents
+bearing his portrait was delivered. But before many were issued the
+news spread like wildfire that Connell had outraged the issue by
+placing his own portrait upon one of the stamps. Political opponents
+are said to have taken up the hue and cry. The matter was immediately
+brought before the higher authorities, and the unfortunate stamp was
+promptly suppressed. Half a million had been printed off and delivered
+for sale, but very few seem to have escaped the outcry that was raised
+against them, and to-day copies are extremely scarce. Poor Connell
+took the matter very much to heart, threw up his appointment, and
+forthwith retired into private life. But the portrait of the bluff
+mechanic type of countenance will be handed down from generation to
+generation in stamp catalogues and costly stamp collections long after
+the authorities that suppressed him are forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>Some folks question the appearance of the Baden-Powell portrait upon
+the Mafeking stamps as a similar bit of conceit; but whatever may be
+said in criticism of Baden-Powell's stamp, most people will be
+inclined<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> to accept it as a pleasant souvenir of an historic siege and
+a determined and gallant stand against great odds.</p>
+
+<p>But of all the portraits that have appeared upon postal issues, none
+probably occasioned so much trouble and fuss as that of the notorious
+King Bomba of Sicily. The most eminent engraver of his
+day&mdash;Aloisio&mdash;was commissioned to prepare an exact likeness of His
+Sacred Majesty. After much ministerial tribulation the portrait was
+approved and engraved, and to this day it is regarded as a superb
+piece of work. A special cancelling stamp had to be designed and put
+into use which defaced only the border of the stamp and left the
+sacred portrait untouched. During the preliminaries necessary to the
+production of the sacred effigy the fate of ministers and officials
+hung in the balance. One official was actually marked for degradation
+for having submitted a disfigurement which turned out to be a
+carelessly printed, or rough, proof impression.</p>
+
+<p>Numerous stamps have been designed, especially of late years, to
+represent some historical event in connection with the country of
+issue. The United States, in 1869, in the confined space of an
+unusually small stamp, endeavoured to represent the landing of
+Columbus, and in another stamp the Declaration of Independence. In a
+much more recent series, stamps of an exceptionally large size were
+adopted to give scope for a Columbus celebration set of historical
+paintings, including Columbus soliciting aid of Isabella, Columbus
+welcomed at Barcelona, Columbus restored to favour, Columbus
+presenting natives, Columbus announcing his discovery, the recall of
+Columbus, Isabella pledging her jewels, Columbus in chains, and
+Columbus describing his third voyage. Greece has given us a set of
+stamps illustrating the Olympian Games. But collectors look<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> with
+considerable suspicion upon stamps of this showy class, for too many
+of them have been produced with the sole object of making a profit out
+of their sale to collectors, and not to meet any postal requirement.</p>
+
+<p>Crude productions of peculiar interest belong more to the earlier
+stages of the introduction of postage stamps. Local attempts at
+engraving in some of our own early colonial settlements were of the
+crudest possible description, and yet they are, because of their very
+crudeness, far more interesting than the finished product supplied by
+firms at home, for the local effort truly represented the country of
+its issue in the art of stamp production. The amusingly crude attempts
+which the engravers of Victoria have made from time to time, during
+the last fifty years, to give us a passable portrait of Her late
+Majesty Queen Victoria, have no equal for variety. The stamps of the
+first South African Republic, made in Germany, are very appropriate in
+their roughness of design and execution. For oddity of appearance the
+palm must be awarded to those of Asiatic origin, such, for instance,
+as the stamps of Afghanistan, of Kashmir, and most of the local
+productions of the Native States of India, marking as they do their
+own independent attempts to work up to European methods of
+intercommunication.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 236px;">
+<img src="images/image_032.jpg" width="236" height="244" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/image_033.jpg" width="500" height="186" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="VIII" id="VIII"></a>VIII.</h2>
+
+<h2>Great Rarities.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_033_1.jpg" width="75" height="123" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  <br />
+  f the many stamps that are set apart, for one cause or another, from
+the ordinary run, as having a history of their own, those that by the
+common consent of collector and dealer are ranked as great rarities
+are the most fruitful source of astonishment to the non-collector.
+They are the gems of the most costly collections, the possession of
+the few, and the envy of the multitude. In a round dozen that will
+fetch over &pound;100 apiece there are not more than one or two that can lay
+any claim to be considered works of art; indeed, they are mostly
+distinguished by their surpassing ugliness. Nevertheless, they are the
+gems that give tone and rank to the finest collections. Some of them
+are even priceless.</p>
+
+<p>To the average man it is astonishing that anyone in his senses can be
+so foolish as to give &pound;1,000 for an ugly little picture that has
+merely done duty as a postage stamp. He contends there can be no
+intrinsic value in such scraps of paper, and that settles the matter,
+in his opinion. But is it not so with precious stones and pearls? They
+are of value merely because they are the fashion. There is no
+intrinsic value in them. If they were not fashionable they would be
+of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> little or no value. Long-standing fashion, and fashion alone, has
+given them their value. So it is with stamps; fashion has given them
+their value, and every decade of continued popularity adds to that
+value as it has added to the value of precious stones and pearls.
+There is no sign that precious stones are likely to become worthless
+by the withdrawal of popular favour. Fashion changes from one stone to
+another without affecting the popularity of precious stones in
+general. So it is with stamps. Fashions change from one line of
+collecting to another without in the slightest degree affecting the
+stability or popularity of collecting as a whole. Precious stones and
+pearls minister to the pride of the individual, and stamps to his
+pleasure; and each has its own strong and unshakable hold upon the
+devotees of fashion and pleasure. There is a fluctuating market in the
+case of each of these favourites, but I venture to think that there
+is, and has been for the past forty years, a steadier rise in the
+value of stamps than in the value of precious stones.</p>
+
+
+<p><b>British Guiana, 1856, 1 c.</b>&mdash;In 1856 this colony was awaiting a supply
+of stamps from England, and pending its arrival two provisional stamps
+were issued, a 1 c. and a 4 c. These were set up from type in the
+office of the <i>Official Gazette</i>. A small illustration of a ship, used
+for heading the shipping advertisements in the daily papers, was
+utilised for the central portion of the design. Of the 1 c. value only
+one specimen is known to-day, and that is in the collection of M.
+Philipp la Renoti&eacute;r&egrave; (Herr von Ferrary). Doubts have been expressed as
+to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> genuineness of the copy, but Mr. Bacon, who has had an
+opportunity of inspecting it, says: "After a most careful inspection I
+have no hesitation whatever in pronouncing it a thoroughly genuine one
+cent specimen. The copy is a poor one, dark magenta in colour, and
+somewhat rubbed. It is initialled 'E. D. W.', and dated April 1st, the
+year not being distinct enough to be read."</p>
+
+<p>This stamp may safely be placed at the head of great rarities. Of its
+value it is impossible to form any opinion. If a dealer had the
+disposal of the copy in question, he would probably want between
+&pound;1,000 and &pound;2,000 for it, with a decided preference for the larger
+sum.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><b>Mauritius, "Post Office," 1d. and 2d.</b>&mdash;The best known, the most
+quoted, and probably the most popular of all the great rarities is the
+"Post Office" Mauritius, so called because the words "Post Office"
+were inscribed on one side of the stamp instead of the words "Post
+Paid." There were two values, 1d. and 2d. They were designed and
+engraved by a local watchmaker, and were printed from single dies, and
+issued in 1847. The tedious process of printing numbers of stamps from
+single dies was soon abandoned, and only 500 copies of each value were
+struck. Of those 1,000 stamps only twenty-two copies are known to
+exist to-day. There are in the hands of leading collectors two copies
+of the 1d. unused, and three copies of the 2d. unused, twelve copies
+of the 1d. used, and five copies of the 2d. used. These rarities were
+only in use for a few days, and were mostly used in sending out
+invitations to a ball at Government House.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 125px;">
+<img src="images/image_036.jpg" width="125" height="174" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></div>
+
+
+
+<p>The value, according to condition, is from &pound;800 upwards for each
+value, but unused they are of course worth a great deal more.</p>
+
+<p><b>Hawaii, 1851, 2 cents, blue.</b>&mdash;Like so many rare stamps, this first
+issue of Hawaii was designed and set up from type in a printer's
+office. About twelve copies are known to exist. The stamp was in use
+but a very short time, as the Post Office of Honolulu was burnt down,
+and the stock of stamps of this first issue was completely destroyed.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 150px;"><span class="figleft" style="width: 150px;"><img src="images/image_036_1.jpg" width="150" height="157" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></div>
+
+
+
+<p>This 2 cents stamp is worth about &pound;750.</p>
+
+
+<p><b>British Guiana, 1850, 2 cents.</b>&mdash;This is popularly known as the 2 cents
+circular Guiana, because of its shape. A notice in the local Official
+Gazette, dated February, 1851, announced that "by order of His
+Excellency the Governor, and upon the request of several of the
+merchants of Georgetown, it is proposed to establish a delivery of
+letters twice each day through the principal streets of this city."
+Certain gentlemen were named as having consented to receive letters
+for delivery at their respective stores, and it was further announced
+that "each letter must bear a stamp, for which 2 c. will be charged,
+or it will not be delivered, and when called for will be subject to
+the usual postage of 8 c." A supply of the required 2 c. stamps was
+provided by a locally type-set design enclosed in a ring. It is said
+that this delivery of letters was discontinued soon after it was
+started, hence rarity of the stamp.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 120px;">
+<img src="images/image_037.jpg" width="120" height="119" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></div>
+
+<p>Only eleven copies of this quaint postage stamp are known, and its
+market value is probably somewhere about &pound;600.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><b>Moldavia, 1858, 81 paras.</b>&mdash;This rare stamp formed one of a set of four
+of the first postage stamps issued in Roumania. The values were 27
+paras for single letters travelling, and not carried more than about
+seventy miles, 54 paras for double that distance, 81 paras for heavier
+letters, and 108 paras for registered letters, all within the limits
+of Moldavia. The 81 paras is the rarest of the series, as will be seen
+from the following inventory taken in February, 1859, of the then
+unsold stock:&mdash;</p>
+
+
+
+
+<table class="tb4" summary="">
+<tr><td class="tocpg">27</td><td align='left' class="edge2">paras,</td>
+<td align='left' class="edge2">printed</td>
+<td align='left' class="tocpg">6,000,</td><td align='left' class="edge2">sold</td><td align='left' class="tocpg">3,675.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td align='left' class="tocpg">54</td><td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="tocpg">10,000</td><td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="tocpg">4,756.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocpg">81</td><td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="tocpg">2,000</td><td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="tocpg">693.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="tocpg">108</td><td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="tocpg">6,000</td><td class="edge2">"</td>
+<td class="tocpg">2,568.</td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+
+<p>All these stamps were printed by hand on coloured paper in sheets of
+thirty-two impressions in four rows of eight stamps. An unused copy of
+the 81 paras has fetched as much as &pound;350.</p>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 150px;"><span class="figleft" style="width: 150px;"><img src="images/image_037_1.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></div>
+
+<p><b>United States, Millbury, 1847, 5 c.</b>&mdash;In the United States the general
+adoption of postage stamps was preceded by what may be termed
+preliminary issues, of a more or less local character, and known as
+"Postmaster stamps." These "Postmaster stamps" were issued by various
+country postmasters by way of experiment. The Providence stamp is the
+commonest example. One of the rarest is the 5 c. stamp, with a
+portrait of Washington, issued by the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> postmaster of Millbury, in
+Massachusetts, in 1847. This stamp is said to be worth about &pound;300.
+There are others reputed to be equally rare. Among the local stamps
+issued by various unofficial carriers and express agencies, there are
+many of which very few copies are known, and as they are practically
+all held by enthusiastic collectors, and never come into the market,
+there are no data as to their current value.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 230px;">
+<img src="images/image_038.jpg" width="230" height="132" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></div>
+
+<p><b>Cape of Good Hope, 1861.</b> <i>Errors of Colour</i>.&mdash;In making up the plate
+of a provisional issue of triangular stamps, pending the arrival of
+supplies from England, a stereo of the 1d. got inserted by mistake in
+the 4d. plate, and a 4d. in the 1d. plate. Consequently each sheet of
+the 1d. contained a 4d. printed in red, the colour of the 1d., instead
+of blue. And the sheets of the 4d., in like manner, each contained a
+1d, which, when the 4d. was printed in its proper colour of blue, was
+also printed in blue instead of red, the proper colour. These errors
+are very scarce, especially in an unused condition. The 1d., blue, is
+the rarer of the two, and is worth about &pound;70 used; it is not known
+unused.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 120px;">
+<img src="images/image_038_1.jpg" width="120" height="140" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></div>
+
+<p><b>Tuscany, 1860, 3 lire.</b>&mdash;In the early days of stamp production high
+values, such as we are now accustomed to get from most countries, were
+very rarely issued. For nearly thirty years Great Britain was content
+with a shilling stamp as its highest value. In 1860 the Provisional
+Government of Tuscany issued a stamp of 3 lire, for which there seems
+to have been very little use. It represented but two shillings and
+sixpence of English money, but it is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> nevertheless one of the great
+rarities to-day, especially in an unused condition. Used copies are
+worth about &pound;65, and unused about &pound;120.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 140px;"><span class="figright" style="width: 140px;"><img src="images/image_039.jpg" width="140" height="161" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></div>
+
+<p><b>Transvaal, 1878.</b> <i>Error</i> "Transvral."&mdash;This error occurred once in
+each sheet of eighty of the 1d., red on blue, of the first British
+Occupation. It was evidently discovered before a second lot was
+required, as it does not recur in the next printing of 1d., red on
+orange. It is a very rare stamp. Used it is worth about &pound;50, but
+unused it is one of the great rarities, and has changed hands at about
+&pound;150.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 135px;">
+<img src="images/image_039_1.jpg" width="135" height="173" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></div>
+
+<p><b>Ceylon, 1859, 4d. and 8d., imperforate.</b>&mdash;Several of the first issues
+of this colony, designed and engraved by Messrs. Perkins Bacon and
+Co., and issued in 1857-9, are esteemed as great rarities in an
+imperforate and unused condition. The 4d., 8d., 9d., 1s., and 2s. are
+the rarest. The 4d., so long ago as 1894, fetched &pound;130 at auction.
+These stamps are amongst the few great rarities that may be entitled
+to rank as works of art, and every year they are more sought after and
+more difficult to get in fine condition.</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 160px;">
+  <img src="images/image_039_2.jpg" width="160" height="189" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/image_040.jpg" width="500" height="193" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="IX" id="IX"></a>IX.</h2>
+
+<h2>The Romance of Stamp Collecting.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_040_1.jpg" width="75" height="108" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  <br />
+  he story of the development of stamp collecting, and of the trade
+that has sprung up with it, is full of romance.</p>
+
+<p>Our publishers' business, with its world-wide ramifications, was begun
+by young Gibbons putting a few sheets of stamps in his father's shop
+window. The father was a chemist, and it was intended that the lad
+should follow in his father's footsteps; but the stamps elbowed the
+drugs aside, and eventually yielded a fortune which enabled this
+pioneer of the stamp trade to retire and indulge his globe-trotting
+propensities to the full. He sold his business for &pound;25,000, and, still
+in the prime of life, retired to a snug little villa on the banks of
+the Thames. The business was converted into a Limited Liability
+Company, and the Managing Director may be said to be a product of the
+original business, for it was a present of a guinea packet of Stanley
+Gibbons's stamps that first whetted his appetite for stamp collecting,
+and eventually for stamp dealing. Mr. Gibbons had for a great many
+years conducted his business from his private house. The new broom
+changed all that, and opened out in fine premises in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> the Strand,
+W.C., where the Company now occupy the whole of one house and the
+greater part of the adjoining premises. In every room busy hands are
+at work all the day long endeavouring to keep pace with a world-wide
+business which began with a few sheets in the corner of a chemist's
+shop window in the town of Plymouth.</p>
+
+<p>And now, looking back on the humdrum days of the beginnings of the
+stamp trade, what opportunities do they not seem to have missed! Could
+they but have foreseen the present-day developments, a few
+unconsidered trifles, valued at a few pence in those days, put away in
+a bottom drawer, would to-day net a fortune. Young Gibbons, amongst
+his early purchases, bought from a couple of sailors at Plymouth for
+&pound;5 a sackful of triangular Cape of Good Hope stamps, a large
+proportion being the rare so-called Woodblocks, with many of the
+Errors described in the list of great rarities in another chapter.
+Those Errors he disposed of at 2s. 6d. each. They are now worth from
+&pound;60 to &pound;75 each. And the ordinary Woodblocks, which were so
+plentifully represented in that sackful, are now catalogued at from
+50s. to &pound;9 apiece. Strange as it may seem, those were the common
+stamps of those days, and they are the rarities of to-day.</p>
+
+<p>A well-known collection, full of rare stamps of the value of from &pound;5
+to &pound;50, has been largely formed by the fortunate possessor out of
+stamps for which he paid 2s. per dozen just a little over twenty years
+ago.</p>
+
+<p>A leading collector once conceived the idea of scouring the
+little-visited country towns of Spain for rare old Spanish stamps, and
+a most successful hunt he made of it. He secured most valuable and
+unsuspected hauls of unused and used blocks and pairs of rare<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>
+Portuguese; but before returning home he decided to treat himself to a
+trip to Morocco, and during that ill-fated extension of his tour he
+lost nearly the whole of his patient garnerings of rare Spanish
+stamps, for during an inland trip some very unphilatelic Bedouins
+swooped down on his escort in the desert and carried off the whole of
+his baggage. He, being some distance ahead of his escort, escaped, and
+brought home only a few samples of the grand things he had found and
+lost.</p>
+
+<p>In all forms of collecting the hunt for bargains adds zest to the
+game, and probably more so in stamps than in any other hobby, not even
+excepting old china; and, as in other lines of collecting, the bargain
+hunter must be equipped with the expert knowledge of the specialist if
+he would sweep into his net at bargain prices the unsuspected gems to
+be found now and again in the philatelic mart. Many a keen stamp
+collector turns his years of wide experience to good account as a
+bargain hunter, and at least one innocent amateur is credited with
+netting a revenue which would make many a flourishing merchant green
+with envy.</p>
+
+<p>Many a match has probably been due to stamp collecting. Not long ago
+we were told of a young lady who wrote to an official in a distant
+colony for a few of the current stamps issued from his office. The
+stamps were forwarded and a correspondence ensued. There was
+eventually an exchange of photographs, and finally the official
+applied for leave, returned home, and married his stamp collecting
+correspondent.</p>
+
+<p>Truly the scope of the stamp collector for pleasure, for profit, and
+for romance is as wide as the most imaginative could desire.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><img src="images/image_043.jpg" width="500" height="182" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="X" id="X"></a>X.</h2>
+
+<h2>Philatelic Societies and their Work.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_003.jpg" width="75" height="105" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  ost of the great cities of Europe, the British Colonies, and the
+United States have their Philatelic Societies. They are associations
+of stamp collectors for the study of postage stamps, their history,
+engraving, and printing; the detection and prevention of forgeries and
+frauds; the preparation and publication of papers and works bearing
+upon postal issues; the display and exhibition of stamps, and the
+exchange of duplicates.</p>
+
+<p>The premier society is the Philatelic Society of London, which was
+founded so long ago as 1869, and has as its acting President H.R.H.
+the Prince of Wales. For over thirty years, without a break, this
+Society has held regular meetings during the winter months. Its
+membership comprises most of the leading collectors in Great Britain
+and her Colonies and many of the best-known foreign collectors. On the
+membership roll are three princes, several earls, baronets, judges,
+barristers, medical men, officers in the Army and Navy, and many
+well-known merchants. This society has published costly works on the
+stamps<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> of Great Britain, of the Australian Colonies, of the British
+Colonies of North America, of the West Indies, of India and Ceylon,
+and of Africa. It publishes an excellently-got-up monthly journal of
+its own, which now claims shelf-room in the philatelic library for ten
+stately annual volumes. It has held two very successful International
+Philatelic Exhibitions, one opened by the late Duke of Edinburgh and
+the other by the Prince of Wales, then Duke of York. At its
+fortnightly meetings, papers are read and discussed on various matters
+relating to the hobby. Other meetings are held for the friendly
+exchange of duplicates.</p>
+
+<p>In the provinces, the principal societies are those of Manchester and
+Birmingham. The Birmingham Society possesses a collection of its own,
+which it keeps up to date, as a work of reference for its members.
+Several of the societies hold periodical exhibitions, in which members
+compete for medals, and in many other ways they lay themselves out to
+encourage and promote the collection of postage stamps as a popular
+pastime.</p>
+
+<p>The names of the various societies and the addresses of the
+secretaries are published at the commencement of each winter season in
+Stanley Gibbons' <i>Monthly Journal</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Apart from their pleasant sociability, these societies are of immense
+help to the collector, especially to the beginner. At each meeting
+papers are read and discussed, in which the most experienced
+collectors retail, for the benefit of the less experienced, the result
+of their latest researches, and eminent specialists display their
+splendid and carefully-arranged collections for the inspection,
+edification, and enjoyment of their fellow-members. This continual
+meeting and com<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>paring of notes, this concentration of study upon the
+issues of a particular country, gradually ripens even the veriest tyro
+into an advanced and experienced collector.</p>
+
+<p>Under such conditions difficulties are cleared up, and the way made
+plain for wise and safe collecting. In too many lines of collecting
+the specialist carefully guards his knowledge for his own ultimate
+personal profit. The Philatelist, on the other hand, is more
+frequently than not generously and candidly helpful to his less
+advanced fellow-collector, especially if he happens to be a
+fellow-member of the same philatelic society.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;">
+<img src="images/image_045.jpg" width="150" height="193" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/image_046.jpg" width="500" height="167" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XI" id="XI"></a>XI.</h2>
+
+<h2>The Literature of Stamps.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_046_1.jpg" width="75" height="121" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  <br />
+  ew hobbies, if any, can boast of such a varied and extensive
+literature as stamp collecting. Expensive works have been published on
+the postal issues of most countries. They have been published in
+English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, and Swedish.
+Those published in English alone would make a library of some hundreds
+of volumes.</p>
+
+<p>From its foundation, in 1869, the Philatelic Society of London has set
+itself the task of studying and writing up the postal history of Great
+Britain and her Colonies. Towards the accomplishment of this great
+task, it has already presented its members with splendid monographs on
+the Australian Colonies, the Colonies of North America, of the West
+Indies, of India and Ceylon, two volumes on the British Colonies of
+Africa, a separate monograph on Tasmania, and last, and most ambitious
+of all, a massive and comprehensive history of the postal issues of
+Great Britain. All these works are expensively illustrated with a
+profusion of full-page plates and other illustrations, and they
+represent years of patient toil, far-reaching investigation, and
+untiring research. The <i>History of the Adhesive Postage Stamps of
+Europe</i> has been written in two volumes by Mr. W. A. S. Westoby, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>
+the same author, in collaboration with Judge Philbrick, some twenty
+years ago published a work on <i>The Postal and Telegraph Stamps of
+Great Britain</i>. Messrs. W. J. Hardy and E. D. Bacon, in a work
+entitled <i>The Stamp Collector</i>, have sketched the general history of
+postage stamps. Other works too numerous to mention here have been
+written from time to time for the edification of the stamp collector,
+and the list is continually being increased by the addition of even
+more important works.</p>
+
+<p>One of the most interesting and comprehensive series of philatelic
+works, still in course of publication, was commenced by Messrs.
+Stanley Gibbons, Ltd., in 1893, in the form of philatelic handbooks.
+These handbooks are written by leading philatelic authorities. Each
+important country, <i>i.e.</i> important from the stamp collector's point
+of view, has a separate volume devoted to it, and into each handy
+volume is condensed as much as may be necessary to guide the advanced
+collector in specialising the postal issues of the country which he
+favours. There have already been published:&mdash;<i>Portuguese India</i>, by
+Mr. Gilbert Harrison and Lieut. F. H. Napier, <span class="smcap">R.N.</span>; <i>South Australia</i>,
+by Lieut. F. H. Napier and Mr. Gordon Smith; <i>St. Vincent</i>, by Lieut.
+F. H. Napier and Mr. E. D. Bacon; <i>Shanghai</i>, by Mr. W. B. Thornhill;
+<i>Barbados</i>, by Mr. E. D. Bacon and Lieut. F. H. Napier; <i>Reprints and
+their Characteristics</i>, by Mr. E.D. Bacon; and <i>Grenada</i>, by Mr. E. D.
+Bacon and Lieut. F. H. Napier.</p>
+
+<p>For the instruction of the beginner, Major Evans, <span class="smcap">R.A.</span>, has compiled
+an excellent glossary of philatelic terms, under the title of <i>Stamps
+and Stamp Collecting</i>; and there is, further, <i>A Colour Dictionary</i>,
+by Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> B. W. Warhurst, designed to simplify the recognition and
+determination of the colours and shades of stamps&mdash;a by no means
+unimportant matter when the value of a stamp depends upon its shade.</p>
+
+<p>But the most popular of all the philatelic publications are, of
+course, the monthly periodicals. The first stamp journal is said to
+have been <i>The Monthly Intelligence</i>, published at Manchester in 1862.
+It had but a short life of ten numbers out of the twelve required to
+complete Vol. I. But other journals followed in rapid succession, with
+more or less success, from year to year, till in 1893 a list of the
+various ventures in this line totalled up to nearly a couple of
+hundred. <i>The Stamp Collectors' Magazine</i>, started in 1863, may be
+said to survive in Alfred Smith and Son's <i>Monthly Circular; The
+Philatelic Record</i>, established in 1879, is now in its twenty-fourth
+yearly volume; Gibbons' <i>Monthly Journal</i> is in its twelfth yearly
+volume; and <i>The London Philatelist</i> is in its eleventh yearly volume;
+and all may be said to be going strong. How many ordinary periodicals
+can boast of equally robust lives? And yet some people are still to be
+found who speak in all seriousness of stamp collecting as only a
+passing craze.</p>
+
+<p>Properly speaking, tradesmen's catalogues can scarcely be regarded as
+literature, and yet it would be very remiss on my part to close this
+chapter without a reference to the excellent catalogues with which
+stamp collectors are provided. What other hobby can boast of such
+comprehensive and detailed catalogues, giving the actual selling price
+of almost every item, and regularly revised and brought up to date
+from year to year? Messrs. Stanley Gibbons' Priced Catalogue is
+comprised in four volumes:&mdash;Part I., The British<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> Empire, 244 pages;
+Part II., Foreign Countries, 458 pages; Part III., Local Postage
+Stamps, 122 pages; Part IV., Envelopes, Post Cards, and Wrappers, 317
+pages; in all, 1,141 closely printed double-column pages of small
+type, with thousands of illustrations. This excellent catalogue is at
+once guide, philosopher, and friend to the stamp collector. Some
+people irreverently style it "the Philatelist's Bible." It does not
+profess to be anything more or less than a mere catalogue of goods for
+sale, but it is an open secret that it represents the combined work
+and the combined knowledge of the best Philatelists of the day, and
+that neither trouble nor expense is spared to include within its pages
+everything that a collector needs to know to enable him to gather his
+treasures together, and to arrange them in the best possible and most
+authoritative order.</p>
+
+<p>Much the same story might be told of the literature of stamp
+collecting in other countries. In the United States, in France, and in
+Germany there are numbers of robust periodicals, some stretching back
+into the early days, and there are scores of volumes of philatelic
+lore, many of which find a well-deserved place on the shelves of
+English collectors.</p>
+
+<p>As an indication of the value attached to philatelic literature, I may
+mention the fact that an English collector recently paid over &pound;2,000
+for a by no means complete collection of works relating to stamp
+collecting.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><img src="images/image_050.jpg" width="500" height="225" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XII" id="XII"></a>XII.</h2>
+
+<h2>Stamps as Works of Art.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_050_1.jpg" width="75" height="119" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  <br />
+  ome artists scout the idea of attempting anything that may be
+considered a work of art in the ridiculously limited space of a
+postage stamp. The restriction of a postage stamp when viewed
+alongside a canvas measuring several yards in length and height is
+probably hopeless enough. Nevertheless, many a stamp collector who is
+not devoid of art can find stamps which seem to him to be entitled to
+rank high even in the art world. In beauty of design, in the exquisite
+workmanship of the best modern steel engraving, aided by the most
+delicate machinery, and in unequalled printing, there are many gems
+within the very limited space of a postage stamp that excite and
+deserve, and not unfrequently win, the admiration of the most exacting
+critics. There are scores of little medallions, mostly on the postage
+stamps of foreign states, that surely would pass muster with an
+impartial judge of art. They are not the rarities of the stamp album.
+Some are even regarded as weeds in the philatelic garden. They are too
+often made to serve the revenue-producing necessities of the issuing
+state, and for that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> reason probably, more than for any other, they
+are made as attractive as modern art applied to stamp production can
+make them.</p>
+
+<p>Great commercial countries, producing their postage stamps by hundreds
+of millions, are as contemptuous in their consideration of the art
+possibilities of a postage stamp as the cynical artist whose days and
+years are devoted to the disfigurement of wall space. This country has
+no cause to be proud of the designs or the printing of its postage
+stamps. The chief consideration seems to be a low contract price for
+the production of recognisable labels for the indication of the
+prepayment of postage. That is the commercial view. And yet there are
+some foolish people who believe that an artist who could design an
+effective and acceptable postage stamp for the British Empire would
+add materially to his own fame and to the art standard of the Empire
+itself.</p>
+
+<p>Brother Jonathan across the sea is not unmindful of art in the
+production of his postage stamps, despite his commercial inclinations
+and training. From the first he has put his patriotism into his
+postage stamps. The portraits of the Presidents, from George
+Washington to Lincoln, and from Lincoln to McKinley, who have ruled,
+wisely and well, the destinies of the great Republic, Jonathan
+engraves in his best style, in his own official engraving
+establishment, and proudly places upon his postage stamps for the
+admiration of all good citizens and the edification and envy of the
+effete old countries beyond the seas.</p>
+
+<p>We, with our richer memories and our stately galleries of great men
+who have ruled or governed or fought through the centuries, must be
+content with an Empire postage stamp that is little better, from an
+art<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> point of view, than an ordinary beer label, and we must be
+content to be told that it is the penalty of success, of the dire
+necessity of long numbers, and of a needy Treasury that sorely hungers
+for still greater profits from the Post Office.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, small struggling states revel in beautiful stamps. The
+latest trend is in the direction of miniature portraiture. The
+Argentine Republic and Bolivia have in recent years issued some very
+fine examples in this direction. A very useful innovation is the
+addition of the name under the portrait. In this way thousands have
+been familiarised with the names and faces of men who before were
+almost unknown beyond their own country. Historic features, such as
+those of Columbus and Pizarro, have occasionally been added to the
+growingly interesting gallery of stamp portraits.</p>
+
+<p>The recently issued New Zealand picture series, illustrating most
+effectively some of the choicest bits of colonial scenery, and some of
+the rarest birds of the colony, engraved by Messrs. Waterlow and Sons,
+afforded an interesting and successful experiment in an art direction.
+As a result it is said that a strong demand has been generated in
+other colonies for similarly beautiful and localised designs in
+preference to the stereotyped mediocrity supplied by the ordinary
+label process.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><img src="images/image_053.jpg" width="500" height="167" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XIII" id="XIII"></a>XIII.</h2>
+
+<h2>Stamp Collecting as an Investment.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_022_1.jpg" width="75" height="76" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  hen a stamp collector is charged with being extravagant, with
+spending money lavishly and foolishly on a mere hobby, he may very
+justifiably reply that even his most extravagant spendings may be
+regarded as an investment.</p>
+
+<p>The ordinary investor in, say, industrial securities is fairly content
+if he can, with a little risk, secure a steady six or seven per cent.
+If he launches out into more speculative shares, yielding higher rates
+of interest, he must be content to face a much greater risk of the
+capital invested. Now, the severest test of an investment is the yield
+of interest over a series of years covering periods of depression as
+well as periods of prosperity. The stamp collector who has used
+ordinary discretion in his purchases may confidently submit his
+investment to this test.</p>
+
+<p>Some years ago, when I was writing in defence of stamp collecting as
+an investment, I received a very indignant letter from a collector who
+had made a large collection, complaining that he had then recently
+endeavoured to sell, but could get only a very small percentage of his
+outlay back, and that the very firms from whom he had bought most of
+his stamps scouted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> the idea of paying him anything like what they had
+cost him. He therefore ridiculed the idea that stamp collecting could
+be regarded as a safe investment, as in his case it had been a
+delusion and a snare. He was quite right, and it is still possible to
+make big collections&mdash;of, say, five thousand, ten thousand, and even
+larger&mdash;of stamps that are never likely to appreciate, and it is
+possible to buy those stamps at such a price that any attempt to
+realise even a small percentage of the original outlay must result in
+a woeful eye-opener.</p>
+
+<p>Let me explain. In the stamp business, as in all other branches of
+commerce, there are wholesale and retail dealers. The wholesaler buys
+by the thousand stamps that are printed by the million. I refer, of
+course, to used stamps. In some cases the price paid per thousand is
+only a few pence for large quantities that run into millions. The
+wholesaler sells to the retail dealer at a small advance per thousand.
+Those stamps the ordinary dealer makes up into packets at a further
+profit, but still at a comparatively low price. Good copies he picks
+out for sale in sets and separately. Those have to be catalogued.
+Therefore, the catalogue price of common stamps bought and sold by the
+million eventually comes before the general collector at "one penny
+each," and the man who makes a collection of common stamps of the "one
+penny each" class can scarcely be expected to realise a fortune out of
+his stamp collecting. When he offers his gatherings of years to the
+self-same dealer, and asks, say, only the half of what he paid, he is
+astounded when the dealer has the audacity to tell him frankly, "I can
+buy most of those stamps at a few shillings per thousand, and you want
+an average of a halfpenny each for them!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> "But," retorts the
+collector, "I paid you one penny each for them years ago, and now you
+won't give me half that amount. A pretty thing investing money in
+stamps!" The reply of the dealer will be, "My dear fellow, you have
+put your money into the wrong stamps. I bought, and can still buy,
+those stamps wholesale at a few shillings per thousand, some of them
+at a few pence per thousand; but I have to pay clerks for handling
+them and sorting them out, other assistants for cataloguing them, and
+the printers for printing the catalogue, so that in the end I cannot
+afford to sell them <i>separately</i> for less than about one penny each,
+but if you want a few thousand of any value I can sell them to you at
+a price enormously below what you ask for your collection." The
+collector's eyes are opened.</p>
+
+<p>It is impossible to get away from the necessity of regarding stamps as
+an investment. Even the schoolboy cannot afford to put his shilling
+into stamps unless he can be fairly assured that he may get his money
+back at critical periods, which will crop up even in school life.
+Indeed, it may be said that there are few, if any, stamp collectors
+nowadays who do not put more money into stamps than they could afford
+to do if there were not some element of investment in view. In some
+instances large fortunes are actually invested in stamps, and I was
+only recently told of a collector who had taken his money out of a
+very profitable business and put it into stamps, and had netted very
+much larger profits than he ever realised in his regular business. But
+to do that sort of thing requires a profound knowledge of stamps and a
+ready command of a very large banking account.</p>
+
+<p>Generally speaking, the best countries from an investment point of
+view are British Colonials, especially<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> those of the small colonies
+that have small populations, and therefore very small printings of
+stamps. Obviously, countries that put stamps into circulation by the
+million can never be a very good investment, so far as their common
+values are concerned. Those who buy with a keen eye on the investment
+purpose, always buy unused copies of uncommon values. Unused are not
+likely to depreciate, and they may appreciate.</p>
+
+<p>In fact, it may be safely said that, all round, the thing to do in
+stamps is to buy <i>unused</i> for investment. When stamps are printed by
+the million, <i>used</i> supplies will be available for no one knows how
+long; but in the case of unused, when a new issue is made, the
+obsolete stamp is on the road to an advance in value. It is true
+dealers stock large quantities of all stamps, but there are so many
+countries to be stocked now that no dealer can afford to hoard unused
+to any great extent, and even if he did, the dead capital would be an
+item which would compel him to advance the price of unused to protect
+himself from loss. Let us say a stamp becomes obsolete this year, and
+a dealer buys &pound;100 worth. It would be a moderate estimate to place the
+earning power of stamps at 10 per cent. In seven years that &pound;100 hoard
+would, reckoning compound interest, represent &pound;200, or double face. Of
+course, no dealer would hoard up &pound;100 worth of a common stamp, but
+from the day that it becomes obsolete it must be hoarded up by
+someone, and interest must be accruing on the investment which will
+have to be added to the value of the stamp, unless someone is to stand
+the loss. It will, therefore, be obvious that unused stamps must
+appreciate while used may remain stationary, for the simple reason
+that the limit of supply has been reached in one case but not in the
+other.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Taking almost haphazard a few stamps, most of which have been within
+the reach of all collectors during the last fifteen years, the
+following table will give some idea of the appreciation in prices
+which has been steadily going on in good stamps:&mdash;</p>
+
+
+<table class="tb1" summary="Appreciation in Prices">
+<tr><td class="edge1">&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="edge1">1875</td>
+<td class="edge1">1880</td>
+<td class="edge1">1886</td>
+<td class="edge1">1890</td>
+<td class="edge1">1893</td>
+<td class="edge1">1897</td>
+<td class="edge1">1902</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="edge">s. d.</td><td class="edge">s. d.</td><td class="edge">s. d.</td><td class="edge">s. d.</td><td class="edge">s. d.</td><td class="edge">s. d.</td><td class="edge">s. d.</td></tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge1">Bremen, 1867, 5 sgr., green, <i>unused</i></td>
+
+<td class="edge">1 0</td><td class="edge">1 6</td><td class="edge">2 6</td><td class="edge">4 0</td><td class="edge">5 0</td><td class="edge">25 0</td><td class="edge">17 6</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Bechuanaland, 1886, 1s., <i>used</i>.</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">6 6</td>
+<td class="edge">30 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1888-9, 4d., <i>unused</i></td>
+
+
+  <td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">1 0</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">3 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge1">British Guiana, 1860, 1 c, brown. perf., <i>used</i></td>
+
+
+<td class="edge">3 6</td>
+<td class="edge">4 0</td>
+<td class="edge">12 6</td>
+<td class="edge">30 0</td>
+<td class="edge">32 6</td>
+<td class="edge">80 0</td>
+<td class="edge">80 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge1">Cape of Good Hope, 1d.,
+&#8710; <i>unused</i></td>
+  <td class="edge">0 4</td>
+<td class="edge">0 6</td>
+<td class="edge">1 6</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">4 0</td>
+<td class="edge">8 0</td>
+<td class="edge">15 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Cape of Good Hope, 1d.,
+&#8710; Woodblock,
+
+<i>used</i></td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">3 6</td>
+<td class="edge">15 0</td>
+<td class="edge">25 0</td>
+<td class="edge">45 0</td>
+<td class="edge">90 0</td>
+<td class="edge">95 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Cyprus, 1880, 6d., <i>unused</i></td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">1 6</td>
+<td class="edge">7 6</td>
+<td class="edge">12 0</td>
+<td class="edge">30 0</td>
+<td class="edge">25 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge1"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1s., <i>unused</i></td>
+  <td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">10 0</td>
+<td class="edge">15 0</td>
+<td class="edge">40 0</td>
+<td class="edge">55 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Danish West Indies, 1872, 4 c.,
+blue, <i>unused</i>.</td>
+<td class="edge">0 6</td>
+<td class="edge">0 6</td>
+<td class="edge">1 6</td>
+<td class="edge">3 6</td>
+<td class="edge">5 0</td>
+<td class="edge">17 6</td>
+<td class="edge">25 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Danish West Indies, 1873, 14 c.,
+<i>unused</i></td>
+<td class="edge">1 0</td>
+<td class="edge">1 0</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">3 6</td>
+<td class="edge">5 6</td>
+<td class="edge">24 0</td>
+<td class="edge">32 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Egypt, 1866, 5 piastres,
+<i>unused</i></td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">5 0</td>
+<td class="edge">8 6</td>
+<td class="edge">16 0</td>
+<td class="edge">22 6</td>
+<td class="edge">25 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge1"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 10  &nbsp; "</td>
+  <td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">1 6</td>
+<td class="edge">6 0</td>
+<td class="edge">12 0</td>
+<td class="edge">20 0</td>
+<td class="edge">26 0</td>
+<td class="edge">27 6</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Gambia, 4d., imperf.,
+<i>unused</i></td>
+<td class="edge">0 8</td>
+<td class="edge">0 8</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">5 0</td>
+<td class="edge">6 0</td>
+<td class="edge">20 0</td>
+<td class="edge">32 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Gibraltar, 1886, 1s.</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">1 9</td>
+<td class="edge">3 6</td>
+<td class="edge">7 6</td>
+<td class="edge">70 0</td>
+<td class="edge">75 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Hayti, 1881, 20 c., <i>unused</i></td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">7 6</td>
+<td class="edge">20 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Hungary, 1871, 3 k., litho.,
+<i>used</i></td>
+<td class="edge">0 2</td>
+<td class="edge">0 2</td>
+<td class="edge">1 6</td>
+<td class="edge">3 6</td>
+<td class="edge">6 6</td>
+<td class="edge">30 0</td>
+<td class="edge">40 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Newfoundland, 1866, 5 c.,
+brown, <i>used</i>.</td>
+<td class="edge">1 0</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">3 6</td>
+<td class="edge">7 6</td>
+<td class="edge">12 6</td>
+<td class="edge">28 0</td>
+<td class="edge">25 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">New South Wales, 1d., Sydney
+Views, <i>used</i>.</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">4 0</td>
+<td class="edge">17 6</td>
+<td class="edge">30 0</td>
+<td class="edge">35 0</td>
+<td class="edge">40 0</td>
+<td class="edge">40 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Orange River Colony, 1877, 4
+on 6d., <i>unused</i></td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">1 0</td>
+<td class="edge">1 0</td>
+<td class="edge">3 0</td>
+<td class="edge">3 0</td>
+<td class="edge">5 0</td>
+<td class="edge">30 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Tonga, 1892, 8d.</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">5 0</td>
+<td class="edge">10 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge1"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1s.</td>
+  <td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">3 0</td>
+<td class="edge">4 0</td>
+<td class="edge">15 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Transvaal, 1878-9, 4d., <i>unused</i></td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">0 8</td>
+<td class="edge">1 0</td>
+<td class="edge">1 0</td>
+<td class="edge">0 9</td>
+<td class="edge">1 6</td>
+<td class="edge">20 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge1"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1s.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"</td>
+  <td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">1 9</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">2 0</td>
+<td class="edge">4 6</td>
+<td class="edge">15 0</td>
+<td class="edge">40 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Trinidad, 1896, 10s.</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">14 0</td>
+<td class="edge">70 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Turks Islands, 1879, 1s., blue,
+<i>unused</i></td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">1 9</td>
+<td class="edge">2 6</td>
+<td class="edge">3 0</td>
+<td class="edge">5 0</td>
+<td class="edge">20 0</td>
+<td class="edge">25 0</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td class="edge1">Zululand, 1888, 9d.</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="edge">1 6</td>
+<td class="edge">1 6</td>
+<td class="edge">12 0</td>
+<td class="edge">17 6</td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Of foolish investors there will always be a generous supply, who will
+ever be ready to offer themselves as evidence of the worthlessness of
+any and every form of investment, forgetful of the fact that the shoe
+is more often on the other foot. In stamps, as in every other class of
+investment, the foolish may buy what is worthless instead of what is
+valuable. There are stamps specially manufactured and issued to catch
+such flats, and they are easily hooked by the thousand every year,
+despite the continual warnings of experienced collectors.</p>
+
+<p>But if we turn to the result of experienced collecting we find
+abundant evidence of the fact that the stamp collector may enjoy his
+stamps and, when the force of circumstances compels him to abandon
+them, he may retire without regret for having put so much money into a
+mere hobby.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. W. Hughes Hughes, <span class="smcap">B.L</span>., started his collection in 1859, and kept a
+strict account of all his expenditure on his hobby, and in 1896 he
+sold to our publishers for close on &pound;3,000 what had cost him only &pound;69.</p>
+
+<p>In 1870 a stamp dealer in London, as a novelty and an advertisement,
+papered his shop windows, walls, and ceiling with unused Ionian
+Islands stamps, which were then a drug in the market. The same stamps
+would now readily sell at 10s. per set of three; in other words, the
+materials of that wall-paper would now be worth at least &pound;5,000.</p>
+
+<p>The late Mr. Pauwels, of Torquay, made a collection which cost him
+&pound;360 up to 1871, when it was put on one side and left untouched until
+1898. It was then purchased by our publishers for the sum of &pound;4,000,
+and yielded them a very fair return on their investment.</p>
+
+<p>In the International Philatelic Exhibition, held in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> Galleries of
+the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in Piccadilly,
+London, in 1897, one collector marked over each stamp of his exhibit
+the price which he had paid for it, and the market price of the day.
+The collection had been got together during the previous fifteen
+years, and had cost its owner &pound;25 2s., while by the then latest
+catalogue value it totalled up to &pound;368 1s. 3d.</p>
+
+<p>Shrewd business men are those who frequently invest large sums in
+stamps. The amounts spent annually by some wealthy collectors range
+from &pound;1,000 to &pound;10,000. One well-known Parisian collector, whose life
+has been largely devoted to his philatelic treasures, and who employs
+two secretaries to look after his collection, has, it is estimated,
+spent at least &pound;200,000 on his stamps since 1870.</p>
+
+<p>If investment were the Alpha and Omega of stamp collecting, every
+collector of standing would bemoan lost opportunities. Many a great
+rarity of to-day could have been had for a few shillings a few years
+ago. The Cape errors were sold by Stanley Gibbons at 2s. 6d. each. The
+"Transvral" error was sold by the same generous firm at 4s., and
+others in similar proportion in the day of opportunity.</p>
+
+<p>To-day it is the fashion to look back with regret on those lost
+opportunities, and to nurse the belief that such opportunities are
+never likely to return. But experience shows that in every decade of
+stamp collecting the common stamp of to-day may be the rarity of
+to-morrow. In many a series of stamps some one of the lot from some
+cause or another gets scarce, and the price appreciates from year to
+year till the original price paid for the stamp in pence is
+represented by pounds.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><img src="images/image_060.jpg" width="600" height="214" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XIV" id="XIV"></a>XIV.</h2>
+
+<h2>What to Collect and How to Collect.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_040_1.jpg" width="75" height="108" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  <br />
+  he questions, "What to collect?" and "How to collect?" are much more
+easily asked than answered. Each individual will differ in taste, in
+inclination, in method, in time at his disposal, and last, but not
+least, in the depth of his pocket. The most that can be done is to
+outline a general plan, founded upon general experience.</p>
+
+<p>Collectors are divided into two classes&mdash;the general collector and the
+specialist. The general collector takes everything that comes in his
+way, and knows no limitations, no exclusions of this country or that.
+The specialist, on the other hand, confines his attention to the
+stamps of one or more particular groups or divisions, or even to one
+particular country.</p>
+
+<p>The most experienced collectors, whether general or specialist, almost
+invariably advise the beginner to start as a general collector. As a
+beginner he will have no experience to guide him in the choice of a
+particular group or division; and until he has travelled over the
+ground as a general collector it will be difficult for him to make a
+choice which he may not have cause<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> to regret. As a general collector
+he will gather together a general knowledge of stamps in all their
+peculiar varieties, which can scarcely fail to be immensely useful to
+him even should he subsequently drift into specialism. Indeed, it is
+an accepted truism that the man who starts as a general collector
+invariably makes the best specialist in the end.</p>
+
+<p>Starting, then, as a general collector, the beginner purchases an
+album&mdash;for choice say the "Imperial," published by Stanley Gibbons,
+Ltd., which on one page has a printed and illustrated list of the
+stamps of a country, and on the opposite page ruled and numbered
+spaces for every stamp mentioned in the printed list. A catalogue,
+setting forth the prices at which stamps may be purchased, should also
+be obtained.</p>
+
+<p>One of the very first questions to be settled at the start will be the
+choice that must be made between the collection of used and of unused.
+The general collector who wishes to collect economically should
+certainly start with what is cheapest; and as the common stamps are
+cheapest in the used condition, used should be selected. When a
+collector can afford to spend his money liberally, the best and
+safest, and cheapest in the long run, will be stamps unused and in the
+pink of condition. Such stamps generally turn out to be a safe and not
+unfrequently a splendid investment.</p>
+
+<p>The beginner will find that he can fill up a large proportion of the
+spaces in his album with comparatively common stamps, and these are
+much more economically purchased in the form of cheap packets. The
+blanks that remain will then represent stamps worth searching for
+separately, and buying singly as good opportunities occur. Many may be
+obtained in exchanging duplicates with other collectors.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>After some experience as a general collector, preferences will
+gradually materialise, and the utter hopelessness of making a thorough
+collection of the postal issues of the world will be apparent. At this
+stage the collector generally sells the bulk of his collection,
+reserving only a few countries to be followed up in future on
+specialist lines. The remedy and the change are drastic, and, like
+most drastic remedies, are much too sweeping. Wiser and keener
+Philatelists nowadays retain their general collections, so far as they
+have gone with them, and upon their basis give play to their
+specialist inclinations. That is to say, they single out a country,
+and work at that exclusively on specialist lines; and when they tire
+of that country, or exhaust it so far as their means allow, they have
+in their general collection the nucleus of another country with which
+to build up another specialist collection. On this plan a collector
+can always be working in sympathy and on the lines of the fashionable
+country of the day. He can take up and open out whatever country
+happens to be the vogue. In this way a neglected country every now and
+again comes to the front, and the nucleus of that country which may be
+found in the general collection may suddenly acquire an interest and a
+value never dreamt of. A recent case in point is that of the Orange
+Free State. Its stamps went a-begging for purchasers. Then trouble,
+and unrest, and war brought them into notice, and now the almost
+worthless have become valuable, and the pence have run into shillings,
+and the shillings into pounds.</p>
+
+<p>For many persons, however, limitations and exclusions are necessary
+from the start. In their case a choice must be made, and the safest
+choice will be that of the British Colonies, or, if a still more
+restricted line must<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> be drawn, one of the Continental groups of
+Colonies. A glance at a priced catalogue will be the best guide for
+selection. If it must be an economical selection, the catalogue will
+speak for itself. There is abundant choice in every direction. There
+are colonies with few and simple and inexpensive issues, and there are
+others that require ample means and patient research. But the cheapest
+countries, from an expenditure point of view, are foreign
+countries&mdash;such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, German Empire, Italy,
+Chili, China, and so on.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 185px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 185px;"><img src="images/image_063.jpg" width="185" height="211" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><img src="images/image_064.jpg" width="500" height="165" alt="Images of Stamps"  /></span></div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="XV" id="XV"></a>XV.</h2>
+
+<h2>Great Collections.</h2>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 75px;">
+<img src="images/image_064_1.jpg" width="75" height="122" alt="Drop Cap."  /></div>
+<p><br />
+  <br />
+  reat collections of postage stamps, like great collections of
+pictures, in these days acquire an international rank and reputation.
+The great stamp collections of to-day are in a few hands, and have
+been built up by lavish wealth and lavish industry. Wealth alone will
+not suffice to gather together a really great philatelic collection.
+There must be patient research, and there can be no research apart
+from that full knowledge which comes only to the industrious and
+painstaking Philatelist. The gem that is wanted to complete the finest
+page in the rich man's collection has not unfrequently to be
+personally sought for in the byways, the alleys, and lanes of stamp
+collecting; and despite the keenest search of the wealthy, it
+sometimes, after all, falls by grim mischance into the laboriously
+gathered collection of the man of very limited means.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Wales is known to be an enthusiastic and keen stamp
+collector. He is the acting President of the Philatelic Society of
+London. During his recent tour round the world he displayed his great
+interest in the postal issues of the colonies which he visited, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+brought home much valuable philatelic information and a number of
+proofs of sheets of old colonial stamps which will help to clear up
+many doubtful points. H.R.H. collects only the stamps of Great Britain
+and her colonies, and he possesses many specimens that are absolutely
+unique.</p>
+
+<p>The collection which was made by the late Mr. T. K. Tapling, M.P., is
+now in the keeping of the British Museum, having been bequeathed to
+the nation by its possessor, who was one of the most cultured and
+shrewdest collectors of his day. His collection was his
+life-work&mdash;from boyhood till his early death in 1891. It was largely
+made up of the amalgamation of great collections. In his day Tapling
+had the first pick in every direction, and, as a result, his
+collection is to-day one of the grandest and richest and most
+scientific general collections extant. Great rarities may be said to
+be conspicuous by their prominence and by their matchless condition.</p>
+
+<p>But the greatest collection of all is that of M. Philipp la Renoti&eacute;r&egrave;,
+of Paris, known to most collectors as Herr von Ferrary. In the course
+of the last thirty years he has purchased many well-known old
+collections, amongst which may be mentioned that of Judge Philbrick
+for &pound;7,000, Sir Daniel Cooper's for &pound;3,000, W. B. Thornhill's
+Australians, etc. M. la Renoti&eacute;r&egrave; has been a large buyer in the
+leading capitals of Europe for a great many years. His expenditure
+with our own publishers is said to average from &pound;3,000 to &pound;4,000 a
+year. He employs two secretaries who are paid large salaries, one to
+look after the postage stamps and the other the post cards, envelopes,
+and wrappers.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. F. Breitfuss, of St. Petersburg, who has been collecting since
+1860, is credited with the third finest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> collection in the world. He
+is an omnivorous, but scientific general collector.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. H. J. Duveen, the well-known art connoisseur of London and New
+York, although he did not take to stamp collecting till 1892, has
+already got together the finest collection, outside the British
+Museum, in this country. It is celebrated not only for the beauty of
+its specimens, but also for its completeness, neatness, and scientific
+arrangement. The value of the collection is probably close on &pound;80,000.
+It is enclosed in seventy handsome Oriel albums.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. W. B. Avery, head of the well-known firm of scale-makers of
+Birmingham, has one of the finest general collections. It is justly
+celebrated for the large number of great rarities that it contains,
+amongst which are the two rare "Post Office" Mauritius in superb
+unused condition. The collection cannot be worth at present far short
+of &pound;50,000.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. M. P. Castle, the Vice-President of the Philatelic Society of
+London, who succeeded the late Mr. Tapling in office, is one of the
+keenest of keen collectors. His general collection became so large
+that he parted with it in 1877, and then specialised in Australians.
+This latter collection he sold, in 1894, to our publishers for
+&pound;10,000, at that time the largest sum ever paid for a single
+collection. He subsequently made a grand specialised collection of
+Europeans. This, arranged in sixty-seven volumes, he sold, in 1900,
+for nearly &pound;30,000, and he has now returned to his love for
+Australians.</p>
+
+<p>The Earl of Crawford and Balcarres is a collector of only recent date,
+but he has already formed a really magnificent collection based on
+broad historical lines. He confines himself mostly to the stamps of
+the British<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> Empire, the United States, and the Italian States. His
+lordship is a member of the Council of the Philatelic Society of
+London, and, when in England, a regular attendant at its meetings.</p>
+
+<p>The Earl of Kintore is also the possessor of a very fine collection of
+English Colonials, etc.; among his greater rarities being the "Post
+Office" Mauritius, the complete set of Hawaiian Islands (first issue),
+the 2 cents, rose, British Guiana, and many other gems. He also is a
+member of the London Philatelic Society.</p>
+
+<p>In France the place of honour, after M. la Renoti&eacute;r&egrave;, is deservedly
+taken by M. Paul Mirabaud, the well-known banker of Paris, whose
+magnificent collection of Switzerland was shown in the last Paris
+Exhibition. It forms, however, only a small portion of his fine
+collection.</p>
+
+<p>In Italy probably the most famous collection is that of Prince Doria
+Pamphilj, which is exceptionally rich in the interesting issues of the
+Italian States.</p>
+
+<p>In the United States of America there are many notable collections,
+several of them being worth from &pound;30,000 to &pound;50,000, amongst which may
+be mentioned the Crockers', of San Francisco, Mr. F. W. Ayer's, of
+Bangor, Maine, and Mr. Paul's, of Philadelphia.</p>
+
+<p>In Germany the greatest collection is doubtless that of Mr. Martin
+Schr&oelig;der, the well known merchant of Leipzig.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 120px;"><span class="figcenter" style="width: 120px;"><img src="images/image_067.jpg" width="120" height="138" alt="Image of Stamp"  /></span></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="Stanley_Gibbons_Ltd" id="Stanley_Gibbons_Ltd"></a>Stanley Gibbons, Ltd.</h2>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>CAPITAL, &pound;75,000. ESTABLISHED 1856.</i></b></p>
+<table class="tb2" >
+  <tr>
+    <td colspan="3" style="text-align:center"><b>HIGHEST POSSIBLE AWARDS.</b></td>
+
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><img src="images/image_068_1.jpg" alt="Medallion" width="165" height="163" /></td>
+    <td class="edge2"><b><i>GOLD MEDAL, Paris, 1892.</i></b><br />
+	<i><b>GOLD MEDAL, Chicago, 1893.</b></i><br />
+	<br />
+	FIVE MEDALS<br />
+(<i>Highest in each Class</i>),<br />
+GENEVA, 1896.<br />
+<br />
+FOUR MEDALS<br />
+(<i>Highest in each Class</i>),<br />
+LONDON, 1897.<br />
+
+</td>
+    <td style="text-align:right"><img src="images/image_068_2.jpg" alt="Medallion" width="165" height="162" /></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+<p>The above-mentioned high rewards gained by the Firm have been awarded
+for the perfect condition and completeness of Stamp Collections, and
+for general excellence in Stamp Albums, Catalogues, and Handbooks.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<table class="tb2" >
+  <tr>
+    <td><img src="images/image_068_3.jpg" alt="Medallion" width="165" height="164" /></td>
+    <td class="edge2"><h2>Rare Stamps</h2></td>
+    <td style="text-align:right"><img src="images/image_068_4.jpg" alt="Medallion" width="165" height="167" /></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Bought, Sold, or Exchanged.</b>
+</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+
+
+<table class="tb2" >
+  <tr>
+    <td><img src="images/image_068_5.jpg" alt="Medallion" width="165" height="164" /></td>
+    <td class="edge2"><b><i>LARGE NEW PROSPECTUS</i></b><br />
+  (<b><i>Seventy-six Pages</i></b>),<br />
+
+<br />
+
+With full details of all<br />
+<span class="smcap">Stamp Albums</span>,<br />
+<span class="smcap">Catalogues</span>, <span class="smcap">Handbooks</span>,<br />
+and List of nearly<br />
+<b>2,000</b> <span class="smcap">Sets</span> and <span class="smcap">Packets</span><br />
+at Bargain Prices,<br />
+<br />
+
+<i>sent post-free on application</i>.<br /></td>
+    <td style="text-align:right"><img src="images/image_068_6.jpg" alt="Medallion" width="165" height="165" /></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="STANLEY_GIBBONS" id="STANLEY_GIBBONS"></a><b>STANLEY GIBBONS</b>,</h2>
+
+<h4>LIMITED,</h4>
+
+<p class="center"><b>New Announcements</b>.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>ANNUAL SALE OVER THIRTY THOUSAND PACKETS.</i></b></p>
+
+<p class="center">NOW READY, the following Popular Series of</p>
+
+<p class="center">PACKETS OF FOREIGN POSTAGE STAMPS</p>
+
+<p><i>All the Stamps contained in the following Packets are warranted
+absolutely genuine, free from reprints. They are also in good
+condition and perfect.</i></p>
+
+<p>These Packets cannot be sent by book post to Postal Union Countries.
+The cost by letter rate is 2-1/2d. for every 100 Stamps. The amount
+required for postage can therefore be reckoned, and should be added
+when remitting.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h3><i>New and Improved Packets of Used and Unused Stamps.</i></h3>
+<p><b>No. 1.&mdash;The Sixpenny Packet of Mixed Continental Stamps</b> contains <b>100</b>,
+including many obsolete and rare. (This packet contains duplicates.)
+Post-free, 7d.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 2.&mdash;The Sixpenny Packet of Used Foreign Stamps</b> contains <b>50</b>
+varieties, all different, including Egypt, Spain, Chili, New South
+Wales, Transvaal, Roumania, Porto Rico, Argentine, Sweden, Brazil,
+Turkey, &amp;c. Post-free, 7d.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 3.&mdash;The Sixpenny Packet of Used Colonial Stamps</b> contains <b>12</b>
+varieties, including Natal, Ceylon, India H.M.S., Cape of Good Hope,
+British Guiana, Mauritius, Tasmania, New South Wales Service,
+Victoria, Jamaica, South Australia O.S., &amp;c. All different. Post-free,
+7d.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 4.&mdash;The Shilling Packet of Used and Unused Foreign Stamps</b> contains
+<b>50</b> varieties, including French Soudan, Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal,
+Sandwich Isles (head of King), Italy, Turkey, Finland, Brazil,
+Roumania, Portugal, Argentine Republic, Ecuador, Salvador, Greece,
+Mexico, Shanghai, Philippine Isles, Japan, and others rare. All
+different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/1.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 5.&mdash;The Shilling Packet of Colonial Stamps</b> contains <b>25</b> varieties,
+including Cyprus, Natal, Jamaica, provisional South Australia,
+Victoria 1/2d. rose, surcharged Ceylon, Straits Settlements, India
+Service, Queensland, Hong Kong, Barbados, Swan River, South Australia,
+Centennial New South Wales, Mauritius, Malta, and others rare. All
+different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/1.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 6.&mdash;The Eighteenpenny Packet of Used Foreign Stamps</b> contains <b>100</b>
+varieties, including Mauritius, Hong Kong, Finland, Japan 15 and 25
+sen, Barbados, Chili, Brazil, Greece, Russia, Porto Rico, India
+envelope, Jamaica, Belgium, Spain, Canada, &amp;c. All different and
+warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/7.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 7.&mdash;The Two Shilling Packet of Rare Used and Unused Foreign Stamps</b>
+contains <b>100</b> varieties, including Porto Rico, Colombia, New Zealand,
+registered Canada, rare Turkish, Dutch Indies, Ceylon, Mozambique,
+Mauritius, Portugal, French Colonies, O. F. State, Cyprus, Norway,
+Sardinia, Belgium, West Australia, Chili, Egypt, Bavaria, and others
+rare. All different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 2/1.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="Approval_Sheets" id="Approval_Sheets"></a>Approval Sheets</h2>
+
+<h4>and</h4>
+<h2>Collections of Stamps.</h2>
+<p class="center"><b>NEW SHEETS OF STAMPS FOR <br />
+BEGINNERS AND MEDIUM COLLECTORS.</b></p>
+
+
+<p>We have just been arranging our <b>Approval Sheets of Stamps</b> on an
+entirely new and much simpler plan than formerly. The Stamps are
+mounted on Sheets, containing an average of <b>100 Stamps per Sheet</b>. They
+are all arranged in the order of our New Catalogue. First, Great
+Britain and the Colonies, then all Foreign Countries. These Sheets
+contain about <b>5,000 different Stamps</b>, and a Sheet of any particular
+country will be sent on demand. The Sheets arranged to date are over
+forty in number, and contain all <b>Great Britain and the Colonies</b>, and
+all <b>Foreign Countries</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>TO ADVANCED COLLECTORS.</b>&mdash;For Collectors more advanced we have an
+assortment of many hundreds of small books of <b>Choice picked Stamps of
+every Country or District in the World</b>. Most of these special books
+contain twenty pages (5&times;3-1/2 inches), and can be sent by post in an
+ordinary registered envelope to all parts of the world. These books,
+as a rule, include Used and Unused Stamps, but Special Approval Books
+will be made up to suit individual requirements. Collectors writing
+for such should state if they wish for <b>Used</b> or <b>Unused Stamps</b>; if
+singles, pairs, or blocks of 4 are required; also, in Used Stamps, if
+special Postmarks are sought for. In all cases, in these books, we
+shall lay ourselves out to meet the special requirements of each
+individual client, whether the amount required be large or small.</p>
+
+<p><b>Great Rarities are our Speciality.</b> We have a large number of Stamps on
+hand from &pound;100 to &pound;750 each, and shall be pleased to give prices and
+particulars to advanced Philatelists.</p>
+
+<p><b>We purchase really Rare Stamps</b> at a much higher Cash Price than that
+paid by any other Stamp Merchant.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="Grand_Collection_Packets" id="Grand_Collection_Packets"></a>Grand Collection Packets.</h2>
+
+<h3 >NEW AND GREATLY REDUCED PRICES FOR 1902.</h3>
+<p class="center" ><b>No. 64 CONTAINS 100 VARIETIES,</b></p>
+
+<p>Including used and unused. </p>
+<p class="center"><b>Price 6d.; post-free, 7d.</b></p>
+<p class="center" ><b>No. 65 CONTAINS 250 DIFFERENT VARIETIES,</b></p>
+
+<p>Both used and unused Stamps, Envelopes &#9744; and Post Cards &#9744;
+and is well recommended as a capital start for a collector. </p>
+<p class="center"><b>Price 3/-;
+  post-free, 3/1.</b></p>
+<p class="center"><b>No. 66, 500 VARIETIES,</b></p>
+
+<p>And is strongly recommended as the cheapest collection of 500
+different Stamps ever offered&mdash;the Stamps could not be bought
+separately for three times the marvellously low price at which it is
+now offered. The Stamps, &amp;c., are clean, picked specimens fit for any
+collection. The best 500 varieties in the trade.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Price 6/-; post-free, 6/1.</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>No. 67, 1,000 VARIETIES.</b></p>
+
+<p>This packet contains 1,000 different Stamps (and no Envelopes, Bands,
+and Cards), and is the <b>cheapest packet</b> ever offered by S. G., Ltd.,
+satisfaction being absolutely guaranteed. The price it is offered at
+is the lowest ever quoted for such a collection, embracing as it does
+scores of scarce varieties, provisionals, new issues, and many very
+fine and obsolete varieties.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Price &pound;1, post-free and registered.</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>No. 68, 1,500 VARIETIES.</b></p>
+
+<p>Each specimen is in perfect condition, and the 1,500 different Stamps
+form a noble start for anyone. A large number of really rare and
+valuable Stamps are contained in this collection; but it is impossible
+to enumerate them, as we are constantly adding New Issues and Older
+Stamps when we purchase such. Satisfaction is guaranteed. </p>
+<p class="center"><b>Price &pound;2
+  10s., post-free and registered.</b></p>
+<p class="center"><b>No. 69, 2,000 VARIETIES.</b></p>
+
+<p>A grand packet for a dealer or collector, every Stamp being different
+and genuine, and thus forming a choice collection in itself or a stock
+to make up sheets or for exchange purposes.</p>
+<p class="center"> <b>Price &pound;4 10s., post-free
+  and registered.</b></p>
+<p class="center"><b>No. 69A, 3,000 VARIETIES.</b></p>
+
+<p>A very fine packet, containing many rare stamps, all arranged in
+order, and mounted ready to price or remove to a collection.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Price &pound;11 10s., post-free and registered.</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>No. 69B, 4,000 VARIETIES.</b></p>
+
+<p>A valuable collection, all mounted on sheets in order. Really good
+value; being sold by us to collectors at less than the price usually
+charged in the trade.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Price &pound;18, post-free and registered.</b></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="Grand_New_Variety_Packets" id="Grand_New_Variety_Packets"></a>Grand New Variety Packets.</h2>
+
+
+<p>In order to meet the wishes of a great number of our customers, we
+have prepared a series of packets, as under, entirely different from
+one another, no stamp in any one packet being in any of the rest of
+the series; and the purchaser of the series of eight packets will have
+1,305 extra good varieties, and no duplicates.</p>
+
+<p>These packets do <span class="smcap">NOT</span> contain any Post Cards, cut Envelopes, Fiscals,
+or Reprints, and are well recommended as good value, and are only a
+small proportion of the Catalogue value of the single stamps contained
+in them.</p>
+
+<table class="tb2" >
+  <tr>
+    <td>No. 70 </td>
+    <td>contains</td>
+    <td>500 Stamps of <b>Europe</b>, all different.</td>
+    <td>Price 7/6; </td>
+    <td>post-free, </td>
+    <td>7/8.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>No. 71 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>125 Stamps of <b>Asia</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;</td>
+    <td>Price 7/6 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>7/7.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>No. 72 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>125 Stamps of <b>Africa</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot; </td>
+    <td>Price 7/6 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>7/7.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>No. 73 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>105 Stamps of <b>Australia</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot; </td>
+    <td>Price 7/6 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>7/7.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>No. 74 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>125 Stamps of <b>West Indies</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+    <td>Price 7/6 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>7/7.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>No. 75 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>125 Stamps of <b>South America</b>, all different. </td>
+    <td>Price 7/6 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>7/7.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>No. 76 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>100 Stamps of <b>North America</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;</td>
+    <td>Price 7/6 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>7/7.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>No. 77 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>100 Stamps of <b>Central America</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;</td>
+    <td>Price 7/6 </td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>7/7.</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+<p>The set of eight packets, containing <b>1,305</b> varieties, if all bought at
+one time, will be supplied at the special reduced price of <b>55/-</b>.
+Postage abroad 2-1/2d. extra for each 125 stamps.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h3><i>THE JUBILEE EXHIBITION PACKETS.</i></h3>
+<p><b>No. 78.&mdash;The "Queen's Portrait" Packet. 100 Stamps. Price 10s.</b></p>
+
+<p>The <b>Ten Shilling Packet</b> contains <b>100</b> Unused Postage Stamps, each one
+bearing a likeness of <span class="smcap">Her Majesty Queen Victoria</span>. This packet contains
+perfect specimens only, nearly all with original gum. This is a real
+bargain, but as an extra inducement to purchasers we present a
+specimen of a <b>Diamond Jubilee Stamp</b> with each packet; thus each buyer
+becomes a subscriber to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales' Hospital Fund.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 79.&mdash;The "Queen's Portrait" Packet. 100 Rare Colonials. Price &pound;1
+10s.</b></p>
+
+<p>The <b>Thirty Shilling Packet</b> contains <b>100</b> rare unused Postage Stamps,
+each one bearing a likeness of <span class="smcap">Her Majesty Queen Victoria</span>. The stamps
+in this packet are entirely different from those in No. 78, and
+purchasers of both will thus possess two hundred distinct varieties.
+Most of the English Colonies are represented by carefully-selected
+specimens of the higher value stamps. With this packet we present the
+<b>Half-crown Diamond Jubilee Stamp</b>; thus each purchaser subscribes that
+sum to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales' Hospital Fund.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 80.&mdash;The "Picturesque" Packet. 100 Pictures. Price 12s. 6d.</b></p>
+
+<p>Contains <b>100</b> Unused Stamps in perfect condition, each one being
+especially selected for beauty, quaintness, or originality of design.
+Among others, we mention:</p>
+
+<p class="center">
+<b>Natives Paddling on the Congo River.<br />
+Native Village and Scenery in the Congo District.<br />
+A Native Village in Djibouti. The Bridge of Sighs in Kewkiang.</b><br />
+</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Zoology is Represented By</span>&mdash;<b>The Elephant, the Hippopotamus, the Bird of
+Paradise, the Stag, the Codfish.</b></p>
+
+<p>Three of the exquisite <b>Portraits of Her Majesty</b>, as depicted on the
+<b>Canadian Jubilee Stamps</b>, showing the Vignettes of the Queen in 1837
+and 1897, form an appropriate addition to this choice and remarkable
+packet.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p>
+<h4><a name="GREATER_BRITAIN_PACKETS" id="GREATER_BRITAIN_PACKETS"></a>GREATER BRITAIN PACKETS</h4>
+<h4>OF</h4>
+<h2><i>British Colonial Stamps</i>.</h2>
+<p class="center"><b>NO DUPLICATES</b>.</p>
+
+
+<p>Every Packet of this series contains different varieties, no Stamp
+being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by this novel
+method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates, which is as
+a rule the bane of most packet buying.</p>
+
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr>
+  <td></td>
+  <td></td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td>Price.</td>
+  <td>Post-free.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td></td>
+  <td></td><td></td><td></td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">s. <i>d.</i></td>
+  <td class="tocpg">s. <i>d.</i></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">No.</td>
+  <td> 111</td><td class="edge2"> contains</td>
+<td>20</td>
+  <td class="edge2">varieties</td>
+  <td class="edge2">of</td>
+  <td>Stamps</td>
+  <td>of Asia </td>
+  <td class="tocpg"> 0 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg"> 0 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>112</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>25 </td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">2 0</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">2 1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>113</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>40</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">3 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">3 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>114</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>40 </td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">6 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">6 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>115</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>50</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">16 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">16 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>116</td>
+  <td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>45</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">12 0</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">12 1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>117</td>
+  <td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>30 </td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">4 0</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">4 1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>118</td>
+  <td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>40</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">21 0</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">21 1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>121</td>
+  <td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>20 </td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>of AFRICA</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">0 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">0 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>122</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>25</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">2 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">2 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>141</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>20 </td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>of WEST INDIES</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">0 9</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">0 10</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>142</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>20 </td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">2 0</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">2 1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>151</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>25 </td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>of AUSTRALASIA</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">0 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">0 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>152</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>30</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">1 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">1 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>153</td><td class="edge2"> "</td>
+  <td>30</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+  <td>&quot;</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">4 6</td>
+  <td class="tocpg">4 7</td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+<hr style="width:65%" />
+
+
+<h3>FOREIGN COUNTRIES PACKETS</h3>
+<h4>OF</h4>
+<h2><i>European Stamps</i>.</h2>
+<p>EVERY Packet in this series contains different varieties, no
+particular stamp being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by
+this method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates.</p>
+
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr><td align='left'></td><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td class="tocpg">Price.</td><td class="tocpg">Post-free.</td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td></td><td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tocpg">s. <i>d</i>.</td><td class="tocpg">s. <i>d.</i></td>
+</tr>
+<tr><td>No. <b>201</b> contains</td>
+<td> <b>50</b> varieties of Stamps of <b>Europe</b></td>
+<td class="tocpg">0 9</td>
+<td class="tocpg">0 10</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>202</b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+  <td><b>40</b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+<td class="tocpg">1 0</td>
+<td class="tocpg">1 1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>203</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+  <td><b>50</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  "</td>
+<td class="tocpg">2 0</td>
+<td class="tocpg">2 1</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>204</b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+  <td><b>30</b> &nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+<td class="tocpg">2 6</td>
+<td class="tocpg">2 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>205</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+  <td><b>50</b> &nbsp; " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;</td>
+<td class="tocpg">3 6</td>
+<td class="tocpg">3 7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td>&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>206</b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+  <td><b>60</b>&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "</td>
+<td class="tocpg">7 6</td>
+<td class="tocpg">7 7</td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="THE_20th_CENTURY_PACKETS" id="THE_20th_CENTURY_PACKETS"></a>THE 20th CENTURY PACKETS</h2>
+
+<h3>Of Envelopes, Registered Envelopes, Wrappers, and Letter Sheets,
+</h3>
+<p class="center">ALL UNUSED, ENTIRE, AND GUARANTEED GENUINE ORIGINALS.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>NO DUPLICATES.</b></p>
+
+<p>Every Packet of this series contains different Envelopes, etc., no
+piece being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by this novel
+method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates, which is as
+a rule the bane of most packet buying.</p>
+
+<p>The prices of these new Packets are wonderfully cheap, as we are
+clearing off our stock of entires.</p>
+
+<p><i>These Packets cannot be sent by book post abroad. The average rate
+abroad by letter post or parcel post varies so much that sufficient
+should be remitted, and balance, if any, will be credited or returned.
+The prices quoted "post-free" are for Great Britain only.</i></p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h3>ENVELOPE PACKETS.</h3>
+<p class="center"><i><b>Section I.&mdash;GREAT BRITAIN &amp; COLONIES.</b></i></p>
+
+<p>No.<b> 601.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>29 common varieties</b>, including Bechuanaland,
+Chamba, Cochin, Leeward Isles, etc. Price <b>2/-</b>; post-free, <b>2/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>602.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>36 scarce varieties</b>, including Great Britain
+compound, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Cape, Ceylon, Gibraltar, Grenada,
+Heligoland, etc. Price <b>8/6</b>; post-free, <b>8/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>603.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>36 scarce varieties</b>, including Newfoundland, New
+South Wales, St. Vincent, South Australia, Trinidad, and a really
+grand lot of Victorian. Price <b>10/-</b>; post-free, <b>10/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>604.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>47 varieties of Great Britain only</b>, including a
+superb lot of the rarer compound Envelopes, old dates and high values;
+also scarce Registered Envelopes, Wrappers, etc. A very fine packet
+and good value. Price <b>40/-</b>; post-free, <b>40/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>605.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>50</b> <i>rare</i> <b>varieties</b> of Bahamas, Barbados, British
+Bechuanaland, British Central and East and South Africa, British
+Guiana, Canada, Cape, and Ceylon. Price <b>25/-</b>; post-free, <b>25/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>606.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>45</b> <i>rare</i> <b>varieties</b>, including some very scarce
+Ceylon registered, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Gold Coast, Grenada, Heligoland,
+and India. Price <b>27/6</b>; post-free, <b>27/9</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No.<b> 607.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>34 varieties of the Indian States</b>, including
+Chamba, Gwalior, Jhind, Nabha, Puttialla, Bamra, Charkhari, Cochin,
+Duttia, Holkar, Hyderabad, and Travancore. Price <b>10/-</b>; post-free,
+<b>10/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>608.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>29 scarce varieties</b> of Leeward Isles, Malta,
+Mauritius, Newfoundland, New South Wales, New Zealand, and Niger
+Coast. Price <b>12/-</b>; post-free, <b>12/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>609.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>29 scarce varieties</b> of Queensland, St. Lucia, St.
+Vincent, Sierra Leone, South Australia, Straits Settlements, Tasmania,
+Tobago, Trinidad, and Victoria. Price <b>12/6</b>; post-free, <b>12/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p class="u"> <b>SPECIAL OFFER.</b></p>
+
+<p>Packets <b>601</b> to <b>609 </b>inclusive, containing <b>335 different varieties</b> of
+Envelopes, Wrappers, etc., of Great Britain and her Colonies. <b>Price &pound;6
+10s</b>. Postage extra.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="ENVELOPES" id="ENVELOPES"></a>ENVELOPES.</h2>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>Section II.&mdash;FOREIGN COUNTRIES.</i></b></p>
+
+<p>No. <b>610.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>20 common varieties</b>. Price <b>1/-</b>; post-free, <b>1/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>611.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>21 scarcer varieties</b>. Price <b>2/6</b>; post-free, <b>2/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>612.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>21 varieties</b>, including Argentine, Brazil, Ecuador,
+Guatemala, etc. Price <b>4/6</b>; post-free, <b>4/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>613.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>24 varieties</b>, including Persia, Russia, Shanghai,
+Uruguay, etc. Price <b>6/6</b>; post-free, <b>6/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>614.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>41 scarce varieties</b> of Argentine, Austria, Austrian
+Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chili, and Costa Rica. Price
+<b>16/6</b>; post-free, <b>16/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>615.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>62 varieties</b> of Danish West Indies, Ecuador, Egypt,
+France, and Envelopes of <i>twenty</i> different French Colonies. Price
+<b>12/6</b>; post-free, <b>12/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>616.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>43</b> <i>rare</i> <b>varieties of the German States</b>, including
+very scarce Lubeck, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
+Prussian, Saxony, Thurn and Taxis, Wurtemberg, etc. A really good
+packet and exceptional value. Price <b>50/-</b>; post-free, <b>50/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>617.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>40 varieties</b> of Guatemala, Hawaiian Isles, Holland,
+Dutch Indies, and Honduras. Price <b>12/6</b>; post-free, <b>12/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>618.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>35 scarce varieties of Japan</b>, including rare plate
+numbers, Liberia, Mexico, Monaco, and Montenegro. Price <b>20/-</b>;
+post-free, <b>20/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>619.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>30 varieties of Nicaragua</b>, especially strong in the
+older issues. Price <b>6/-;</b> post-free, <b>6/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>620.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>38 scarce varieties</b> of Paraguay, Persia, Peru,
+Portugal, Roumania, Russia, etc. Price <b>18/6</b>; post-free, <b>18/9</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>621.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>39 scarce varieties</b> of Finland, Russian Local
+Envelopes, Shanghai, Transvaal, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,
+and Uruguay. Price <b>17/6</b>; post-free, <b>17/9</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>622.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>77 varieties of Salvador</b>, including many really
+rare and provisional issues. A very fine and interesting set. Price
+<b>25/-</b>; post-free, <b>25/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>623.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>32 old varieties of the United States of America</b>,
+including scarce dies and papers of the Reay and Plimpton issues, and
+the old 3 cent letter sheet on blue paper. Price <b>15/-</b>; post-free,
+<b>15/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p class="u"><b>SPECIAL OFFER.</b></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Packets</span> <b>610</b> to <b>623</b> inclusive, containing <b>527 varieties</b> of Envelopes,
+Wrappers, etc., of Foreign Countries. <b>Price &pound;9 5s.</b> Postage extra.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE 20th CENTURY PACKETS</h2>
+
+<h3>Of Post Cards and Letter Cards.</h3>
+<p class="center"><b><i>ALL UNUSED, ENTIRE, AND GUARANTEED GENUINE ORIGINALS.</i></b></p>
+
+<p class="center">NO DUPLICATES.</p>
+<hr />
+<p >&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>POST CARD PACKETS.</h3>
+<h3 ><i>Section I.&mdash;GREAT BRITAIN &amp; COLONIES.</i></h3>
+<p>No.<b> 650.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>13 common varieties</b>. Price <b>1/-</b>; post-free, <b>1/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>651.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>13 common varieties</b>, different from the last. Price
+<b>1/-</b>; post-free, <b>1/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>652.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>16 common varieties</b>, all different from those in
+the other packets. Price <b>1/3</b>; post-free, <b>1/4</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>653.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>24 scarce varieties of Cards</b>, including Bangkok,
+Barbados, British Central Africa, etc. Price <b>4/6</b>; post-free, <b>4/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>654.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>26 scarce varieties</b>, including Falkland, Gibraltar,
+Heligoland, Hong Kong, etc. Price <b>4/6</b>; post-free, <b>4/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>655.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>23 scarce varieties</b>, including Nevis, Newfoundland,
+North Borneo, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, etc. Price <b>4/-</b>; post-free, <b>4/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>656.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>24 scarce varieties</b>, including Tasmania, Tobago,
+Trinidad, Turks Islands, Virgin Isles, Zululand, etc. Price <b>4/-</b>;
+post-free, <b>4/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>657.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>38 rare varieties</b>, including scarce Cards from
+Great Britain, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, etc. Price <b>10/-</b>;
+post-free, <b>10/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>658.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>47 rare varieties</b> from British Central, East, and
+South Africa, Canada, Ceylon, Cape of Good Hope, Cyprus, Gambia, etc.
+Price <b>10/6</b>; post-free, <b>10/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>659.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>47 rare varieties</b> from Gibraltar, Gold Coast,
+Grenada, Heligoland, Hong Kong, India, Chamba, Gwalior, Puttialla,
+etc. Price <b>12/6</b>; post-free, <b>12/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>660.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>39 rare varieties</b> from Sirmoor, Cashmere, Jamaica,
+Labuan, Montserrat, Natal, Nevis, etc. Price <b>12/6</b>; post-free, <b>12/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>661.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>41 rare varieties</b>, including New South Wales, New
+Zealand, Niger Coast, North Borneo, Queensland, St. Lucia, Seychelles,
+Sierra Leone, etc. Price <b>9/6</b>; post-free, <b>9/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>662.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>41 rare varieties</b> from South Australia, Straits,
+Tasmania, Tobago, Trinidad, Turks Islands, Victoria, Western
+Australia, etc. Price <b>10/-</b>; post-free, <b>10/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p class="u"><b>SPECIAL OFFER.</b></p>
+
+<p>Packets <b>650</b> to <b>662</b> inclusive, containing a really grand collection of
+392 varieties of Post Cards of Great Britain and Colonies. <b>Price &pound;4.</b>
+Postage extra.</p>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p>
+<p class="center"><b>Section II.&mdash;FOREIGN COUNTRIES.</b></p>
+
+<p>No. <b>670.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>20 common varieties</b>. Price <b>1/6</b>; post-free, <b>1/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>671.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>27 other common varieties</b>. Price <b>2/6</b>; post-free,
+<b>2/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>672.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>38 varieties</b>, including some scarce. Price <b>3</b>/-;
+post-free, <b>3/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No.<b> 673.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>35 varieties</b>, including some scarce ones. Price
+<b>3/6</b>; post-free, <b>3/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>674.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>31 scarcer varieties</b>, including Austrian Italy,
+Hungary, Belgium, Congo, and Brazil. Price <b>6</b>/-; post-free, <b>6/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>675.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>31 scarce varieties</b>, including Bulgaria, Chili,
+Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Morocco, Tunis, etc. Price <b>4</b>/-;
+post-free, <b>4/1</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>676.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>36 scarce varieties</b>, including German East Africa,
+Greece, Guatemala, Hawaiian Islands, Holland, Cura&ccedil;ao, Dutch Indies,
+Surinam, etc. Price <b>6</b>/-; post-free, <b>6/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>677.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>45 scarce varieties</b>, including Italy, Eritrea, San
+Marino, Japan, Luxemburg, Mexico, etc. Price <b>8</b>/-; post-free, <b>8/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>678.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>48 scarce varieties</b>, including Monaco, Montenegro,
+Nicaragua, Orange Free State, Paraguay, Persia, Peru, Azores, Madeira,
+etc. Price <b>10</b>/-; post-free, <b>10/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>679.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>39 scarce varieties</b> from Roumania, Russia, Finland,
+Servia, Shanghai, Siam, South African Republic, Spain, etc. Price <b>7</b>/-;
+post-free, <b>7/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>680.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>45 scarce varieties</b> from Cuba, Norway, Sweden,
+Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, etc. Price <b>9/6</b>; post-free, <b>9/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>681.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>39 rare varieties</b> from Argentine, Austrian Italy,
+Hungary, etc. Price <b>6/6</b>; post-free, <b>6/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>682.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>51 rare varieties</b> from Belgium, Congo, Bolivia,
+Brazil, etc. Price <b>15</b>/-; post-free, <b>15/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>683.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>54 rare varieties</b> from Bulgaria, Chili, Colombia,
+Costa Rica, Denmark, Iceland, etc. Price <b>10</b>/-; post-free, <b>10/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>684.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>54 rare varieties</b> from Ecuador, Egypt, France,
+Tunis, Baden, Bavaria, etc. Price <b>10</b>/-; post-free, <b>10/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>685.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>72 rare varieties</b> from Wurtemberg, Greece,
+Guatemala, Hawaiian Islands, Hayti, Holland and Colonies. Price <b>15</b>/-;
+post-free, <b>15/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>686.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>62 rare varieties</b> from Italy, Japan, Luxemburg,
+Mexico, etc. Price <b>14</b>/-; post-free, <b>14/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>687.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>50 rare varieties</b> from Monaco, Montenegro,
+Nicaragua, Paraguay, Persia, etc. Price <b>10</b>/-; post-free, <b>10/2</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>688.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>59 rare varieties</b> from Peru, Portugal and Colonies,
+Roumania, etc. Price <b>15</b>/-; post-free, <b>15/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>689.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>78 rare varieties</b> from Russia, Finland, Salvador,
+etc. Price <b>15</b>/-; post-free, <b>15/3</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>690.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>48 rare varieties</b> from Shanghai, Siam, Spain and
+Colonies, Sweden, etc. Price <b>16/6</b>; post-free, <b>16/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p>No. <b>691.</b>&mdash;Contains <b>43 rare varieties</b> from Switzerland, Turkey, United
+States, Uruguay, Venezuela, etc. Price <b>9/6</b>; post-free, <b>9/8</b>.</p>
+
+<p class="u"><b>SPECIAL OFFER.</b></p>
+
+<p>Packets <b>670 </b>to <b>691</b> inclusive, containing a superb collection of 1,005
+varieties of <i>Post Cards</i> of Foreign Countries; a bargain. <b>Price &pound;8
+10s</b>. Postage extra.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p>
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_078.jpg" alt="Stamp Album" width="600" height="197" /></p>
+
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>1/- each</i></b>.</p>
+
+<h3>THE SEVENTH EDITION OF</h3>
+<h2>The Improved Postage Stamp Album,</h2>
+<p class="center"><b>No. 0.</b></p>
+
+<p class="center">THE BEST AND LARGEST SHILLING ALBUM EVER PUBLISHED.</p>
+
+<p class="center">176 large pages. Spaces for 4,700 Stamps.</p>
+
+<p class="center">48 extra pages added in this Edition without extra charge.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>This Album is now selling at the rate of over 1,000 copies a month</i>.</b></p>
+
+<p>The demand for this Album has simply been phenomenal, and it gives
+universal satisfaction&mdash;not a single complaint has been received. The
+last Edition had nearly <b>20 extra pages added</b>, and now <b>another 48 pages
+have been added</b>, and all the Geographical and Historical Notes brought
+up fully to date. All the newest Stamp-issuing countries, such as
+Ichang, Las Bela, Tientsin, Bundi, Dhar, etc. etc., have been added.
+At the top of each page there is the name of the country, and a mass
+of valuable information, including date when Stamps were issued,
+population, area, reigning sovereign, capital, etc. Spaces of proper
+sizes are provided for all Stamps, and the book is bound in a superior
+manner in gilt cloth. The Album contains a pocket to hold duplicate
+Stamps, and fifty Stamps will be presented <i>gratis</i> with each Album.
+There is also an Illustrated Frontispiece of the Rarest Stamps, with
+prices attached that we pay for each.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Price, bound in handsome gilt cloth, 1/-, or post-free 1/3</b>.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>E. S. says: "I asked a friend where the best place was to buy a
+Stamp Album cheap. He referred me to you, saying that he had bought
+one and sold it next day for 1/6, after keeping the stamps."</p>
+
+<p>A. A. writes: "I received your Stamp Album on Thursday, and I
+wonder how you can sell it so cheap; for as soon as a friend saw it
+he offered me 2/- for it. Please send me another."</p>
+
+<p>C. A. W. writes: "Please send me one of your marvellous 1/- Albums,
+with packet of stamps, in order that I may convince my incredulous
+friends that such a thing is possible."</p>
+
+<p>Miss M. R. writes from Piccadilly: "I was greatly pleased with the
+Album I received this morning, which all my friends admired, and
+thought it very cheap."</p></div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE<br />
+
+Improved Postage Stamp Album.</h2>
+
+<p class="figright"><img src="images/image_079.jpg" alt="Stamp Album" width="390" height="295" /></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p><b><i>FOURTEENTH EDITION</i></b>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Greatly Enlarged and Re-written.</span></p>
+
+
+
+<p><b>Size of Page, 10 by 7-3/4 ins</b>.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><i>One Hundred Stamps, all different, are presented with each Album
+sold</i>.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p>This new Edition is printed on a <i>superior</i> quality paper, especially
+made for it. The shape is oblong, and spaces are provided according to
+the different requirements of the various countries.</p>
+
+<p>A large number of guards have been provided so that the Album shall
+not bulge when full.</p>
+
+<p>The Album is divided into Continents, and the name of the country only
+is given at the head of each page.</p>
+
+<p>Fifty-seven different watermarks are illustrated in actual size, and
+lists are given of the various watermarks of the different countries.</p>
+
+<p>Two pages of illustrations of <i>rare stamps</i> are given, with the price
+under each stamp that we will pay for it.</p>
+
+<p>Special attention has been paid to the binding, which is exceptionally
+strong, and the covers are artistically designed.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>PRICES (all well Packed).</i></b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 2.</b>&mdash;Strongly and neatly bound in Plain Cloth, gilt lettered back
+and sides, 304 pages. <b>Price 3/6; post-free, 3/11; abroad, 4/6.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 3.</b>&mdash;Well bound in Art Vellum, as illustration, blocked in gold and
+colours, 304 pages. <b>Price 5/-; post-free, 5/6; abroad, 6/2.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 4.</b>&mdash;Handsomely half-bound, Art Vellum sides, gold lines and gilt
+letters on back, gilt edges, with extra leaves after each continent
+for new issues, making in, all 368 pages. <b>Price 7/6; post-free, 8/-;
+abroad, 8/9.</b></p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p class="center"><b>EXTRA LEAVES</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><i>Can be supplied to this and the older small sizes, as under.</i></p>
+<table class="tb3">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3" ><b>14th (New) Edition.</b></td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+	<td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td >&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>Plain</td>
+    <td class="edge2">edges,</td>
+    <td>for</td>
+    <td>Nos. 2 or 3</td>
+    <td><b>9d.</b> per doz.;</td>
+    <td><b>5/-</b> per 100.</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>Gilt</td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>&quot;</td>
+    <td>No. 4</td>
+    <td><b>1/3&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>&quot;</td>
+    <td><b>8/6&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>&quot;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3" ><b>12th or 13th Edition (smaller size)</b></td>
+	<td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;Plain</td>
+    <td class="edge2">edges,</td>
+    <td>for</td>
+    <td>Nos. 2 or 3</td>
+    <td><b>6d.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>&quot;</td>
+    <td><b>3/9&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>"</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>Gilt</td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td class="edge2">&quot;</td>
+    <td>No. 4</td>
+    <td><b>1/-</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;</td>
+    <td><b>7/-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>"</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="NEW_EDITION" id="NEW_EDITION"></a>NEW EDITION.</h2>
+
+<p><b>&#9755;<i>100 POSTAGE STAMPS, all genuine and
+different, and of a catalogue value of over 8/-, are presented with
+each STRAND ALBUM</i></b>.</p>
+
+<h2>THE STRAND POSTAGE STAMP ALBUM.</h2>
+<p class="center"><b>Well arranged, reliable, and thoroughly correct</b>.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The book, which is printed on an unusually good quality paper, is
+bound in a new and specially designed cover. The shape is as
+illustrated, and the size a new and convenient one, viz. 9-1/2 in. by
+7-1/2 inches. Sufficient guards have been inserted so that when the
+Album is full the covers shall be level with each other, and not
+bulged, as is often the case in imperfectly constructed books.</p>
+
+
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_080.jpg" alt="Stamp Album" width="600" height="294" /></p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<p>Concise Geographical and other particulars with Illustrations are
+given at the head of each country, the pages being divided into
+rectangles, as is usual, with this most important innovation, that
+they vary in size so as to conveniently accommodate the Stamps desired
+to be placed in position. This is an advantageous improvement that
+will commend itself to every collector. Post Cards are not provided
+for, as all Philatelists of experience know it is best to collect them
+separately.</p>
+
+<p>A new and very important departure has been made in Nos. 15 and 16, in
+including for the first time in any Philatelic Album a series of Six
+specially drawn Maps, printed in colours, and giving the names of all
+Stamp-issuing Countries. They are of course fully brought up to date,
+and are not needlessly encumbered with unnecessary names, so as to
+increase their usefulness for easy and instant reference.</p>
+
+<p>Each Album now has four full-page Illustrations of the Watermarks
+found on all Stamps.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p class="center"><b>PRICES</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 14</b>.&mdash;Strongly and neatly bound in plain cloth, gilt lettered, 320
+pages, <b>2/6</b>; post-free, <b>2/11</b>; abroad, <b>3/4</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 15</b>.&mdash;Strongly and handsomely bound in plain cloth, with gilt edges
+and lettering, and 6 Maps, and 80 extra leaves, <b>5/-</b>; post-free, <b>5/5</b>;
+abroad, <b>6/-</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 16</b>.&mdash;Handsomely bound in half morocco, lettered on back, plain
+cloth sides, with 6 Maps, gilt edges, 400 pages, <b>8/6</b>; post-free, <b>9/-</b>;
+abroad, <b>9/6</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>BLANK LEAVES</b>. For No. 14.&mdash;<b>9d.</b> per dozen; <b>5/-</b> per 100, post-free. For
+No. 15 or 16, gilt edges.&mdash;<b>1/3</b> per dozen; <b>9/-</b> per 100, post-free.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p>
+<h1><span class="smcap">The Century Album.</span></h1>
+<div class="center"><img src="images/image_081.jpg" alt="Stamp Album" width="750" height="423" /></div>
+
+<h3> ALL THE WORLD IN ONE VOLUME.</h3>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p>
+
+<h4><i>NOW READY. In One Volume, 580 pages. Size of each page 10 by 13
+inches.</i></h4>
+<h2>The CENTURY ALBUM</h2>
+<h4>OF THE</h4>
+<h2>Postage Stamps of the World.</h2>
+<div class="center"><img src="images/image_082.jpg" alt="Stamp Album" width="500" height="351" /></div>
+
+<h4><i>Including a full Descriptive Catalogue, and Illustrated with several
+thousand full-sized reproductions of the Stamps</i>.</h4>
+
+
+<p>This Album is produced in a very large edition at a cost of between
+&pound;2,000 and &pound;3,000, and will be found to fulfil a long-felt want for an
+Album in <b>One Volume</b>, of high-class style, and on thoroughly good and
+highly surfaced paper, well and strongly bound.</p>
+
+<p>The <b>Century Album</b> is printed on one side of the paper only, catalogue
+and illustrations on the left, and numbered spaces to correspond on
+the right-hand pages.</p>
+
+<p>All minor varieties of perforation, watermark, and type are omitted,
+and only such varieties are included as can be distinguished by the
+young Philatelist.</p>
+
+<p>Space has been provided for some 18,000 stamps, and provision made for
+new issues by the insertion of numerous blank pages.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>IN TWO QUALITIES.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 21.</b>&mdash;On extra stout highly glazed paper, strongly bound in cloth,
+gilt lettered and artistically designed cover, coloured edges.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price 12/6; post-free in Great Britain, 13/4.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 22.</b>&mdash;As last, but half bound in morocco, plain sides, raised
+bands, and gilt lettering on back, gilt edges; supplied in strong box.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price 25/-; post-free in Great Britain, 26/-.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>Extra Blank Leaves for this Album, 8d. per dozen, plain; or 1/- per
+dozen with gilt edges.</b></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE IMPERIAL ALBUM</h2>
+
+<p class="center">(<b>OPEN), SHOWING GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS.</b></p>
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_083.jpg" alt="Stamp Album" width="800" height="404" /></p>
+
+
+
+
+<p class="center"><b>The Sale of these Albums averages over 6,500 per annum</b>.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>IMPERIAL ALBUM.</h2>
+<h4><i>NOW READY. NINTH EDITION</i>, 1902.</h4>
+<h3>Great Britain and Colonies.</h3>
+<h4>504 pages. Size of pages, 8-3/4 by 11-1/2 inches. About 1,800
+  Illustrations.</h4>
+<p>Since the publication of the previous edition of this Album, we have
+published the "Century" Album, designed for those who desire to
+collect in the simplest form, without regard to perforations or
+watermarks, and who desire a complete Album in one volume.</p>
+
+<p>In order, however, to further the wishes of those who collect on more
+elaborate methods, the present edition has been prepared and very
+considerably enlarged, and for all practical purposes runs parallel
+with our current Postage Stamp Catalogue.</p>
+
+<p>The close of the century marks an epoch in the history of postage
+stamps, and the present edition may be considered as</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>A PERMANENT ALBUM</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><i>Of the Postage Stamps issued during</i></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>THE NINETEENTH CENTURY</b>.</p>
+
+<p>New issues appearing after the date of this edition are best collated
+and arranged in blank albums, preferably with movable leaves, such as
+our <span class="smcap">Oriel</span> or <span class="smcap">Philatelic Albums</span>.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>This Album is issued in FOUR qualities only (No. 6 has been
+discontinued) of paper, binding, &amp;c</i></b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 5</b>.&mdash;On extra stout paper, bound in embossed cloth, gilt lettering,
+sprinkled edges. <i>Marone-colour covers</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price without postage, 10/-; post-free in Great Britain, 11/-.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 7</b>.&mdash;On extra stout paper, handsomely bound, extra gilt, bevelled
+boards, gilt edges, and patent expanding clasp. <i>Dark green covers</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price without postage, 15/-; post-free in Great Britain, 16/-</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 8</b>.&mdash;On highly rolled plate paper, extra strongly bound in half
+green morocco, lettered on back, cloth sides, gilt edges, no locks or
+clasps.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price without postage, 25/-; post-free in Great Britain, 26/-</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 9</b>.&mdash;On highly rolled plate paper, magnificently bound in finest
+green Levant morocco, rounded corners, with gold line round the
+bevelled edges, lettered on back, gilt edges, patent expanding lock.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price without postage, 50/-; post-free in Great Britain, 51/-</b>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p>
+<h2>IMPERIAL ALBUM.</h2>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>NOW READY. NINTH EDITION, 1902.</i></b>.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_085.jpg" alt="Decorative Image" width="350" height="69" /></p>
+
+<p class="center">870 pages, measuring 8-3/4 x 11-1/2 inches. About 2,400 Illustrations.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="center"><b><i><span class="u">This Album is issued in FOUR qualities only of paper, binding, &amp;c.
+        <br />
+(No. 66 has been discontinued.)</span></i></b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 65</b>.&mdash;On extra stout paper, bound in embossed cloth, gilt
+lettering, sprinkled edges. <i>Marone-colour covers</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price without postage, 15/-; post-free in Great Britain, 16/-.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 67</b>.&mdash;On extra stout paper, handsomely bound, extra gilt, bevelled
+boards, gilt edges, and patent expanding clasp. <i>Dark green covers</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price without postage, 21/-; post-free in Great Britain, 22/-.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 68</b>.&mdash;On highly rolled plate paper, extra strongly bound in half
+green morocco, lettered on back, cloth sides, gilt edges, no locks or
+clasps.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price without postage, 30/-; post-free in Great Britain, 31/-.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 69</b>.&mdash;On highly rolled plate paper, magnificently bound in finest
+green Levant morocco, rounded corners, with gold line round the
+bevelled edges, lettered on back, gilt edges, patent expanding lock.</p>
+
+<p class="tocpg"><b>Price without postage, 60/-; post-free in Great Britain, 61/-.</b></p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>These Albums are too heavy for book post abroad, but can be sent by
+parcel post where same is in operation; the weight is about 8 to 10
+lbs., and cost can be calculated for each country.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="The_PHILATELIC_ALBUMS_A_to_E" id="The_PHILATELIC_ALBUMS_A_to_E"></a>The PHILATELIC ALBUMS A to E.</h2>
+
+<p class="center"><i>As described on page</i> <a href="#Page_20">20</a>.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_086.jpg" alt="Stamp Album" width="750" height="339" /></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>The "ORIEL" Albums are of a similar style, but more portable and in a
+superior binding.</b> <i>See page</i> <a href="#Page_21">21</a>.</p>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span></p>
+<p>The leaves in this Album are retained in their places by an original
+and newly patented plan, entirely doing away with the unsightly screws
+hitherto necessary on the outside of books of this class.</p>
+
+<p>Pronounced by all who have seen it an ingenious and admirable
+arrangement, pre-eminently adapted for the purpose, and completely
+solving a difficulty experienced by collectors in general.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 65%;' />
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">The Fifth Edition of</span></h3>
+<h2>THE PHILATELIC ALBUM.</h2>
+<p class="center">The most suitable Album published for Advanced Collectors.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p>Several important improvements have been introduced into this New
+Edition, suggested by increased experience, and greatly enhancing the
+use of this Work. Especially produced in answer to numerous inquiries
+for a really permanent blank Album. It will be found suitable for the
+reception of the most extensive and complete collection possible. <b>It
+is also adaptable for Post Cards, Revenue Stamps, or entire Envelopes.</b>
+Collectors using Albums of this class frequently resort to books not
+specially manufactured for the purpose, and hence unsuitable, or the
+more expensive and very often unsatisfactory mode of having them
+expressly made; it is to meet this want that this Album is published,
+and all that experience can suggest has been carried out <b>to make it
+worthy the use of even the most advanced collectors</b>, and adaptable to
+any arrangement that may be desirable.</p>
+
+<p>It is likewise especially applicable for the use of those Philatelists
+who arrange their collections by the Catalogue published by ourselves
+or any other standard list. This Album is also peculiarly suitable for
+those who collect special countries only, taking as their guide the
+various lists published by the London Philatelic Society, etc. Each
+leaf has a double linen joint on an entirely new plan, allowing the
+leaves to set properly when the book is opened, and giving strength at
+the same time. A narrow marginal border embellishes each page, with a
+semi-visible network of quadrill&eacute; dotted lines, designed to assist the
+correct insertion of the specimens to be mounted. The leaves are 100
+in number, and printed on one side only, on a very fine quality white
+card paper. They are movable, allowing rearrangement or extension into
+two or more volumes, as may be desired at any future time. It is
+hardly necessary to point out the advantage of this; moreover, if a
+page becomes spoilt, it can be at once replaced. A handsomely arranged
+title is included. <b>An inspection is desired where possible.</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>PRICES</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>A.&mdash;Strongly bound</b> in half morocco, gilt ornaments and lettering;
+packed in a box, <b>30</b>/-; carriage extra. Under 11 lbs., can be sent by
+parcel post for <b>31</b>/-.</p>
+
+<p><b>B.&mdash;Handsomely bound</b> in full Persian morocco, bevelled boards, gilt
+edges, double-action expanding lock and key; packed in a box, <b>50</b>/-;
+carriage paid, <b>51</b>/-.</p>
+
+<p><b>Spare blank linen-jointed leaves</b> can be had, <b>1/9</b> per dozen, or <b>2/3</b> per
+dozen if with gilt edges, post-free; abroad extra. A sample leaf sent
+for <b>2-1/2</b>d., post-free.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>At the request of several London collectors we have prepared an Album
+of portable size, and convenient for taking to meetings of the
+Philatelic Society, etc. Our large blank Albums, as described above,
+are found to be too heavy and cumbersome for such purposes, and our
+new book will be found a very suitable one.</p>
+
+<p>The size of the pages in <b>E</b> is 11 x 9-1/2. Weight, 7 lbs. 100 leaves.</p>
+
+<p><b>E.&mdash;Strongly bound</b> in half morocco, gilt ornaments and lettering;
+packed in a box, <b>25</b>/-, or <b>25/9</b> by parcel post.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p>
+<h3>THE ORIEL</h3>
+
+<h2>Postage Stamp Album.</h2>
+<p>This new album has been based on a special order from Mr. M. P.
+<span class="smcap">Castle</span>, Vice-President of the Philatelic Society of London, to whom we
+have supplied 60 of these books, and to whom reference is kindly
+permitted. It has met with such an unusually favourable reception from
+those Collectors who have already used it that, on account of its
+general adaptability, it must undoubtedly quickly take a front rank in
+this class of publication. Amongst its numerous advantages, one
+especially may be named, and that is, its convenient size, rendering
+it extremely portable, and suitable for attending philatelic meetings,
+etc.</p>
+
+<p>To those Philatelists who are unable to personally inspect same at our
+Establishment, a brief description will be acceptable:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Each Album contains 50 leaves of the best hand-made paper, faced with
+Japanese tissue paper, so as to prevent all friction, and is bound in
+half red morocco, with cloth sides finished in gold. A space on the
+back of the cover is left plain, so that a Collector can have his
+books lettered or numbered to show the contents. Each Album is
+contained in a cloth drop-in case lined with lamb's wool. The leaves,
+unless specially ordered, are supplied perfectly blank, without any
+lined border or background, but if desired special leaves can be
+supplied with a fine quadrill&eacute; background, as supplied to the other
+Philatelic Albums of this form. Exact size of leaves from the outside
+edges, 10 inches by 10-1/4; available for mounting stamps, 8-3/4
+inches by 10-1/4.</p>
+
+<p><b>The price of the Album is 30/-; post-free, 30/7</b> (too heavy for post
+abroad, so will be sent carriage forward).</p>
+
+<p>The Leaves, either plain or with quadrill&eacute; background, can be supplied
+at the price of <b>4/6</b> per dozen, or <b>32/6</b> per 100.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span></p>
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_089.jpg" alt="Collection Book." width="350" height="133" /></p>
+<h2><a name="THE_PHILATELISTS_COLLECTING_BOOK" id="THE_PHILATELISTS_COLLECTING_BOOK"></a>THE PHILATELIST'S COLLECTING BOOK.</h2>
+
+<p class="center"><b>FOR THE COAT POCKET.</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>With Patent Fastening to Flap.</b></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>Size, 6-1/2 by 4-1/4 inches. Handsomely bound in Art Cloth.</i></b></p>
+
+<p>Each book contains <b>12</b> pages, having four strips of linen, 3/4-inch
+wide, arranged horizontally, glued at the bottom edge and with the
+upper one open, for the safe retention and preservation of recent
+purchases or duplicates. A large pocket is also provided at the back
+for Envelopes or Stamps in bulk. <b>In daily use by leading London
+Collectors.</b></p>
+
+<p><b>No. 17.</b>&mdash;As illustrated. Price <b>2/6</b>; post-free, <b>2/7</b>.</p>
+
+<p><b>No. 18.</b>&mdash;Oblong, twenty-four pages, six strips on each page,
+interleaved with strong glazed paper to prevent rubbing. Price <b>5</b>/-;
+post-free, <b>5/3</b>.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h2>THE MONTHLY JOURNAL.</h2>
+<p class="center"><b><i>Edited by MAJOR E. B. EVANS.</i></b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Published on the 1st of each month, and chiefly noted for:&mdash;</b></p>
+
+<p>1st.&mdash;<b>Verbatim Reports</b> of all Law Cases of Interest to Philatelists.</p>
+
+<p>2nd.&mdash;<b>Earliest Information</b> on New Issues.</p>
+
+<p>3rd.&mdash;<b>Largest Stamp Journal Published</b>: recent numbers containing from
+50 to 72 pages.</p>
+
+<p>4th.&mdash;<b>Quality of its Articles</b>; with <span class="smcap">Major Evans</span> as Editor this can be
+taken for granted.</p>
+
+<p>5th.&mdash;<b>Entirely Original Articles</b> by the leading Philatelic Writers of
+the day.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>SUBSCRIPTION&mdash;2/- per annum, or 5/- for three years.</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><i>Sample Copy sent gratis and post-free on application.</i></p>
+
+<p>All Subscriptions must be prepaid, and commence with the <span class="smcap">July</span> Number.
+The Prices for Back Numbers will be found in the current number of the
+<i>Journal</i>. There is no discount to the Trade.</p>
+
+<p><i>The Monthly Journal</i> now includes the Addenda to our Current Priced
+Catalogue. The old method of publishing addenda quarterly has been
+discontinued; and in the months of March, June, September, and
+December <b>a Special Number of the Journal is sent to all Subscribers</b>,
+containing lists of all Stamps, etc., that have appeared since the
+publication of the Catalogue. In the other months there will be quoted
+Special Bargains, Rarities, and prominent Alterations in Prices.</p>
+
+<p><i>We therefore</i> <span class="smcap">strongly recommend</span> <i>all purchasers of the Catalogue to</i>
+<span class="smcap">subscribe to "The Monthly Journal"</span>&mdash;<i>forming, as it does, a complete
+continuation of the Catalogue up to date.</i></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p>
+<h2>The Stamp King.</h2>
+
+<p class="center">A PHILATELIC NOVEL.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><span class="smcap">By Messrs. Beauregard and Gorsse.</span></b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><i>Translated from the French by</i> <span class="smcap">Edith C. Phillips</span>.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><b><i>The story commences at the New York Philatelic Club, and traces out
+in a most amusing manner the struggles of the two leading members to
+secure the rarest stamp in the world. The chase leads these collectors
+to London, Paris, and Naples, and ends, after many curious adventures,
+in New York.</i></b></p>
+
+
+
+<h3>EXTRACTS FROM REVIEWS.</h3>
+<p><b>The Daily News</b> says: "A delightful addition to modern books of
+adventure.... Incidentally, there is a marvellous revelation of the
+inner affairs and methods of the stamp-collecting world; but the main
+interest of the book, to our mind, is its remarkable story, and it can
+and will be read with pleasure by many who care nothing whatever about
+the philatelic mania.... It would be spoiling a very good thing to
+tell the rest of the story of the adventures of these two, ... and we
+shall be much mistaken if this book, in popular form, does not meet
+with phenomenal favour."</p>
+
+<p><b>The Spectator</b> says: "A most diverting extravaganza, rather in the
+style of Jules Verne.... The apology of the translator for the lack of
+verisimilitude in the last scene is entirely unnecessary; otherwise
+she has done her work with credit, while M. Veilliemin's spirited
+illustrations heighten the attractions of a most entertaining and
+ingenious story."</p>
+
+<p><b>The People</b>: "A novel that will certainly interest the ordinary reader
+and doubly interest the Philatelist. It is profusely illustrated, and
+with a class of illustration that puts to shame much of the rubbish
+that we find in English novels."</p>
+
+<p><b>The London Philatelist</b> says: "It may at once be said that it is
+amusing in the extreme, and cannot fail to entertain all its readers.
+We have to heartily congratulate the translator upon the accuracy and
+excellence of her handiwork. <i>The Stamp King</i>, we should add, is both
+superbly illustrated and beautifully printed, and will assuredly
+command a wide circle of readers."</p>
+
+<p><b>Vanity Fair</b>: "This very sprightly novel on the stamp-collecting mania
+is most amusing, and might be just the thing for a present to young
+folks who are ardent collectors and readers of cheery, harmless
+fiction. It is excellently 'got up,' the illustrations are very good,
+and the story itself is quite exciting. All people who love (or
+loathe) stamp collecting are honestly advised to read the racy story
+of Miss Betty Scott."</p>
+
+<p><b>The Liverpool Mercury</b>: "The enthusiasm of Philatelists in their
+favourite pursuit is well illustrated in this capital story. It
+possesses many merits, the interest being sustained throughout. The
+translation is admirable, scarcely a trace is to be seen of French
+idiom, while the rendering into American vernacular is particularly
+clever and satisfactory."</p>
+
+<p><b>The Court Circular</b>: "A very great amount of interest is taken in stamp
+collecting, and a book pleasantly dealing with the stamp hobby, such
+as the one before us, will be sure to find a wide circle of readers."</p>
+
+<p><b>The Lady's Pictorial</b>: "This curious story is unique, for never before
+or since its publication has the stamp-collecting hobby been turned to
+account as the central idea of a really interesting romance and love
+story."</p>
+
+<p><b>Gentlewoman</b>: "The story is full of exciting incidents."</p>
+<hr />
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>Half bound in Art Buckram, cloth sides, gilt lettering, plain edges,
+200 pages, 80 fine illustrations. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/4; abroad,
+6/8.</i></b></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="The_Stamp_Collector" id="The_Stamp_Collector"></a>The Stamp Collector.</h2>
+
+<p class="center"><b>By HARDY and BACON.</b></p>
+
+<p>This well-known and most interesting handbook was published in 1898 by
+Mr. George Redway in his <i>Collector Series</i>. On the failure of this
+publisher lately, we purchased the balance of the edition&mdash;about 1,200
+copies&mdash;and are now able to offer the work at a great reduction on its
+original price.</p>
+
+<p><i>The chief contents are as follows:</i></p>
+
+<p><b>The Issue of Postage Stamps.</b> <b>Collecting&mdash;Its Origin and Development.&mdash;Stamps made for Collectors.&mdash;Art in Postage Stamps.&mdash;Stamps with
+Stories.&mdash;History in Postage Stamps.&mdash;Local Stamps.&mdash;The Stamp Market.
+&mdash;Post Cards.&mdash;Famous Collections.&mdash;List of Philatelic Societies.</b></p>
+
+
+<p class="center"><b>Well bound in art cloth, gilt lettered, 247 illustrations, 294 pages.
+Price 4/6; post-free, 4/10; abroad, 5/1.</b></p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h3>The Mulready Envelope and its Caricatures.</h3>
+<p>This Work is a reprint in book-form, with a few alterations and
+additions, of a series of papers that have appeared in "The Monthly
+Journal." The book consists of 240 pages and some 45 full-page
+Illustrations of the most curious varieties of these interesting
+Caricatures. This New Work will be of interest, not only to Stamp
+Collectors, but also to those interested in Engravings&mdash;especially in
+the works of <span class="smcap">Leech</span>, <span class="smcap">Mulready</span>, <span class="smcap">Cruikshank</span>, <span class="smcap">Doyle</span>, <span class="smcap">Phiz (H. K. Browne)</span>,
+<span class="smcap">Theo. Hook</span>, etc. etc. The Work has been produced in a very superior
+manner, and is printed on special paper with extra large margins; and
+by the kind permission of the Board of Inland Revenue an Illustration
+of the original Mulready is also included.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="center">No. 1.&mdash;Strongly bound in extra cloth, gilt lettering, marbled
+burnished edges, &amp;c., <b>6</b>/-; post-free, <b>6/4</b>; abroad, <span class="smcap"><b>6/8</b></span>.</p>
+
+<p class="center">No. 2.&mdash;<i>Edition de Luxe</i>, handsomely bound, extra gilt, hand-made
+paper, with uncut edges, <b>10</b>/-; post-free, <b>10/4</b>; abroad, <b>10/8</b>.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_091.jpg" alt="Vade Mecum" width="400" height="125" /></p>
+
+<h2>The &#8220;Philatelists' Vade Mecum.&#8221;</h2>
+<p class="center"><i>(SECURED BY LETTERS PATENT.)</i></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Is an entirely New and Original Invention for enabling Collectors to
+Mount Stamps without handling them, and is a <i>multum in parvo</i> of
+Philatelic requisites.</b></p>
+
+<p>It consists of a pair of broad-headed flat metal tongs, one of which
+is fitted with a solid wedge. The object of this is to permit the free
+end of a mount held by the tong to be bent over, moistened, applied to
+the back of the stamp, and pressed down, and the mount can then be
+released, the stamp lifted, the other end of the mount moistened, and
+the stamp fastened thereby on the page. In the handle is inserted a
+glass of high magnifying power. On one side of the middle part is a
+millim&egrave;tre scale (divided to half millim&egrave;tres), and on the other a
+two-inch scale (divided to sixteenths), both accurately marked off.
+The stamp can be firmly held along either scale by the tongs. The
+tongs are made of solid nickel, polished, and fit into a handsome
+velvet-lined case, the size of which, when closed, is slightly less
+than 6 inches long, 1-3/4 inches wide, and only 1/2 inch thick.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>PRICE, with case complete, 2/6; post-free, 2/7; abroad, 3/9.</i></b></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p>
+<p><span class="u"><b>SECOND EDITION</b>.</span><span class="figright u"> <b>REVISED TO DATE.</b></span></p>
+<h3>A GLOSSARY FOR PHILATELISTS,</h3>
+<h4>ENTITLED</h4>
+<h2>Stamps and Stamp Collecting.</h2>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<h3>BY MAJOR E. B. EVANS.</h3>
+<p>This Work is intended to fill a void which has hitherto existed in the
+Philatelist's Library. It will be found invaluable as a most useful
+and indeed a standard book to refer to in all cases of doubt or
+obscurity appertaining to Postage Stamps and their surroundings.</p>
+
+<p>The Collector is not infrequently perplexed by the various terms
+employed, and the fullest explanations are here given of such.</p>
+
+<p>Much interesting information is also included as to the various
+classes of and the manufacture of the paper employed, the typography,
+the embossing, the perforating or rouletting, together with many
+instructive and interesting details connected with the fascinating
+science of Stamp collecting.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>Price 2/- in strong Paper Cover, 4/- in Gilt Cloth; post-free, 3d.
+extra.</i></b></p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h2>A COLOUR DICTIONARY,</h2>
+<h5>GIVING OVER</h5>
+<h3><i>Two Hundred Names of Colours used in Printing, &amp;c.</i></h3>
+<p class="center">Specially prepared for Stamp Collectors by B. W. WARHURST.</p>
+
+<p>Useful for many businesses in which coloured articles are bought and
+sold, and to give a more definite idea of the colours represented by
+certain names in common use, which are very frequently misunderstood.</p>
+
+<p class="center">SUITABLE FOR USE IN SCHOOLS.</p>
+
+<p>Printed in <b>TEN</b> differently coloured inks on as many different papers,
+and further explained by diagram and <b>ILLUSTRATED IN FIFTY-EIGHT
+COLOURS</b>.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>Price 2/6 in strong Paper Cover, 4/6 in Gilt Cloth; postage 3d.
+extra.</i></b></p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h2>POCKET MAGNIFYING GLASSES.</h2>
+<p>After examining some scores of different sorts, we have been able to
+get one combining the greatest power with the largest field obtainable
+for pocket use. These glasses are mounted in handsome vulcanite
+frames, and are very compact. There are two lenses in each, which may
+be used singly, or if a very strong power is desired, may be combined.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>Price 7/6; post-free, 7/7; abroad, 8/4.</i></b></p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+<h2>SURCHARGE MEASURER.</h2>
+<p class="figright"><img src="images/image_092.jpg" alt="Surcharge Measurer" width="300" height="104" /></p>
+
+<p>The accompanying illustration will give the best idea of what this is.
+It consists of a pair of needle-pointed spring compasses, capable, by
+means of an adjusting screw, of measuring with the greatest accuracy
+all surcharges up to 40 millim&egrave;tres in length. In addition to the
+measure a millim&egrave;tre gauge is obtained by running the head of the
+screw along a piece of paper, a series of lines exactly a millim&egrave;tre
+apart being thus indented in the paper. For measuring surcharges on
+such stamps as Natal, Straits Settlements, &amp;c., this will be found
+invaluable, and also in the detection of forgeries&mdash;a forgery or
+forged surcharge very seldom being <i>exactly</i> the same size as the
+original.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>Price 7/6; post-free, 7/7; abroad, 7/11.</i></b></p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p>
+<h2>Prepared Stamp Mounts.</h2>
+
+
+
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_093.jpg" alt="Stamp Mounts" width="526" height="248" /></p>
+
+
+<p>For affixing Stamps in Collections neatly and expeditiously. Far
+superior to the old plan of gumming the Stamps, and inserting them so
+that it is only with great difficulty they can be withdrawn. These
+Mounts are made of a thin strong white paper, and are ready gummed. By
+their use, Stamps can be removed at any time without injuring them, or
+in any way disfiguring the Collection. They are invaluable to those
+who collect watermarks. They should be used on the hinge system; thus,
+Moisten the Stamp, attaching the back of it to one half of the mount,
+the other half being fastened to the Album. The Stamp will then be
+facing the page; but do not turn it over until perfectly dry. A
+Collection with the Stamps mounted in this manner is far more
+valuable, if at any time a sale is desired. Three sizes are kept in
+stock: No. 2, medium size, suitable for ordinary-sized adhesives; No.
+1, smaller size; No. 3, large size&mdash;for such Stamps as old Portuguese,
+or for cut Envelopes. This size may also be used for Cards by using
+two mounts for each card.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>PRICES:</b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><i>No. 1, 2, or 3 size, 3d. per 100; 1/6 per 1,000, post-free; 5,000,
+6/6; 10,000, 12/-.</i></b></p>
+
+<p class="center"><i>The Prepared Paper can be supplied in Large Sheets, ready Gummed, at
+3d. per Sheet, post-free</i>.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_093_1.jpg" alt="Stamp Mounts" width="515" height="193" /></p>
+
+<p><span class="u"><b>NEW CHEAP MOUNTS.</b></span> At the request of many clients we have prepared a
+<b>New Cheap Mount</b>, made from a thicker paper; a gum is employed that
+permits the Mount to be removed from a book or sheet without damage to
+the paper, or tearing the Mount, which can thus be used several times
+over, such Mounts being particularly serviceable for exchange clubs,
+or for use in dealers' stock books, &amp;c. The Mounts are put up in neat
+glazed card boxes, 1,000 of a size in a box, and are sold in sets of
+three sizes, viz., three boxes and 3,000 Mounts for 2/6; 9,000, price
+6/6; or <i>separately, any size</i>, at 1/- per 1,000 post-free.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="center"><img src="images/image_094.jpg" alt="Decorative Image" width="350" height="55" /></p>
+<h3><b>FOR STAMP COLLECTORS</b>.</h3>
+<h2><i><b>SPECIAL POCKET BOOKS, PURSES</b>,</i></h2>
+<h4>AND</h4>
+<h2><b>CARD CASES.</b></h2>
+<p>Each of the following New and Useful Specialities has separate
+compartments provided for Postage Stamps, consisting of strips of thin
+celluloid protecting the stamps, and enabling them to be seen at once,
+and arranged so that the stamps can be put in or withdrawn in an
+instant without damage.</p>
+
+<table  class="tb3">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge4">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tocpg" ><i>s. d.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge4"><b>70.</b>&mdash;<b>TUCK CASE FOR THE WAISTCOAT.</b> Pocket size.
+3-1/2 &times; 2-3/8. Very thin, made in morocco leather, lined leather of a
+
+neutral colour, with transparent pockets through which stamps can
+
+be seen.                                          </td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3">Price <b>2/6</b>; post-free,</td>
+    <td class="tocpg"><b>2 7</b></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b>71.</b>&mdash;<b>BEST MOROCCO GENTLEMAN'S CARD CASE,</b> with
+usual pockets for visiting cards, and special compartments for stamps
+secured by a tuck flap fastening. (<span class="smcap">Highly Recommended.</span>)</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3">Price <b>4/6</b>; post-free,</td>
+    <td class="tocpg"><b>4 7</b></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b>72.</b>&mdash;<b>BEST MOROCCO WALLET.</b> 5-3/4 &times; 3-1/2 inches. Lined leather
+throughout, flap and nickel lock fastening, gusset and tight pockets
+for letters; special provision for stamps under transparent pockets
+secured by an inner flap, and tuck fastening; leather covered notebook.
+(Highly Recommended.) </td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3">Price <b>10/-</b>; post-free,</td>
+    <td class="tocpg"><b>10 2</b></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b>73.</b>&mdash;<b>LIMP MOROCCO LETTER CASE.</b> Size, 6-1/4 &times; 4 inches.
+With gusset pocket for private letters, tight pocket for foreign post
+cards, and an array of transparent pockets for stamps.</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3">Price <b>3/6</b>; post-free,</td>
+    <td class="tocpg"><b>3 7</b></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b>74.</b>&mdash;<b>Ditto, ditto,</b> with a <b>gilt-edged ruled book</b> under an elastic.</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3">Price <b>4/-</b>; post-free,</td>
+    <td class="tocpg"><b>4 1</b></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b>75.</b>&mdash;<b>BEST MOROCCO LETTER CASE,</b> lined leather throughout,
+with gusset pocket for private letters, and special pocket containing
+an ingenious receptacle to hold a large assortment of stamps. Being
+detachable, it can be used either with or without the outer case.</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3">Price <b>5/6</b>; post-free,</td>
+    <td class="tocpg"><b>5 8</b></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b>76.</b>&mdash;<b>BEST MOROCCO PURSE.</b> 4 &times; 2-1/2 inches. Flap and nickel
+lock fastening, stitched expanding pockets. The front to open out,
+displaying transparent pocket for stamps, with a separate flap to
+fasten. The purse can be used independently of the stamp compartment.</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="edge3">Price <b>6/6</b>; post-free,</td>
+    <td class="tocpg"><b>6 7</b></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p>
+<h3>STANLEY GIBBONS'</h3>
+<h2>New Stamp Catalogue.</h2>
+<p class="center"><b><i>5,000 NEW AND ENLARGED ILLUSTRATIONS.</i></b></p>
+
+<p class="center">POCKET SIZE, IN TWO VOLUMES.</p>
+
+<p class="u"><b>VOL. I. contains all</b></p>
+
+<p>ADHESIVE STAMPS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THE BRITISH COLONIES.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>New and Enlarged Edition. Price 2/-; post-free, 2/3.</b></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="u"><b>VOL. II. contains the</b></p>
+
+<p>POSTAGE STAMPS OF THE REST OF THE WORLD.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b>Price 2/-; post-free, 2/3.</b></p>
+
+
+
+<p><b>Orange River Colony</b>, <b>Transvaal</b>, and <b>Mafeking Siege Stamps</b> are
+transferred to Part I., being now English Colonies.</p>
+
+<p>Particular attention has&mdash;in both volumes&mdash;been given to the
+production of <b>enlarged illustrations</b> of many minor varieties, which
+can easily be distinguished from a large print, but which are
+difficult to describe.</p>
+
+<p>Many important countries have been thoroughly revised and re-written.
+<i>One hundred extra pages</i> have been added to the two volumes without
+any extra charge.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h2>REAL MARKET PRICES.</h2>
+<p>It is, above all things, highly important that Collectors and Dealers
+should know the exact and real market values of all Stamps. This Firm
+has taken the greatest pains to arrive at these prices, and the prices
+quoted in these Catalogues are those at which <span class="smcap">Stanley Gibbons</span> will
+supply the Stamps if unsold at the time of the order.</p>
+
+<p>To facilitate business in all parts of the world, <b>an Introduction,
+Details as to Approval Selections, Glossaries of Philatelic Terms</b>,
+etc., are given in <b>English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.</b></p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<h3>STANLEY GIBBONS, <span class="smcap">Ltd</span>., 391, STRAND, LONDON, W.C.</h3>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stamp Collecting as a Pastime, by 
+Edward J. Nankivell
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME ***
+
+***** This file should be named 18204-h.htm or 18204-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/1/8/2/0/18204/
+
+Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Sankar Viswanathan, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+*** END: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
+
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_001.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_001.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b058433
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_001.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_003.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_003.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb98d71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_003.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_006.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_006.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35143cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_006.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_006_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_006_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ba5158
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_006_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_008.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_008.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c0f4f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_008.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_009.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_009.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fe58765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_009.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_009_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_009_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8fe4aaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_009_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_012.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_012.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c0f7016
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_012.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_013.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_013.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4e2e19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_013.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_013_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_013_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52aef01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_013_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_015.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_015.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f40cbf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_015.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_016.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_016.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a54bc15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_016.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_018.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_018.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb6de35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_018.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_019.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_019.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79fa9da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_019.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_021.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_021.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c99453
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_021.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_022.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_022.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c0457d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_022.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_022_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_022_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..def3403
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_022_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_026.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_026.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f42cc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_026.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_027.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_027.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..702011e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_027.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_032.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_032.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7572ad6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_032.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_033.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_033.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46af726
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_033.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_033_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_033_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fbac786
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_033_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_034.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_034.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d0a8ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_034.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_035.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_035.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72eded3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_035.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_036.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_036.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c241f08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_036.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_036_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_036_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9810d6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_036_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_037.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_037.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85f0e68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_037.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_037_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_037_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da0c854
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_037_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_038.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_038.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54dcc17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_038.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_038_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_038_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c57b4d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_038_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_039.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_039.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..97951a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_039.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_039_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_039_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79b6916
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_039_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_039_2.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_039_2.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c9d899
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_039_2.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_040.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_040.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..18c9038
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_040.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_040_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_040_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d455371
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_040_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_043.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_043.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..895e363
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_043.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_045.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_045.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85b4f10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_045.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_046.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_046.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6cffb54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_046.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_046_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_046_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9850bf4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_046_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_050.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_050.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e62089a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_050.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_050_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_050_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8aaf86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_050_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_053.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_053.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7900e90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_053.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_060.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_060.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0535f1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_060.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_063.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_063.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6870ad8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_063.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_064.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_064.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..53bda58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_064.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_064_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_064_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fbcf92d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_064_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_067.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_067.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f9658f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_067.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_068_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_068_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ce4bda8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_068_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_068_2.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_068_2.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6c2ffa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_068_2.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_068_3.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_068_3.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83a8283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_068_3.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_068_4.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_068_4.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6c1a5a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_068_4.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_068_5.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_068_5.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5fcf215
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_068_5.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_068_6.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_068_6.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e30f4d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_068_6.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_078.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_078.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84d989c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_078.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_079.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_079.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb757a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_079.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_080.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_080.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9d44fca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_080.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_081.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_081.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7a6378
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_081.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_082.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_082.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f2d68b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_082.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_083.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_083.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b60bacb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_083.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_085.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_085.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3eb7564
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_085.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_086.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_086.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..342c4c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_086.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_089.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_089.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..853108a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_089.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_091.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_091.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d720d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_091.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_092.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_092.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d4d8523
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_092.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_093.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_093.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..477b5bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_093.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_093_1.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_093_1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..74e5eff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_093_1.jpg
diff --git a/18204-h/images/image_094.jpg b/18204-h/images/image_094.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7bdb50f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204-h/images/image_094.jpg
diff --git a/18204.txt b/18204.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae16f2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3820 @@
+Project Gutenberg's Stamp Collecting as a Pastime, by Edward J. Nankivell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Stamp Collecting as a Pastime
+
+Author: Edward J. Nankivell
+
+Release Date: April 18, 2006 [EBook #18204]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Sankar Viswanathan, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 THE
+
+                Stanley Gibbons Philatelic Handbooks.
+
+
+
+                           STAMP COLLECTING
+                             AS A PASTIME
+
+
+
+                                  BY
+
+                         EDWARD J. NANKIVELL
+                MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISTS
+              MEMBER OF THE PHILATELIC SOCIETY OF LONDON
+
+
+
+
+                                London
+               STANLEY GIBBONS, LTD., 391, STRAND, W.C.
+                               New York
+                            167, BROADWAY
+                                 1902
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+Many people are at a loss to understand the fascination that surrounds
+the pursuit of stamp collecting. They are surprised at the
+clannishness of stamp collectors, and their lifelong devotion to their
+hobby. They are thunderstruck at the enormous prices paid for rare
+stamps, and at the fortunes that are spent and made in stamp
+collecting.
+
+The following pages will afford a peep behind the scenes, and explain
+how it is that, after nearly half a century of existence, stamp
+collecting has never been more popular than it is to-day.
+
+And perchance many a tired worker in search of a hobby may be
+persuaded that of all the relaxations that are open to him none is
+more attractive or more satisfying than stamp collecting.
+
+Its literature is more abundant than that devoted to any other hobby.
+Its votaries are to be found in every city and town of the civilised
+world. Governments and statesmen recognise, unsolicited, the claims of
+stamp collecting--the power, the influence, and the wealth that it
+commands. From a mere schoolboy pastime it has steadily developed into
+an engrossing hobby for the leisured and the busy of all classes and
+all ranks of life, from the monarch on his throne to the errand boy in
+the merchant's office.
+
+In the competition of modern life it is recognised that those who
+must work must also play. The physician assures us that the man who
+allows himself no relaxation, no recreation, loses his energy, and
+ages earlier than the man who judiciously alternates work and play.
+
+As stamp collecting may be indulged in by all ages, and at all
+seasons, it is becoming more and more the favourite indoor relaxation
+with brain-workers. It may be taken up or laid down at any time, and
+at any stage. Its cost may be limited to shillings or pounds, and it
+may be made a pleasant pursuit or an engrossing study, or it may even
+be diverted into money-making purposes.
+
+So absorbing is the hobby that in stamp circles there is a saying,
+"Once a stamp collector, always a stamp collector."
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+I. STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME
+
+II. THE CHARM OF STAMP COLLECTING
+
+III. ITS PERMANENCE
+
+IV. ITS INTERNATIONALITY
+
+V. ITS GEOGRAPHICAL INTEREST
+
+VI. ITS HISTORICAL FINGER POSTS
+
+VII. STAMPS WITH A HISTORY
+
+VIII. GREAT RARITIES
+
+IX. THE ROMANCE OF STAMP COLLECTING
+
+X. PHILATELIC SOCIETIES AND THEIR WORK
+
+XI. THE LITERATURE OF STAMPS
+
+XII. STAMPS AS WORKS OF ART
+
+XIII. STAMP COLLECTING AS AN INVESTMENT
+
+XIV. WHAT TO COLLECT AND HOW TO COLLECT
+
+XV. GREAT COLLECTIONS
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+I.
+
+As a Pastime.
+
+
+According to the authorities, the central idea of a pastime is "that
+it is so positively agreeable that it lets time slip by unnoticed; as,
+to turn work into pastime." And recreation is described as "that sort
+of play or agreeable occupation which refreshes the tired person,
+making him as good as new."
+
+Stamp collectors may fairly claim that their hobby serves the double
+purpose of a pastime and a recreation. As a pastime, it certainly
+makes time pass most agreeably; for the true student of the postal
+issues of the world, it turns work into a pastime. As a recreation, it
+is of such an engrossing character that it may be relied upon to
+afford the pleasant diversion from business worries that so many tired
+mental workers need nowadays.
+
+For nearly half a century it has maintained unbroken its hold as one
+of the most popular of all forms of relaxation, and its popularity
+extends to all classes and to all countries.
+
+But this very devotion of stamp collectors to their hobby has puzzled
+and excited the uninitiated. The ordinary individual, especially the
+man who has no soul for a hobby of any kind, regards it as a passing
+fancy, a harmless craze, a fashion that must have its day and
+disappear, sooner or later. But the passing fancy has endured for
+nearly half a century, the harmless craze still serves its useful
+purpose, and the fashion has acquired such a permanence as to convince
+most people that it has come to stay.
+
+Of all pastimes, and of all the forms of recreation, not one can claim
+more lifelong devotees than this same stamp collecting. And where is
+another pastime with such international ramifications? In every
+civilised country, in every city, and in every town of any importance,
+the wide world over, thoughtful men and women are to be found formed
+into sociable groups, or societies, quietly and pleasantly enjoying
+themselves in the harmless and enduring pursuit of stamp collecting.
+
+There must be some reason for this popularity, this devotion of all
+classes to a pursuit, this unbroken record of progress. It cannot be
+satisfactorily accounted for as a passing fancy or fashion. It has too
+long stood the test of years to be so easily explained away. Fancies
+and fashions come and go, but stamp collecting flourishes from decade
+to decade. Princes and peers, merchants and members of Parliament,
+solicitors and barristers, schoolboys and octogenarians, all follow
+this postal Pied Piper of Hamelin,
+
+     "Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles,
+     cousins,"
+
+all bent upon the pursuit of this pleasure-yielding hobby.
+
+Why is it? Whence comes the fascination?
+
+To the unprejudiced inquirer the reply is simple. To the leisured man
+it affords a stimulating occupation, with a spice of competition; to
+the busy professional man it yields the delight of a recreative
+change; to the studious, an inexhaustible scope for profitable
+research; to the old, the sociability of a pursuit popular with old
+and young alike; to the young, a hobby prolific of novelty, and one,
+moreover, that harmonises with school studies in historical and
+geographical directions; to the money maker, an opening for occasional
+speculation; and to all, a satisfying combination of a safe investment
+and a pleasure-yielding study.
+
+Old postage stamps--bits of paper, as they are contemptuously called
+by some people--may have no intrinsic value, but they are,
+nevertheless, rich in memories of history and of art; they link the
+past with the present; they mark the march of empires and the
+federation of states, the rise and fall of dynasties, and the peaceful
+extension of postal communication between the peoples of the world;
+and, some day in the distant future, they may celebrate even yet more
+important victories of peace.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+II.
+
+The Charm of Stamp Collecting.
+
+
+His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in a letter to a
+correspondent, referring to stamp collecting, wrote: "It is one of the
+greatest pleasures of my life"; and the testimony of the Prince of
+Wales is the testimony of thousands who have taken up this engrossing
+hobby.
+
+The pursuit of a hobby is very often a question of expense. Many
+interesting lines of collecting are practically closed to all but the
+wealthy. But stamp collecting is open to all, for the expenditure may
+in its case be limited at the will of the collector to shillings or
+pounds. Indeed, the adaptability of this hobby is one of its chiefest
+charms. The rich collector may make his choice amongst the most
+expensive countries, whilst the man of moderate means will wisely
+confine himself to equally interesting countries whose stamps have not
+gone beyond the reach of the man who does not wish to make his hobby
+an expensive one. The schoolboy may get together a very respectable
+little collection by the judicious expenditure of small savings from
+his pocket money, and the millionaire will find ample scope for his
+surplus wealth in the fine range of varieties that gem the issues of
+many of the oldest stamp-issuing countries, and which only the
+fortunate few can hope to possess.
+
+In all there are over three hundred countries from which to make a
+selection. In the early days collectors took all countries, but as
+country after country followed the lead of England in issuing adhesive
+stamps for the prepayment of postage, and as series followed series of
+new designs in each country, the task of covering the whole ground
+became more and more hopeless, and collector after collector began
+first to restrict his lines to continents, and then to groups or
+countries, till now only the wealthy and leisured few attempt to make
+a collection of the world's postal issues.
+
+This necessary restriction of collecting to groups and individual
+countries has led to specialism. The specialist concentrates his
+attention upon the issues of a group or country, and he prosecutes the
+study of the stamps of his chosen country with all the thoroughness of
+the modern specialist. He unearths from forgotten State documents and
+dusty files of official gazettes the official announcements
+authorising each issue. He inquires into questions surrounding the
+choice of designs, the why and wherefore of the chosen design, the
+name of the engraver, the materials and processes used in the
+production of the plates, the size of the plates, and the varying
+qualities of the paper and ink used for printing the stamps--in fact,
+nothing that can complete the history of an issue, from its inception
+to its use by the public, escapes his attention. He constitutes
+himself, in truth, the historian of postal issues. The scope for
+interesting study thus opened up is almost boundless. It includes
+inquiries into questions of heraldry in designs, of currency in the
+denominations used, of methods of engraving dies, of the transference
+of the die to plates, of printing from steel plates and from
+lithographic stones, of the progress of those arts in various
+countries, of the manufacture, the variety, and the quality of the
+paper used--from the excellent hand-made papers of early days to the
+commonest printing papers of the present day--of postal revenues and
+postal developments, of the crude postal issues of earliest times, and
+the exquisite machine engraving of many current issues.
+
+He who fails to see any justification for money spent and time given
+up to the collecting of postage stamps will scarcely deny that these
+lines of study, which by no means exhaust the list, can scarcely fail
+to be both fascinating and profitable, even when regarded from a
+purely educational standpoint. It is true it may be contended that all
+collectors do not go thus deeply into stamp collecting as a study;
+nevertheless the tendency sets so strongly in the direction of
+combining study with the pleasure of collecting, that the man who
+nowadays neglects to study his stamps is apt to fall markedly behind
+in the competition that is ever stimulating the stamp collector in his
+pleasant and friendly rivalry with his fellows.
+
+Then, again, an ever-increasing supply of new issues from one or other
+of the many groups of stamp-issuing countries periodically revives the
+interest of the flagging collector, and binds him afresh to the hobby
+of his choice. Old, seasoned collectors, whose interest once set never
+flags from youth to age, relegate new issues to a back seat. They find
+more than enough to engage their lifelong devotion in the grand old
+issues of the early settlements. But the collector of modern issues
+who cannot afford to indulge in the great rarities, finds new issues a
+source of perpetual enjoyment. They follow one another month after
+month, and infuse into the collector's life the irresistible charm of
+novelty, and every now and again an emergency issue comes as a
+surprise. There is a scramble for possession, and a spice of
+speculation in the possibility, never absent from a makeshift and
+emergency issue, that the copies may be scarce, and may some day ripen
+into rarity.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+III.
+
+Its Permanence.
+
+
+Ever since the collection of postage stamps was first started it has
+been sneered at as a passing craze, and it has been going to die a
+natural death for the past forty years. But it is not dead yet.
+Indeed, it is very much more alive than it has ever been. Still the
+sneerers sneer on, and the false prophets continue to prophesy its
+certain end.
+
+To the unsympathetic, the ignoramus, the lethargic, the brainless,
+everything that savours of enthusiasm is a craze. The politician who
+throws himself heart and soul into a political contest is "off his
+head," is seized with a craze. The philanthropist who builds and
+endows hospitals and churches is "a crank," following a mere craze.
+The earnest student of social problems is "off the track," on a craze.
+The man who seeks relaxation by any change of employment is certain to
+be classed by some idiot as one who goes off on a craze. You cannot,
+in fact, step off the beaten track tramped by the common herd without
+exciting some remark, some sneer, perchance, at your singularity.
+
+The most ignorant are the most positive that stamp collecting is only
+a passing fancy of which its votaries will tire, sooner or later; and
+yet for the last forty years, with a brief exception, due to an
+abnormal depression in trade, it has always been on the increase.
+Indeed, it has never in all those years been more popular with the
+cultured classes than it is to-day. The Philatelic Society of London
+has an unbroken record of regular meetings of its members extending
+over a quarter of a century. The literature devoted to stamp
+collecting is more abundant than that of any other hobby. Its votaries
+are to be found in every city and town of the habitable globe.
+
+"All very fine," say our bogey men, our prophets of impending evil;
+"but blue china has gone to the wall, autographs are losing caste, old
+books and first editions are on the downgrade, pipes are relegated to
+the lumber-room, metallurgical cabinets are coated with dust, and even
+walking-sticks survive only at Sandringham!" Just so. We are
+all--Governments, people, and weather--going to the bad as fast as we
+can go, according to the croakers, the wiseacres, and the
+self-appointed prophets. Nevertheless, stamp collecting has survived
+the sneers and the evil prophecies of forty years, and so far as human
+foresight can penetrate the future, it seems likely to survive for
+many a generation yet.
+
+And why not? In the busy, contentious bustle of the competition of the
+day, the brain, strained too often to its utmost tension, demands the
+relaxation of some absorbing, pleasure-yielding hobby. Those who have
+tried it attest the fact that few things more completely wean the
+attention, for the time being, from the vexations and worries of the
+day than the collection and arrangement of postage stamps. In fact,
+stamp collecting has an ever-recurring freshness all its own, a scope
+for research that is never likely to be exhausted, a literature varied
+and abundant, and a close and interesting relation to the history and
+progress of nations and peoples that insensibly widens the trend of
+human sympathies and human knowledge.
+
+What more do we want of a hobby? We cannot ensure, even for the
+British Empire, an eternity of durability: nations decay and fashions
+change. Some day even stamp collecting may be superseded by a more
+engrossing hobby. The indications, however, are all in favour of its
+growing hold upon its universal public. The wealth invested in it is
+immense, its trading interests are prosperous and international, and
+no fear of changing fashion disturbs either dealer or collector.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+IV.
+
+Its Internationality.
+
+
+Wherever you go you find the stamp collector in evidence. The hobby
+has its devotees in every civilised country. Its hold is, in fact,
+international. In Dresden there is a society with over two thousand
+members upon its books; in out-of-the-way countries like Finland there
+are ardent collectors and flourishing philatelic societies. The Prince
+of Siam has been an enthusiastic collector for many years, and even in
+Korea there are followers of the hobby. Australia numbers its
+collectors by the thousand, and many of its cities have their
+philatelic societies, all keen searchers for the much-prized rarities
+of the various States of the Commonwealth. In India, despite the
+difficulty of preserving stamps from injury by moisture, there are
+numbers of collectors; one of the best-known rajahs is collecting
+stamps for a museum, recently founded in his State, and the Parsees
+are keen dealers. There are collectors throughout South Africa, in
+Rhodesia, and even in Uganda. Wherever a postage stamp is issued there
+may be found a collector waiting for a copy for his album. In no part
+of the world can an issue of stamps be made that is not at once
+partially bought up for collectors. If any one of the Antarctic
+expeditions were to reach the goal of its ambition, and were to
+celebrate the event there and then by an issue of postage stamps, a
+collector would be certain to be in attendance, and would probably
+endeavour to buy up the whole issue on the spot. The United States
+teems with collectors, and they have their philatelic societies in the
+principal cities and their Annual Congress. From Texas to Niagara, and
+from New York to San Francisco, the millionaire and the more humble
+citizen vie with each other in friendly rivalry as stamp collectors.
+
+Many countries are now making an Official Collection, and there is
+every probability that some day in the near future most Governments
+will keep a stamp collection of some sort for reference and
+exhibition. Under the rules of the Postal Union, every state that
+enters the Union is entitled to receive, for reference purposes, a
+copy of every stamp issued by each country in the Postal Union. Hence
+every Government receives valuable contributions, which should be
+utilised in the formation of a National or Official Collection. And
+some day stamp collectors will be numerous and influential enough to
+demand that such contributions shall not be buried in useless and
+forgotten heaps in official drawers, but shall be systematically
+arranged for public reference and general study.
+
+Not a few countries are every year rescued from absolute bankruptcy by
+the generosity with which collectors buy up their postal issues; and
+many other countries would have to levy a very much heavier burden of
+taxation from their peoples if stamp collecting were to go out of
+fashion.
+
+So widespread indeed is our hobby that a well-known collector might
+travel round the world and rely upon a cordial welcome at the hands of
+fellow-collectors at every stopping-place en route.
+
+International jealousies are forgotten, and even the barriers of race,
+and creed, and politics, in the pleasant freemasonry of philatelic
+friendships.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+V.
+
+Its Geographical Interest.
+
+
+A few years ago many heads of colleges prohibited stamp collecting
+amongst their boys. They found they were carrying it too far, and were
+being made the easy prey of a certain class of rapacious dealers. Now
+the pendulum is swinging in a more rational direction, and many
+masters themselves having become enthusiastic collectors, judiciously
+encourage the boys under their care to collect and study stamps as
+interesting aids to their general studies. They watch over their
+collecting, and protect them from wasteful buying. In some schools the
+masters have given or arranged lectures on stamps and stamp
+collecting, and the boys have voted such entertainments as ranking
+next to a jolly holiday.
+
+The up-to-date master, who can associate work and play, study and
+entertainment, is much more likely to register successes than the
+frigid dominie who will hear of nothing but a rigid attention to the
+tasks of the day. In the one case the lessons are presented in their
+most repellent form, in the other they are made part and parcel of
+each day's pleasant round of interesting study.
+
+The genuine success of the Kindergarten system in captivating the
+little ones lies in its association of play with work. The same
+principle holds good even to a much later age. The more pleasant the
+task can be made, the more ready will be the obedience with which the
+task will be performed. The openings for the judicious and helpful
+admixture of study and entertainment are so few, that one wonders that
+such a helpful form of play as stamp collecting has not become more
+popular than it has in our colleges.
+
+Take, for example, the study of geography, so important to the boys of
+a great commercial nation. The boy who collects stamps will readily
+separate the great colonising powers, and group and locate their
+separate colonies. How many other boys, even after they have passed
+through the last stage of their school life, could do this?
+Little-known countries and states are too often a puzzle to the
+ordinary schoolboy, which are familiar places to the stamp collecting
+youth. Ask the ordinary schoolboy in which continents are such places
+as Angola, Annam, Curacao, Funchal, Holkar, Ivory Coast, Liberia,
+Nepaul, Reunion, St. Lucia, San Marino, Sarawak, Seychelles, Sirmoor,
+Somali Coast, Surinam, Tahiti, Tobago, or Tonga, and how many of all
+these places, so familiar to the young stamp collector, will he
+properly place? Not many; and the same question might probably be
+asked of many an adult with even less satisfaction.
+
+The average series of used stamps are now so cheap that a lad may get
+together a fairly representative collection for what he ordinarily
+spends at the tuck shop. Some educationists have advocated the making
+and exhibiting of school collections of stamps as aids to study. Such
+collections would certainly be much more profitably studied than most
+of the maps and diagrams that nowadays cover the walls.
+
+With few exceptions, every stamp has the name of the country, or
+colony, of its issue on its face; and most colonial stamps bear some
+family likeness to the stamps of the mother country. Our British
+colonial stamps are distinguished by their Queen's heads; the stamps
+of Portugal and its colonies by the portraits of the rulers of
+Portugal; those of Germany by the German currency; those of France
+mostly by French heraldic designs; those of Spain by the portraits of
+the kings and queens of Spain. So that the postage stamp is a key to
+much definite, valuable, and practical information.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+VI.
+
+Its Historical Finger Posts.
+
+
+When considered from the historical point of view, postage stamps
+attain their highest level of educational value. They are finger posts
+to most of the great events that have made the history of nations
+during the last fifty years. Here are a few out of many examples which
+might be quoted.
+
+The introduction of adhesive stamps for the prepayment of postage
+found France a Republic. A provisional government had just been
+established on the ruins of the monarchy which had been swept out of
+existence in the revolution of 1848. As a consequence, the first
+postage stamp issued by France, on New Year's Day of 1849, bore the
+head of Ceres, emblematic of Liberty. Three years later Louis Napoleon
+seized the post of power, and, as President of the Republic, his head
+figures on a stamp issued in 1851, under the inscription "REPUB.
+FRANC." Two years later the Empire was re-established, and the words
+"REPUB. FRANC." were changed to "EMPIRE FRANC." over the same head. In
+1863 the customary laurel wreath, to indicate the first victories of
+the reign, won in the war with Austria, was added to the Emperor's
+head. In 1870 the Franco-German War resulted in the downfall of the
+monarchy, and the head of Liberty reappears on a series of postage
+stamps issued in Paris during its investment by the German army. The
+issue of the stamps of Alsace and Lorraine in 1870 marks the
+annexation of the conquered territory.
+
+Italy in 1850 was a land of many petty states, each more or less a law
+unto itself, and each, in the fifties, issuing its own separate series
+of postage stamps. The stamps of the Pontifical States are made
+familiar by their typical design of a tiara and keys, and pompous King
+Bomba ordered the best engraver to be found to immortalise him in a
+portrait for a series of stamps. The other states had each its own
+heraldic design till the foundations of the Kingdom of Italy were
+laid, in 1859-60, by the union of the Lombardo-Venetian States, the
+Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchies
+of Parma and Modena, the Romagna and the Roman (or Pontifical) States
+with Piedmont. The first issue of stamps of the newly formed kingdom
+bore a portrait of King Victor Emmanuel II. with profile turned to the
+right. In 1863, after the Kingdom of Sardinia had been merged in the
+Kingdom of Italy, a new series was issued for united Italy. The same
+king's portrait appears, but turned to the left. In 1879 King Humbert
+succeeded Victor Emmanuel, and his portrait appeared on an issue in
+the year of his accession. The assassination of King Humbert and the
+accession of his son as Victor Emmanuel III. are followed by the new
+portrait of the new king on the current series of the stamps of Italy.
+
+The stamps of Germany tell a somewhat similar story. They mark the
+stages of gradual absorption into a confederation of states, and the
+ultimate creation of a German Empire. The postal issues of Baden
+ceased in 1871, when the Grand Duchy was incorporated in the Empire.
+Bavaria, though also incorporated, holds out in postal matters, and
+still issues its separate series. Bergedorf was in 1867 placed under
+the control of the free city of Hamburg, and thereupon ceased issuing
+stamps. Bremen, Brunswick, Hamburg, Lubeck, Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
+Oldenburg, Prussia, Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein formed the North
+German Confederation, and closed their postal accounts with collectors
+in 1868. Hanover became a province of Prussia after the war of 1866,
+and thereupon ceased its separate issue of postage stamps; and Thurn
+and Taxis followed suit in 1867. In 1870 the North German
+Confederation was merged in the German Empire, which issued its first
+postage stamp with the Imperial eagle in 1872. But the Empire is not
+yet sufficiently united to place a portrait of the Emperor upon its
+Imperial postal series.
+
+Indian postage stamps, overprinted with the initials "C.E.F.", for the
+China Expeditionary Force, _i.e._ the Indian troops sent to China in
+1901 to relieve the besieged Embassies, mark an historical event of no
+small import.
+
+The early provisional issues of Crete of 1898 indicate the joint
+interference of the Great Powers in its affairs, and the later issues,
+in 1900, bear the portrait of Prince George of Greece as High
+Commissioner of Crete.
+
+The Confederate locals of America, issued, in 1861-3, by the
+postmasters of the Southern States when they were cut off by the war
+from the capital and its supplies of postage stamps, and each town was
+thrown upon its own resources, proclaim the period of the great
+American Civil War.
+
+Collectors are all familiar with the long series of portraits of past
+Presidents of the United States, from Washington to Garfield.
+
+The stamps of Don Carlos mark the Carlist rising in Spain in 1873.
+
+But amongst the most interesting of all stamps that may be classed as
+historical finger posts, none equal in present-day interest the stamps
+of the Transvaal, for they tell of the struggle for supremacy in South
+Africa. In 1870 the Boers issued their first postage stamp, and a
+crude piece of workmanship it was, designed and engraved in Germany.
+Till 1877 they printed their supplies of postage stamps in their own
+crude way from the same crude plates. Then came the first British
+Occupation, when the remainders of the stamps of the first South
+African Republic were overprinted "V.R. TRANSVAAL," to indicate
+British government. Then, in 1878, the stamps of the Republic were
+replaced by our Queen's Head. In 1881 the country was given back to
+the Boers, when they in turn overprinted our Queen's Head series in
+Boer currency, to indicate the restoration of Boer domination. And
+now, finally, in 1900 we have the second British Occupation, and a
+second overprinting of South African Republic stamps "V.R.I.", to
+signalise once more, and finally, the supremacy of British rule in
+South Africa. The Mafeking stamps are also interesting souvenirs of a
+gallant stand in the same historical struggle.
+
+The war which Chili some years ago carried into Bolivia and Peru has
+been marked in a special manner upon the postage stamps of Chili. As
+in the case of our own troops in South Africa, so the Chilian troops
+in Bolivia and Peru were allowed to frank their letters home with the
+stamps of their own country. So also the Chilians further overprinted
+the stamps of Peru with the Chilian arms during their occupation of
+the conquered country in the years 1881-2. Chilian stamps used along
+the route of the conquering army, and postmarked with the names of the
+towns occupied, are much sought after by specialists. These postmarks
+include Arica, Callao, Iquique, Lima, Paita, Pisagua, Pisco, Tacna,
+Yca, etc.
+
+And so the stamp collector may turn over the pages of his stamp album,
+and point to stamp after stamp that marks, for him, some development
+of art, some crisis in a country's progress, some struggle to be free,
+or some great upheaval amongst rival powers. In fact, every stamp
+issued by a country is, more or less, a page of its history.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+VII.
+
+Stamps with a History.
+
+
+There are numbers of stamps that have an interesting history of their
+own. They mark some official experiment, some curious blunder or
+accident, some little conceit, some historical event, or some crude
+and early efforts at stamp production.
+
+What is known as the V.R. Penny black, English stamp, is said to have
+been designed as an experiment in providing a special stamp for
+official use, its official character being denoted by the initials
+V.R. in the upper corners; but the proposal was dropped, and the V.R.
+Penny black was never issued. For a long time it was treasured up as a
+rarity by collectors, but now that its real claims to be regarded as
+an issued stamp have been finally settled, it is no longer included in
+our stamp catalogues. In the days of its popularity it fetched as much
+as L14 at auction. It is now relegated to the rank of an interesting
+souvenir of the experimental stage in the introduction of Penny
+Postage.
+
+Of curious blunders, the Cape of Good Hope errors of colours are
+amongst the most notable. In 1861 the 1d. and 4d. triangular stamps,
+then current, were suddenly exhausted, and before a stock could be
+obtained from the printers in England, a temporary supply had to be
+provided locally. This was done by engraving imitations of the
+originals. Stereos were then taken, and made up into plates for
+printing. By an oversight a stereo of the penny value was dropped into
+the fourpenny plate and a fourpenny into the penny plate.
+Consequently, each sheet printed in the required red ink from the
+penny plate yielded a fourpenny wrongly printed in red instead of
+blue, its proper colour; and every sheet of the fourpenny likewise
+yielded a penny stamp printed in blue instead of red. These errors are
+highly prized by collectors, and are now extremely scarce, even poor
+specimens fetching from L50 to L60. At the time, copies were sold by
+dealers for a few shillings each. Similar errors are known in the
+stamps of other countries.
+
+Now and again the sheets of a particular value have, by some
+extraordinary oversight, been printed and issued in the wrong colour.
+In 1869 copies of the 1s. of Western Australia were printed in bistre
+instead of in green, and a few years later the twopence was discovered
+in lilac instead of yellow. In 1863 a supply of shilling stamps was
+sent out to Barbados printed in blue instead of black; but this latter
+error was, according to Messrs. Hardy and Bacon, so promptly
+discovered, that it is doubtful if any of the wrong colour were issued
+for postal use. In 1896 the fastidiously careful firm of De la Rue and
+Co. printed off and despatched to Tobago a supply of 6,000 one
+shilling stamps in the colour of the sixpenny, _i.e._ in orange-brown
+instead of olive-yellow. Several are said to have been issued to the
+public before the error had been noticed. Indeed, the firm at home is
+credited with having first discovered the mistake, and is said to
+have telegraphed to the colony in time to prevent their issue in any
+quantity.
+
+Another and much more common error in the early days of stamp
+production was the careless placing of one stamp on a plate upside
+down. Stamps so placed are termed _tete-beche_. They have to be
+collected in pairs to show the error. The early stamps of France
+furnish many examples of this class of error. They are also to be
+found on the 6d. and 1s. values of the first design of the stamps of
+the Transvaal, on the early issues of Roumania, on some of the stamps
+of the Colombian Republic, and other countries.
+
+Stamps requiring two separate printings--_i.e._ stamps printed in two
+colours--have given rise to many curious errors in printing. A sheet
+passed through the press upside down after one colour has been printed
+results in one portion of the design being inverted. In the 1869 issue
+of the stamps of the United States no less than three of the values
+had the central portions of their designs printed upside down. The
+4d., blue, of the first issue of Western Australia is known with the
+Swan on its head. Even the recently issued Pan-American stamps,
+printed in the most watchful manner by the United States official
+Bureau of Engraving and Printing, are known with the central portions
+of the design inverted, and these errors, despite the most searching
+examination to which each sheet is several times subjected, escaped
+detection, and were sold to the public. When, however, it is
+remembered that stamps are now printed by the million, it will be
+wondered that so few mistakes escape into the hands of collectors.
+
+As a bit of conceit, the issue of what is known as the Connell stamp
+is probably unequalled. In loyal Canada, in 1860, Mr. Charles Connell
+was Postmaster-General of the little colony of New Brunswick, which in
+those days had its own government and its own separate issue of
+stamps. A change of currency from "pence" to "cents" necessitated new
+postage stamps. It was decided to give the new issue as much variety
+as possible by having a separate design for each stamp. Two of the
+series presented the crowned portrait of the Queen, and one that of
+the Prince of Wales as a lad in Scotch dress. Connell, apparently
+ambitious to figure in the royal gallery, gave instructions to the
+engravers to place his own portrait upon the 5 cents stamp. His
+instructions were carried out, and in due time a supply of the 5 cents
+bearing his portrait was delivered. But before many were issued the
+news spread like wildfire that Connell had outraged the issue by
+placing his own portrait upon one of the stamps. Political opponents
+are said to have taken up the hue and cry. The matter was immediately
+brought before the higher authorities, and the unfortunate stamp was
+promptly suppressed. Half a million had been printed off and delivered
+for sale, but very few seem to have escaped the outcry that was raised
+against them, and to-day copies are extremely scarce. Poor Connell
+took the matter very much to heart, threw up his appointment, and
+forthwith retired into private life. But the portrait of the bluff
+mechanic type of countenance will be handed down from generation to
+generation in stamp catalogues and costly stamp collections long after
+the authorities that suppressed him are forgotten.
+
+Some folks question the appearance of the Baden-Powell portrait upon
+the Mafeking stamps as a similar bit of conceit; but whatever may be
+said in criticism of Baden-Powell's stamp, most people will be
+inclined to accept it as a pleasant souvenir of an historic siege and
+a determined and gallant stand against great odds.
+
+But of all the portraits that have appeared upon postal issues, none
+probably occasioned so much trouble and fuss as that of the notorious
+King Bomba of Sicily. The most eminent engraver of his day--Aloisio--was
+commissioned to prepare an exact likeness of His Sacred Majesty. After
+much ministerial tribulation the portrait was approved and engraved, and
+to this day it is regarded as a superb piece of work. A special
+cancelling stamp had to be designed and put into use which defaced only
+the border of the stamp and left the sacred portrait untouched. During
+the preliminaries necessary to the production of the sacred effigy the
+fate of ministers and officials hung in the balance. One official was
+actually marked for degradation for having submitted a disfigurement
+which turned out to be a carelessly printed, or rough, proof impression.
+
+Numerous stamps have been designed, especially of late years, to
+represent some historical event in connection with the country of
+issue. The United States, in 1869, in the confined space of an
+unusually small stamp, endeavoured to represent the landing of
+Columbus, and in another stamp the Declaration of Independence. In a
+much more recent series, stamps of an exceptionally large size were
+adopted to give scope for a Columbus celebration set of historical
+paintings, including Columbus soliciting aid of Isabella, Columbus
+welcomed at Barcelona, Columbus restored to favour, Columbus
+presenting natives, Columbus announcing his discovery, the recall of
+Columbus, Isabella pledging her jewels, Columbus in chains, and
+Columbus describing his third voyage. Greece has given us a set of
+stamps illustrating the Olympian Games. But collectors look with
+considerable suspicion upon stamps of this showy class, for too many
+of them have been produced with the sole object of making a profit out
+of their sale to collectors, and not to meet any postal requirement.
+
+Crude productions of peculiar interest belong more to the earlier
+stages of the introduction of postage stamps. Local attempts at
+engraving in some of our own early colonial settlements were of the
+crudest possible description, and yet they are, because of their very
+crudeness, far more interesting than the finished product supplied by
+firms at home, for the local effort truly represented the country of
+its issue in the art of stamp production. The amusingly crude attempts
+which the engravers of Victoria have made from time to time, during
+the last fifty years, to give us a passable portrait of Her late
+Majesty Queen Victoria, have no equal for variety. The stamps of the
+first South African Republic, made in Germany, are very appropriate in
+their roughness of design and execution. For oddity of appearance the
+palm must be awarded to those of Asiatic origin, such, for instance,
+as the stamps of Afghanistan, of Kashmir, and most of the local
+productions of the Native States of India, marking as they do their
+own independent attempts to work up to European methods of
+intercommunication.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+VIII.
+
+Great Rarities.
+
+
+Of the many stamps that are set apart, for one cause or another, from
+the ordinary run, as having a history of their own, those that by the
+common consent of collector and dealer are ranked as great rarities
+are the most fruitful source of astonishment to the non-collector.
+They are the gems of the most costly collections, the possession of
+the few, and the envy of the multitude. In a round dozen that will
+fetch over L100 apiece there are not more than one or two that can lay
+any claim to be considered works of art; indeed, they are mostly
+distinguished by their surpassing ugliness. Nevertheless, they are the
+gems that give tone and rank to the finest collections. Some of them
+are even priceless.
+
+To the average man it is astonishing that anyone in his senses can be
+so foolish as to give L1,000 for an ugly little picture that has
+merely done duty as a postage stamp. He contends there can be no
+intrinsic value in such scraps of paper, and that settles the matter,
+in his opinion. But is it not so with precious stones and pearls? They
+are of value merely because they are the fashion. There is no
+intrinsic value in them. If they were not fashionable they would be
+of little or no value. Long-standing fashion, and fashion alone, has
+given them their value. So it is with stamps; fashion has given them
+their value, and every decade of continued popularity adds to that
+value as it has added to the value of precious stones and pearls.
+There is no sign that precious stones are likely to become worthless
+by the withdrawal of popular favour. Fashion changes from one stone to
+another without affecting the popularity of precious stones in
+general. So it is with stamps. Fashions change from one line of
+collecting to another without in the slightest degree affecting the
+stability or popularity of collecting as a whole. Precious stones and
+pearls minister to the pride of the individual, and stamps to his
+pleasure; and each has its own strong and unshakable hold upon the
+devotees of fashion and pleasure. There is a fluctuating market in the
+case of each of these favourites, but I venture to think that there
+is, and has been for the past forty years, a steadier rise in the
+value of stamps than in the value of precious stones.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+British Guiana, 1856, 1 c.--In 1856 this colony was awaiting a supply
+of stamps from England, and pending its arrival two provisional stamps
+were issued, a 1 c. and a 4 c. These were set up from type in the
+office of the _Official Gazette_. A small illustration of a ship, used
+for heading the shipping advertisements in the daily papers, was
+utilised for the central portion of the design. Of the 1 c. value only
+one specimen is known to-day, and that is in the collection of M.
+Philipp la Renotiere (Herr von Ferrary). Doubts have been expressed as
+to the genuineness of the copy, but Mr. Bacon, who has had an
+opportunity of inspecting it, says: "After a most careful inspection I
+have no hesitation whatever in pronouncing it a thoroughly genuine one
+cent specimen. The copy is a poor one, dark magenta in colour, and
+somewhat rubbed. It is initialled 'E. D. W.', and dated April 1st, the
+year not being distinct enough to be read."
+
+This stamp may safely be placed at the head of great rarities. Of its
+value it is impossible to form any opinion. If a dealer had the
+disposal of the copy in question, he would probably want between
+L1,000 and L2,000 for it, with a decided preference for the larger
+sum.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Mauritius, "Post Office," 1d. and 2d.--The best known, the most
+quoted, and probably the most popular of all the great rarities is the
+"Post Office" Mauritius, so called because the words "Post Office"
+were inscribed on one side of the stamp instead of the words "Post
+Paid." There were two values, 1d. and 2d. They were designed and
+engraved by a local watchmaker, and were printed from single dies, and
+issued in 1847. The tedious process of printing numbers of stamps from
+single dies was soon abandoned, and only 500 copies of each value were
+struck. Of those 1,000 stamps only twenty-two copies are known to
+exist to-day. There are in the hands of leading collectors two copies
+of the 1d. unused, and three copies of the 2d. unused, twelve copies
+of the 1d. used, and five copies of the 2d. used. These rarities were
+only in use for a few days, and were mostly used in sending out
+invitations to a ball at Government House.
+
+The value, according to condition, is from L800 upwards for each
+value, but unused they are of course worth a great deal more.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Hawaii, 1851, 2 cents, blue.--Like so many rare stamps, this first
+issue of Hawaii was designed and set up from type in a printer's
+office. About twelve copies are known to exist. The stamp was in use
+but a very short time, as the Post Office of Honolulu was burnt down,
+and the stock of stamps of this first issue was completely destroyed.
+
+This 2 cents stamp is worth about L750.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+British Guiana, 1850, 2 cents.--This is popularly known as the 2 cents
+circular Guiana, because of its shape. A notice in the local Official
+Gazette, dated February, 1851, announced that "by order of His
+Excellency the Governor, and upon the request of several of the
+merchants of Georgetown, it is proposed to establish a delivery of
+letters twice each day through the principal streets of this city."
+Certain gentlemen were named as having consented to receive letters
+for delivery at their respective stores, and it was further announced
+that "each letter must bear a stamp, for which 2 c. will be charged,
+or it will not be delivered, and when called for will be subject to
+the usual postage of 8 c." A supply of the required 2 c. stamps was
+provided by a locally type-set design enclosed in a ring. It is said
+that this delivery of letters was discontinued soon after it was
+started, hence rarity of the stamp.
+
+Only eleven copies of this quaint postage stamp are known, and its
+market value is probably somewhere about L600.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Moldavia, 1858, 81 paras.--This rare stamp formed one of a set of four
+of the first postage stamps issued in Roumania. The values were 27
+paras for single letters travelling, and not carried more than about
+seventy miles, 54 paras for double that distance, 81 paras for heavier
+letters, and 108 paras for registered letters, all within the limits
+of Moldavia. The 81 paras is the rarest of the series, as will be seen
+from the following inventory taken in February, 1859, of the then
+unsold stock:--
+
+ 27 paras, printed 6,000, sold 3,675.
+ 54   "       "   10,000   "   4,756.
+ 81   "       "    2,000   "     693.
+108   "       "    6,000   "   2,568.
+
+All these stamps were printed by hand on coloured paper in sheets of
+thirty-two impressions in four rows of eight stamps. An unused copy of
+the 81 paras has fetched as much as L350.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+United States, Millbury, 1847, 5 c.--In the United States the general
+adoption of postage stamps was preceded by what may be termed
+preliminary issues, of a more or less local character, and known as
+"Postmaster stamps." These "Postmaster stamps" were issued by various
+country postmasters by way of experiment. The Providence stamp is the
+commonest example. One of the rarest is the 5 c. stamp, with a
+portrait of Washington, issued by the postmaster of Millbury, in
+Massachusetts, in 1847. This stamp is said to be worth about L300.
+There are others reputed to be equally rare. Among the local stamps
+issued by various unofficial carriers and express agencies, there are
+many of which very few copies are known, and as they are practically
+all held by enthusiastic collectors, and never come into the market,
+there are no data as to their current value.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Cape of Good Hope, 1861. _Errors of Colour_.--In making up the plate
+of a provisional issue of triangular stamps, pending the arrival of
+supplies from England, a stereo of the 1d. got inserted by mistake in
+the 4d. plate, and a 4d. in the 1d. plate. Consequently each sheet of
+the 1d. contained a 4d. printed in red, the colour of the 1d., instead
+of blue. And the sheets of the 4d., in like manner, each contained a
+1d, which, when the 4d. was printed in its proper colour of blue, was
+also printed in blue instead of red, the proper colour. These errors
+are very scarce, especially in an unused condition. The 1d., blue, is
+the rarer of the two, and is worth about L70 used; it is not known
+unused.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Tuscany, 1860, 3 lire.--In the early days of stamp production high
+values, such as we are now accustomed to get from most countries, were
+very rarely issued. For nearly thirty years Great Britain was content
+with a shilling stamp as its highest value. In 1860 the Provisional
+Government of Tuscany issued a stamp of 3 lire, for which there seems
+to have been very little use. It represented but two shillings and
+sixpence of English money, but it is nevertheless one of the great
+rarities to-day, especially in an unused condition. Used copies are
+worth about L65, and unused about L120.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Transvaal, 1878. _Error_ "Transvral."--This error occurred once in
+each sheet of eighty of the 1d., red on blue, of the first British
+Occupation. It was evidently discovered before a second lot was
+required, as it does not recur in the next printing of 1d., red on
+orange. It is a very rare stamp. Used it is worth about L50, but
+unused it is one of the great rarities, and has changed hands at about
+L150.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+Ceylon, 1859, 4d. and 8d., imperforate.--Several of the first issues
+of this colony, designed and engraved by Messrs. Perkins Bacon and
+Co., and issued in 1857-9, are esteemed as great rarities in an
+imperforate and unused condition. The 4d., 8d., 9d., 1s., and 2s. are
+the rarest. The 4d., so long ago as 1894, fetched L130 at auction.
+These stamps are amongst the few great rarities that may be entitled
+to rank as works of art, and every year they are more sought after and
+more difficult to get in fine condition.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+IX.
+
+The Romance of Stamp Collecting.
+
+
+The story of the development of stamp collecting, and of the trade
+that has sprung up with it, is full of romance.
+
+Our publishers' business, with its world-wide ramifications, was begun
+by young Gibbons putting a few sheets of stamps in his father's shop
+window. The father was a chemist, and it was intended that the lad
+should follow in his father's footsteps; but the stamps elbowed the
+drugs aside, and eventually yielded a fortune which enabled this
+pioneer of the stamp trade to retire and indulge his globe-trotting
+propensities to the full. He sold his business for L25,000, and, still
+in the prime of life, retired to a snug little villa on the banks of
+the Thames. The business was converted into a Limited Liability
+Company, and the Managing Director may be said to be a product of the
+original business, for it was a present of a guinea packet of Stanley
+Gibbons's stamps that first whetted his appetite for stamp collecting,
+and eventually for stamp dealing. Mr. Gibbons had for a great many
+years conducted his business from his private house. The new broom
+changed all that, and opened out in fine premises in the Strand,
+W.C., where the Company now occupy the whole of one house and the
+greater part of the adjoining premises. In every room busy hands are
+at work all the day long endeavouring to keep pace with a world-wide
+business which began with a few sheets in the corner of a chemist's
+shop window in the town of Plymouth.
+
+And now, looking back on the humdrum days of the beginnings of the
+stamp trade, what opportunities do they not seem to have missed! Could
+they but have foreseen the present-day developments, a few
+unconsidered trifles, valued at a few pence in those days, put away in
+a bottom drawer, would to-day net a fortune. Young Gibbons, amongst
+his early purchases, bought from a couple of sailors at Plymouth for
+L5 a sackful of triangular Cape of Good Hope stamps, a large
+proportion being the rare so-called Woodblocks, with many of the
+Errors described in the list of great rarities in another chapter.
+Those Errors he disposed of at 2s. 6d. each. They are now worth from
+L60 to L75 each. And the ordinary Woodblocks, which were so
+plentifully represented in that sackful, are now catalogued at from
+50s. to L9 apiece. Strange as it may seem, those were the common
+stamps of those days, and they are the rarities of to-day.
+
+A well-known collection, full of rare stamps of the value of from L5
+to L50, has been largely formed by the fortunate possessor out of
+stamps for which he paid 2s. per dozen just a little over twenty years
+ago.
+
+A leading collector once conceived the idea of scouring the
+little-visited country towns of Spain for rare old Spanish stamps, and
+a most successful hunt he made of it. He secured most valuable and
+unsuspected hauls of unused and used blocks and pairs of rare
+Portuguese; but before returning home he decided to treat himself to a
+trip to Morocco, and during that ill-fated extension of his tour he
+lost nearly the whole of his patient garnerings of rare Spanish
+stamps, for during an inland trip some very unphilatelic Bedouins
+swooped down on his escort in the desert and carried off the whole of
+his baggage. He, being some distance ahead of his escort, escaped, and
+brought home only a few samples of the grand things he had found and
+lost.
+
+In all forms of collecting the hunt for bargains adds zest to the
+game, and probably more so in stamps than in any other hobby, not even
+excepting old china; and, as in other lines of collecting, the bargain
+hunter must be equipped with the expert knowledge of the specialist if
+he would sweep into his net at bargain prices the unsuspected gems to
+be found now and again in the philatelic mart. Many a keen stamp
+collector turns his years of wide experience to good account as a
+bargain hunter, and at least one innocent amateur is credited with
+netting a revenue which would make many a flourishing merchant green
+with envy.
+
+Many a match has probably been due to stamp collecting. Not long ago
+we were told of a young lady who wrote to an official in a distant
+colony for a few of the current stamps issued from his office. The
+stamps were forwarded and a correspondence ensued. There was
+eventually an exchange of photographs, and finally the official
+applied for leave, returned home, and married his stamp collecting
+correspondent.
+
+Truly the scope of the stamp collector for pleasure, for profit, and
+for romance is as wide as the most imaginative could desire.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+X.
+
+Philatelic Societies and their Work.
+
+
+Most of the great cities of Europe, the British Colonies, and the
+United States have their Philatelic Societies. They are associations
+of stamp collectors for the study of postage stamps, their history,
+engraving, and printing; the detection and prevention of forgeries and
+frauds; the preparation and publication of papers and works bearing
+upon postal issues; the display and exhibition of stamps, and the
+exchange of duplicates.
+
+The premier society is the Philatelic Society of London, which was
+founded so long ago as 1869, and has as its acting President H.R.H.
+the Prince of Wales. For over thirty years, without a break, this
+Society has held regular meetings during the winter months. Its
+membership comprises most of the leading collectors in Great Britain
+and her Colonies and many of the best-known foreign collectors. On the
+membership roll are three princes, several earls, baronets, judges,
+barristers, medical men, officers in the Army and Navy, and many
+well-known merchants. This society has published costly works on the
+stamps of Great Britain, of the Australian Colonies, of the British
+Colonies of North America, of the West Indies, of India and Ceylon,
+and of Africa. It publishes an excellently-got-up monthly journal of
+its own, which now claims shelf-room in the philatelic library for ten
+stately annual volumes. It has held two very successful International
+Philatelic Exhibitions, one opened by the late Duke of Edinburgh and
+the other by the Prince of Wales, then Duke of York. At its
+fortnightly meetings, papers are read and discussed on various matters
+relating to the hobby. Other meetings are held for the friendly
+exchange of duplicates.
+
+In the provinces, the principal societies are those of Manchester and
+Birmingham. The Birmingham Society possesses a collection of its own,
+which it keeps up to date, as a work of reference for its members.
+Several of the societies hold periodical exhibitions, in which members
+compete for medals, and in many other ways they lay themselves out to
+encourage and promote the collection of postage stamps as a popular
+pastime.
+
+The names of the various societies and the addresses of the
+secretaries are published at the commencement of each winter season in
+Stanley Gibbons' _Monthly Journal_.
+
+Apart from their pleasant sociability, these societies are of immense
+help to the collector, especially to the beginner. At each meeting
+papers are read and discussed, in which the most experienced
+collectors retail, for the benefit of the less experienced, the result
+of their latest researches, and eminent specialists display their
+splendid and carefully-arranged collections for the inspection,
+edification, and enjoyment of their fellow-members. This continual
+meeting and comparing of notes, this concentration of study upon the
+issues of a particular country, gradually ripens even the veriest tyro
+into an advanced and experienced collector.
+
+Under such conditions difficulties are cleared up, and the way made
+plain for wise and safe collecting. In too many lines of collecting
+the specialist carefully guards his knowledge for his own ultimate
+personal profit. The Philatelist, on the other hand, is more
+frequently than not generously and candidly helpful to his less
+advanced fellow-collector, especially if he happens to be a
+fellow-member of the same philatelic society.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+XI.
+
+The Literature of Stamps.
+
+
+Few hobbies, if any, can boast of such a varied and extensive
+literature as stamp collecting. Expensive works have been published on
+the postal issues of most countries. They have been published in
+English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, and Swedish.
+Those published in English alone would make a library of some hundreds
+of volumes.
+
+From its foundation, in 1869, the Philatelic Society of London has set
+itself the task of studying and writing up the postal history of Great
+Britain and her Colonies. Towards the accomplishment of this great
+task, it has already presented its members with splendid monographs on
+the Australian Colonies, the Colonies of North America, of the West
+Indies, of India and Ceylon, two volumes on the British Colonies of
+Africa, a separate monograph on Tasmania, and last, and most ambitious
+of all, a massive and comprehensive history of the postal issues of
+Great Britain. All these works are expensively illustrated with a
+profusion of full-page plates and other illustrations, and they
+represent years of patient toil, far-reaching investigation, and
+untiring research. The _History of the Adhesive Postage Stamps of
+Europe_ has been written in two volumes by Mr. W. A. S. Westoby, and
+the same author, in collaboration with Judge Philbrick, some twenty
+years ago published a work on _The Postal and Telegraph Stamps of
+Great Britain_. Messrs. W. J. Hardy and E. D. Bacon, in a work
+entitled _The Stamp Collector_, have sketched the general history of
+postage stamps. Other works too numerous to mention here have been
+written from time to time for the edification of the stamp collector,
+and the list is continually being increased by the addition of even
+more important works.
+
+One of the most interesting and comprehensive series of philatelic
+works, still in course of publication, was commenced by Messrs.
+Stanley Gibbons, Ltd., in 1893, in the form of philatelic handbooks.
+These handbooks are written by leading philatelic authorities. Each
+important country, _i.e._ important from the stamp collector's point
+of view, has a separate volume devoted to it, and into each handy
+volume is condensed as much as may be necessary to guide the advanced
+collector in specialising the postal issues of the country which he
+favours. There have already been published:--_Portuguese India_, by
+Mr. Gilbert Harrison and Lieut. F. H. Napier, R.N.; _South Australia_,
+by Lieut. F. H. Napier and Mr. Gordon Smith; _St. Vincent_, by Lieut.
+F. H. Napier and Mr. E. D. Bacon; _Shanghai_, by Mr. W. B. Thornhill;
+_Barbados_, by Mr. E. D. Bacon and Lieut. F. H. Napier; _Reprints and
+their Characteristics_, by Mr. E.D. Bacon; and _Grenada_, by Mr. E. D.
+Bacon and Lieut. F. H. Napier.
+
+For the instruction of the beginner, Major Evans, R.A., has compiled
+an excellent glossary of philatelic terms, under the title of _Stamps
+and Stamp Collecting_; and there is, further, _A Colour Dictionary_,
+by Mr. B. W. Warhurst, designed to simplify the recognition and
+determination of the colours and shades of stamps--a by no means
+unimportant matter when the value of a stamp depends upon its shade.
+
+But the most popular of all the philatelic publications are, of
+course, the monthly periodicals. The first stamp journal is said to
+have been _The Monthly Intelligence_, published at Manchester in 1862.
+It had but a short life of ten numbers out of the twelve required to
+complete Vol. I. But other journals followed in rapid succession, with
+more or less success, from year to year, till in 1893 a list of the
+various ventures in this line totalled up to nearly a couple of
+hundred. _The Stamp Collectors' Magazine_, started in 1863, may be
+said to survive in Alfred Smith and Son's _Monthly Circular; The
+Philatelic Record_, established in 1879, is now in its twenty-fourth
+yearly volume; Gibbons' _Monthly Journal_ is in its twelfth yearly
+volume; and _The London Philatelist_ is in its eleventh yearly volume;
+and all may be said to be going strong. How many ordinary periodicals
+can boast of equally robust lives? And yet some people are still to be
+found who speak in all seriousness of stamp collecting as only a
+passing craze.
+
+Properly speaking, tradesmen's catalogues can scarcely be regarded as
+literature, and yet it would be very remiss on my part to close this
+chapter without a reference to the excellent catalogues with which
+stamp collectors are provided. What other hobby can boast of such
+comprehensive and detailed catalogues, giving the actual selling price
+of almost every item, and regularly revised and brought up to date
+from year to year? Messrs. Stanley Gibbons' Priced Catalogue is
+comprised in four volumes:--Part I., The British Empire, 244 pages;
+Part II., Foreign Countries, 458 pages; Part III., Local Postage
+Stamps, 122 pages; Part IV., Envelopes, Post Cards, and Wrappers, 317
+pages; in all, 1,141 closely printed double-column pages of small
+type, with thousands of illustrations. This excellent catalogue is at
+once guide, philosopher, and friend to the stamp collector. Some
+people irreverently style it "the Philatelist's Bible." It does not
+profess to be anything more or less than a mere catalogue of goods for
+sale, but it is an open secret that it represents the combined work
+and the combined knowledge of the best Philatelists of the day, and
+that neither trouble nor expense is spared to include within its pages
+everything that a collector needs to know to enable him to gather his
+treasures together, and to arrange them in the best possible and most
+authoritative order.
+
+Much the same story might be told of the literature of stamp
+collecting in other countries. In the United States, in France, and in
+Germany there are numbers of robust periodicals, some stretching back
+into the early days, and there are scores of volumes of philatelic
+lore, many of which find a well-deserved place on the shelves of
+English collectors.
+
+As an indication of the value attached to philatelic literature, I may
+mention the fact that an English collector recently paid over L2,000
+for a by no means complete collection of works relating to stamp
+collecting.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+XII.
+
+Stamps as Works of Art.
+
+
+Some artists scout the idea of attempting anything that may be
+considered a work of art in the ridiculously limited space of a
+postage stamp. The restriction of a postage stamp when viewed
+alongside a canvas measuring several yards in length and height is
+probably hopeless enough. Nevertheless, many a stamp collector who is
+not devoid of art can find stamps which seem to him to be entitled to
+rank high even in the art world. In beauty of design, in the exquisite
+workmanship of the best modern steel engraving, aided by the most
+delicate machinery, and in unequalled printing, there are many gems
+within the very limited space of a postage stamp that excite and
+deserve, and not unfrequently win, the admiration of the most exacting
+critics. There are scores of little medallions, mostly on the postage
+stamps of foreign states, that surely would pass muster with an
+impartial judge of art. They are not the rarities of the stamp album.
+Some are even regarded as weeds in the philatelic garden. They are too
+often made to serve the revenue-producing necessities of the issuing
+state, and for that reason probably, more than for any other, they
+are made as attractive as modern art applied to stamp production can
+make them.
+
+Great commercial countries, producing their postage stamps by hundreds
+of millions, are as contemptuous in their consideration of the art
+possibilities of a postage stamp as the cynical artist whose days and
+years are devoted to the disfigurement of wall space. This country has
+no cause to be proud of the designs or the printing of its postage
+stamps. The chief consideration seems to be a low contract price for
+the production of recognisable labels for the indication of the
+prepayment of postage. That is the commercial view. And yet there are
+some foolish people who believe that an artist who could design an
+effective and acceptable postage stamp for the British Empire would
+add materially to his own fame and to the art standard of the Empire
+itself.
+
+Brother Jonathan across the sea is not unmindful of art in the
+production of his postage stamps, despite his commercial inclinations
+and training. From the first he has put his patriotism into his
+postage stamps. The portraits of the Presidents, from George
+Washington to Lincoln, and from Lincoln to McKinley, who have ruled,
+wisely and well, the destinies of the great Republic, Jonathan
+engraves in his best style, in his own official engraving
+establishment, and proudly places upon his postage stamps for the
+admiration of all good citizens and the edification and envy of the
+effete old countries beyond the seas.
+
+We, with our richer memories and our stately galleries of great men
+who have ruled or governed or fought through the centuries, must be
+content with an Empire postage stamp that is little better, from an
+art point of view, than an ordinary beer label, and we must be
+content to be told that it is the penalty of success, of the dire
+necessity of long numbers, and of a needy Treasury that sorely hungers
+for still greater profits from the Post Office.
+
+Meanwhile, small struggling states revel in beautiful stamps. The
+latest trend is in the direction of miniature portraiture. The
+Argentine Republic and Bolivia have in recent years issued some very
+fine examples in this direction. A very useful innovation is the
+addition of the name under the portrait. In this way thousands have
+been familiarised with the names and faces of men who before were
+almost unknown beyond their own country. Historic features, such as
+those of Columbus and Pizarro, have occasionally been added to the
+growingly interesting gallery of stamp portraits.
+
+The recently issued New Zealand picture series, illustrating most
+effectively some of the choicest bits of colonial scenery, and some of
+the rarest birds of the colony, engraved by Messrs. Waterlow and Sons,
+afforded an interesting and successful experiment in an art direction.
+As a result it is said that a strong demand has been generated in
+other colonies for similarly beautiful and localised designs in
+preference to the stereotyped mediocrity supplied by the ordinary
+label process.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+XIII.
+
+Stamp Collecting as an Investment.
+
+
+When a stamp collector is charged with being extravagant, with
+spending money lavishly and foolishly on a mere hobby, he may very
+justifiably reply that even his most extravagant spendings may be
+regarded as an investment.
+
+The ordinary investor in, say, industrial securities is fairly content
+if he can, with a little risk, secure a steady six or seven per cent.
+If he launches out into more speculative shares, yielding higher rates
+of interest, he must be content to face a much greater risk of the
+capital invested. Now, the severest test of an investment is the yield
+of interest over a series of years covering periods of depression as
+well as periods of prosperity. The stamp collector who has used
+ordinary discretion in his purchases may confidently submit his
+investment to this test.
+
+Some years ago, when I was writing in defence of stamp collecting as
+an investment, I received a very indignant letter from a collector who
+had made a large collection, complaining that he had then recently
+endeavoured to sell, but could get only a very small percentage of his
+outlay back, and that the very firms from whom he had bought most of
+his stamps scouted the idea of paying him anything like what they had
+cost him. He therefore ridiculed the idea that stamp collecting could
+be regarded as a safe investment, as in his case it had been a
+delusion and a snare. He was quite right, and it is still possible to
+make big collections--of, say, five thousand, ten thousand, and even
+larger--of stamps that are never likely to appreciate, and it is
+possible to buy those stamps at such a price that any attempt to
+realise even a small percentage of the original outlay must result in
+a woeful eye-opener.
+
+Let me explain. In the stamp business, as in all other branches of
+commerce, there are wholesale and retail dealers. The wholesaler buys
+by the thousand stamps that are printed by the million. I refer, of
+course, to used stamps. In some cases the price paid per thousand is
+only a few pence for large quantities that run into millions. The
+wholesaler sells to the retail dealer at a small advance per thousand.
+Those stamps the ordinary dealer makes up into packets at a further
+profit, but still at a comparatively low price. Good copies he picks
+out for sale in sets and separately. Those have to be catalogued.
+Therefore, the catalogue price of common stamps bought and sold by the
+million eventually comes before the general collector at "one penny
+each," and the man who makes a collection of common stamps of the "one
+penny each" class can scarcely be expected to realise a fortune out of
+his stamp collecting. When he offers his gatherings of years to the
+self-same dealer, and asks, say, only the half of what he paid, he is
+astounded when the dealer has the audacity to tell him frankly, "I can
+buy most of those stamps at a few shillings per thousand, and you want
+an average of a halfpenny each for them!" "But," retorts the
+collector, "I paid you one penny each for them years ago, and now you
+won't give me half that amount. A pretty thing investing money in
+stamps!" The reply of the dealer will be, "My dear fellow, you have
+put your money into the wrong stamps. I bought, and can still buy,
+those stamps wholesale at a few shillings per thousand, some of them
+at a few pence per thousand; but I have to pay clerks for handling
+them and sorting them out, other assistants for cataloguing them, and
+the printers for printing the catalogue, so that in the end I cannot
+afford to sell them _separately_ for less than about one penny each,
+but if you want a few thousand of any value I can sell them to you at
+a price enormously below what you ask for your collection." The
+collector's eyes are opened.
+
+It is impossible to get away from the necessity of regarding stamps as
+an investment. Even the schoolboy cannot afford to put his shilling
+into stamps unless he can be fairly assured that he may get his money
+back at critical periods, which will crop up even in school life.
+Indeed, it may be said that there are few, if any, stamp collectors
+nowadays who do not put more money into stamps than they could afford
+to do if there were not some element of investment in view. In some
+instances large fortunes are actually invested in stamps, and I was
+only recently told of a collector who had taken his money out of a
+very profitable business and put it into stamps, and had netted very
+much larger profits than he ever realised in his regular business. But
+to do that sort of thing requires a profound knowledge of stamps and a
+ready command of a very large banking account.
+
+Generally speaking, the best countries from an investment point of
+view are British Colonials, especially those of the small colonies
+that have small populations, and therefore very small printings of
+stamps. Obviously, countries that put stamps into circulation by the
+million can never be a very good investment, so far as their common
+values are concerned. Those who buy with a keen eye on the investment
+purpose, always buy unused copies of uncommon values. Unused are not
+likely to depreciate, and they may appreciate.
+
+In fact, it may be safely said that, all round, the thing to do in
+stamps is to buy _unused_ for investment. When stamps are printed by
+the million, _used_ supplies will be available for no one knows how
+long; but in the case of unused, when a new issue is made, the
+obsolete stamp is on the road to an advance in value. It is true
+dealers stock large quantities of all stamps, but there are so many
+countries to be stocked now that no dealer can afford to hoard unused
+to any great extent, and even if he did, the dead capital would be an
+item which would compel him to advance the price of unused to protect
+himself from loss. Let us say a stamp becomes obsolete this year, and
+a dealer buys L100 worth. It would be a moderate estimate to place the
+earning power of stamps at 10 per cent. In seven years that L100 hoard
+would, reckoning compound interest, represent L200, or double face. Of
+course, no dealer would hoard up L100 worth of a common stamp, but
+from the day that it becomes obsolete it must be hoarded up by
+someone, and interest must be accruing on the investment which will
+have to be added to the value of the stamp, unless someone is to stand
+the loss. It will, therefore, be obvious that unused stamps must
+appreciate while used may remain stationary, for the simple reason
+that the limit of supply has been reached in one case but not in the
+other.
+
+Taking almost haphazard a few stamps, most of which have been within
+the reach of all collectors during the last fifteen years, the
+following table will give some idea of the appreciation in prices
+which has been steadily going on in good stamps:--
+
+                              |1875  |1880  |1886  |1890  |1893  |1897  |1902  |
+                              |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |
+Bremen, 1867, 5 sgr., green,  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |1 0   |1 6   |2 6   |4 0   |5 0   |25 0  |17 6  |
+Bechuanaland, 1886, 1s.,      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_used_.                       |--    |--    |--    |2 6   |2 6   |6 6   |30 0  |
+"   1888-9, 4d.,              |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |--    |--    |--    |1 0   |2 0   |2 0   |3 0   |
+British Guiana, 1860, 1 c,    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+brown. perf., _used_          |3 6   |4 0   |12 6  |30 0  |32 6  |80 0  |80 0  |
+Cape of Good Hope, 1d.,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+ [triangle]_unused_           |0 4   |0 6   |1 6   |2 0   |4 0   |8 0   |15 0  |
+Cape of Good Hope, 1d.,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+ [triangle] Woodblock,        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_used_                        |2 6   |3 6   |15 0  |25 0  |45 0  |90 0  |95 0  |
+Cyprus, 1880, 6d., _unused_   |--    |--    |1 6   |7 6   |12 0  |30 0  |25 0  |
+  "      "    1s., _unused_   |--    |--    |2 6   |10 0  |15 0  |40 0  |55 0  |
+Danish West Indies, 1872,     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+4 c., blue, _unused_.         |0 6   |0 6   |1 6   |3 6   |5 0   |17 6  |25 0  |
+Danish West Indies, 1873,     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+14 c., _unused_               |1 0   |1 0   |2 6   |3 6   |5 6   |24 0  |32 0  |
+Egypt, 1866, 5 piastres,      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |2 0   |2 0   |5 0   |8 6   |16 0  |22 6  |25 0  |
+  "     "    10   "           |2 6   |1 6   |6 0   |12 0  |20 0  |26 0  |27 6  |
+Gambia, 4d., imperf.,         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |0 8   |0 8   |2 6   |5 0   |6 0   |20 0  |32 0  |
+Gibraltar, 1886, 1s.          |--    |--    |1 9   |3 6   |7 6   |70 0  |75 0  |
+Hayti, 1881, 20 c., _unused_  |--    |--    |2 0   |2 0   |2 6   |7 6   |20 0  |
+Hungary, 1871, 3 k., litho.,  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_used_                        |0 2   |0 2   |1 6   |3 6   |6 6   |30 0  |40 0  |
+Newfoundland, 1866, 5 c.,     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+brown, _used_.                |1 0   |2 6   |3 6   |7 6   |12 6  |28 0  |25 0  |
+New South Wales, 1d., Sydney  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+Views, _used_.                |2 6   |4 0   |17 6  |30 0  |35 0  |40 0  |40 0  |
+Orange River Colony, 1877, 4  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+on 6d., _unused_              |--    |1 0   |1 0   |3 0   |3 0   |5 0   |30 0  |
+Tonga, 1892, 8d.              |--    |--    |--    |--    |2 0   |5 0   |10 0  |
+  "     "    1s.              |--    |--    |--    |--    |3 0   |4 0   |15 0  |
+Transvaal, 1878-9, 4d.,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+_unused_                      |--    |0 8   |1 0   |1 0   |0 9   |1 6   |20 0  |
+  "         "      1s.   "    |--    |1 9   |2 0   |2 0   |4 6   |15 0  |40 0  |
+Trinidad, 1896, 10s.          |--    |--    |--    |--    |--    |14 0  |70 0  |
+Turks Islands, 1879, 1s.,     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+blue, _unused_                |--    |1 9   |2 6   |3 0   |5 0   |20 0  |25 0  |
+Zululand, 1888, 9d.           |--    |--    |--    |1 6   |1 6   |12 0  |17 6  |
+
+Of foolish investors there will always be a generous supply, who will
+ever be ready to offer themselves as evidence of the worthlessness of
+any and every form of investment, forgetful of the fact that the shoe
+is more often on the other foot. In stamps, as in every other class of
+investment, the foolish may buy what is worthless instead of what is
+valuable. There are stamps specially manufactured and issued to catch
+such flats, and they are easily hooked by the thousand every year,
+despite the continual warnings of experienced collectors.
+
+But if we turn to the result of experienced collecting we find
+abundant evidence of the fact that the stamp collector may enjoy his
+stamps and, when the force of circumstances compels him to abandon
+them, he may retire without regret for having put so much money into a
+mere hobby.
+
+Mr. W. Hughes Hughes, B.L., started his collection in 1859, and kept a
+strict account of all his expenditure on his hobby, and in 1896 he
+sold to our publishers for close on L3,000 what had cost him only L69.
+
+In 1870 a stamp dealer in London, as a novelty and an advertisement,
+papered his shop windows, walls, and ceiling with unused Ionian
+Islands stamps, which were then a drug in the market. The same stamps
+would now readily sell at 10s. per set of three; in other words, the
+materials of that wall-paper would now be worth at least L5,000.
+
+The late Mr. Pauwels, of Torquay, made a collection which cost him
+L360 up to 1871, when it was put on one side and left untouched until
+1898. It was then purchased by our publishers for the sum of L4,000,
+and yielded them a very fair return on their investment.
+
+In the International Philatelic Exhibition, held in the Galleries of
+the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in Piccadilly,
+London, in 1897, one collector marked over each stamp of his exhibit
+the price which he had paid for it, and the market price of the day.
+The collection had been got together during the previous fifteen
+years, and had cost its owner L25 2s., while by the then latest
+catalogue value it totalled up to L368 1s. 3d.
+
+Shrewd business men are those who frequently invest large sums in
+stamps. The amounts spent annually by some wealthy collectors range
+from L1,000 to L10,000. One well-known Parisian collector, whose life
+has been largely devoted to his philatelic treasures, and who employs
+two secretaries to look after his collection, has, it is estimated,
+spent at least L200,000 on his stamps since 1870.
+
+If investment were the Alpha and Omega of stamp collecting, every
+collector of standing would bemoan lost opportunities. Many a great
+rarity of to-day could have been had for a few shillings a few years
+ago. The Cape errors were sold by Stanley Gibbons at 2s. 6d. each. The
+"Transvral" error was sold by the same generous firm at 4s., and
+others in similar proportion in the day of opportunity.
+
+To-day it is the fashion to look back with regret on those lost
+opportunities, and to nurse the belief that such opportunities are
+never likely to return. But experience shows that in every decade of
+stamp collecting the common stamp of to-day may be the rarity of
+to-morrow. In many a series of stamps some one of the lot from some
+cause or another gets scarce, and the price appreciates from year to
+year till the original price paid for the stamp in pence is
+represented by pounds.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+XIV.
+
+What to Collect and How to Collect.
+
+
+The questions, "What to collect?" and "How to collect?" are much more
+easily asked than answered. Each individual will differ in taste, in
+inclination, in method, in time at his disposal, and last, but not
+least, in the depth of his pocket. The most that can be done is to
+outline a general plan, founded upon general experience.
+
+Collectors are divided into two classes--the general collector and the
+specialist. The general collector takes everything that comes in his
+way, and knows no limitations, no exclusions of this country or that.
+The specialist, on the other hand, confines his attention to the
+stamps of one or more particular groups or divisions, or even to one
+particular country.
+
+The most experienced collectors, whether general or specialist, almost
+invariably advise the beginner to start as a general collector. As a
+beginner he will have no experience to guide him in the choice of a
+particular group or division; and until he has travelled over the
+ground as a general collector it will be difficult for him to make a
+choice which he may not have cause to regret. As a general collector
+he will gather together a general knowledge of stamps in all their
+peculiar varieties, which can scarcely fail to be immensely useful to
+him even should he subsequently drift into specialism. Indeed, it is
+an accepted truism that the man who starts as a general collector
+invariably makes the best specialist in the end.
+
+Starting, then, as a general collector, the beginner purchases an
+album--for choice say the "Imperial," published by Stanley Gibbons,
+Ltd., which on one page has a printed and illustrated list of the
+stamps of a country, and on the opposite page ruled and numbered
+spaces for every stamp mentioned in the printed list. A catalogue,
+setting forth the prices at which stamps may be purchased, should also
+be obtained.
+
+One of the very first questions to be settled at the start will be the
+choice that must be made between the collection of used and of unused.
+The general collector who wishes to collect economically should
+certainly start with what is cheapest; and as the common stamps are
+cheapest in the used condition, used should be selected. When a
+collector can afford to spend his money liberally, the best and
+safest, and cheapest in the long run, will be stamps unused and in the
+pink of condition. Such stamps generally turn out to be a safe and not
+unfrequently a splendid investment.
+
+The beginner will find that he can fill up a large proportion of the
+spaces in his album with comparatively common stamps, and these are
+much more economically purchased in the form of cheap packets. The
+blanks that remain will then represent stamps worth searching for
+separately, and buying singly as good opportunities occur. Many may be
+obtained in exchanging duplicates with other collectors.
+
+After some experience as a general collector, preferences will
+gradually materialise, and the utter hopelessness of making a thorough
+collection of the postal issues of the world will be apparent. At this
+stage the collector generally sells the bulk of his collection,
+reserving only a few countries to be followed up in future on
+specialist lines. The remedy and the change are drastic, and, like
+most drastic remedies, are much too sweeping. Wiser and keener
+Philatelists nowadays retain their general collections, so far as they
+have gone with them, and upon their basis give play to their
+specialist inclinations. That is to say, they single out a country,
+and work at that exclusively on specialist lines; and when they tire
+of that country, or exhaust it so far as their means allow, they have
+in their general collection the nucleus of another country with which
+to build up another specialist collection. On this plan a collector
+can always be working in sympathy and on the lines of the fashionable
+country of the day. He can take up and open out whatever country
+happens to be the vogue. In this way a neglected country every now and
+again comes to the front, and the nucleus of that country which may be
+found in the general collection may suddenly acquire an interest and a
+value never dreamt of. A recent case in point is that of the Orange
+Free State. Its stamps went a-begging for purchasers. Then trouble,
+and unrest, and war brought them into notice, and now the almost
+worthless have become valuable, and the pence have run into shillings,
+and the shillings into pounds.
+
+For many persons, however, limitations and exclusions are necessary
+from the start. In their case a choice must be made, and the safest
+choice will be that of the British Colonies, or, if a still more
+restricted line must be drawn, one of the Continental groups of
+Colonies. A glance at a priced catalogue will be the best guide for
+selection. If it must be an economical selection, the catalogue will
+speak for itself. There is abundant choice in every direction. There
+are colonies with few and simple and inexpensive issues, and there are
+others that require ample means and patient research. But the cheapest
+countries, from an expenditure point of view, are foreign
+countries--such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, German Empire, Italy,
+Chili, China, and so on.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+XV.
+
+Great Collections.
+
+
+Great collections of postage stamps, like great collections of
+pictures, in these days acquire an international rank and reputation.
+The great stamp collections of to-day are in a few hands, and have
+been built up by lavish wealth and lavish industry. Wealth alone will
+not suffice to gather together a really great philatelic collection.
+There must be patient research, and there can be no research apart
+from that full knowledge which comes only to the industrious and
+painstaking Philatelist. The gem that is wanted to complete the finest
+page in the rich man's collection has not unfrequently to be
+personally sought for in the byways, the alleys, and lanes of stamp
+collecting; and despite the keenest search of the wealthy, it
+sometimes, after all, falls by grim mischance into the laboriously
+gathered collection of the man of very limited means.
+
+The Prince of Wales is known to be an enthusiastic and keen stamp
+collector. He is the acting President of the Philatelic Society of
+London. During his recent tour round the world he displayed his great
+interest in the postal issues of the colonies which he visited, and
+brought home much valuable philatelic information and a number of
+proofs of sheets of old colonial stamps which will help to clear up
+many doubtful points. H.R.H. collects only the stamps of Great Britain
+and her colonies, and he possesses many specimens that are absolutely
+unique.
+
+The collection which was made by the late Mr. T. K. Tapling, M.P., is
+now in the keeping of the British Museum, having been bequeathed to
+the nation by its possessor, who was one of the most cultured and
+shrewdest collectors of his day. His collection was his
+life-work--from boyhood till his early death in 1891. It was largely
+made up of the amalgamation of great collections. In his day Tapling
+had the first pick in every direction, and, as a result, his
+collection is to-day one of the grandest and richest and most
+scientific general collections extant. Great rarities may be said to
+be conspicuous by their prominence and by their matchless condition.
+
+But the greatest collection of all is that of M. Philipp la Renotiere,
+of Paris, known to most collectors as Herr von Ferrary. In the course
+of the last thirty years he has purchased many well-known old
+collections, amongst which may be mentioned that of Judge Philbrick
+for L7,000, Sir Daniel Cooper's for L3,000, W. B. Thornhill's
+Australians, etc. M. la Renotiere has been a large buyer in the
+leading capitals of Europe for a great many years. His expenditure
+with our own publishers is said to average from L3,000 to L4,000 a
+year. He employs two secretaries who are paid large salaries, one to
+look after the postage stamps and the other the post cards, envelopes,
+and wrappers.
+
+Mr. F. Breitfuss, of St. Petersburg, who has been collecting since
+1860, is credited with the third finest collection in the world. He
+is an omnivorous, but scientific general collector.
+
+Mr. H. J. Duveen, the well-known art connoisseur of London and New
+York, although he did not take to stamp collecting till 1892, has
+already got together the finest collection, outside the British
+Museum, in this country. It is celebrated not only for the beauty of
+its specimens, but also for its completeness, neatness, and scientific
+arrangement. The value of the collection is probably close on L80,000.
+It is enclosed in seventy handsome Oriel albums.
+
+Mr. W. B. Avery, head of the well-known firm of scale-makers of
+Birmingham, has one of the finest general collections. It is justly
+celebrated for the large number of great rarities that it contains,
+amongst which are the two rare "Post Office" Mauritius in superb
+unused condition. The collection cannot be worth at present far short
+of L50,000.
+
+Mr. M. P. Castle, the Vice-President of the Philatelic Society of
+London, who succeeded the late Mr. Tapling in office, is one of the
+keenest of keen collectors. His general collection became so large
+that he parted with it in 1877, and then specialised in Australians.
+This latter collection he sold, in 1894, to our publishers for
+L10,000, at that time the largest sum ever paid for a single
+collection. He subsequently made a grand specialised collection of
+Europeans. This, arranged in sixty-seven volumes, he sold, in 1900,
+for nearly L30,000, and he has now returned to his love for
+Australians.
+
+The Earl of Crawford and Balcarres is a collector of only recent date,
+but he has already formed a really magnificent collection based on
+broad historical lines. He confines himself mostly to the stamps of
+the British Empire, the United States, and the Italian States. His
+lordship is a member of the Council of the Philatelic Society of
+London, and, when in England, a regular attendant at its meetings.
+
+The Earl of Kintore is also the possessor of a very fine collection of
+English Colonials, etc.; among his greater rarities being the "Post
+Office" Mauritius, the complete set of Hawaiian Islands (first issue),
+the 2 cents, rose, British Guiana, and many other gems. He also is a
+member of the London Philatelic Society.
+
+In France the place of honour, after M. la Renotiere, is deservedly
+taken by M. Paul Mirabaud, the well-known banker of Paris, whose
+magnificent collection of Switzerland was shown in the last Paris
+Exhibition. It forms, however, only a small portion of his fine
+collection.
+
+In Italy probably the most famous collection is that of Prince Doria
+Pamphilj, which is exceptionally rich in the interesting issues of the
+Italian States.
+
+In the United States of America there are many notable collections,
+several of them being worth from L30,000 to L50,000, amongst which may
+be mentioned the Crockers', of San Francisco, Mr. F. W. Ayer's, of
+Bangor, Maine, and Mr. Paul's, of Philadelphia.
+
+In Germany the greatest collection is doubtless that of Mr. Martin
+Schroeder, the well known merchant of Leipzig.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+
+
+
+Stanley Gibbons, Ltd.
+
+_CAPITAL, L75,000. ESTABLISHED 1856._
+
+HIGHEST POSSIBLE AWARDS.
+
+_GOLD MEDAL, Paris, 1892._
+
+_GOLD MEDAL, Chicago, 1893._
+
+FIVE MEDALS
+(_Highest in each Class_),
+GENEVA, 1896.
+
+FOUR MEDALS
+(_Highest in each Class_),
+LONDON, 1897.
+
+The above-mentioned high rewards gained by the Firm have been awarded
+for the perfect condition and completeness of Stamp Collections, and
+for general excellence in Stamp Albums, Catalogues, and Handbooks.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Rare
+Stamps
+Bought, Sold, or Exchanged.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_LARGE NEW PROSPECTUS_
+(_Seventy-six Pages_),
+
+With full details of all
+STAMP ALBUMS,
+CATALOGUES, HANDBOOKS,
+and List of nearly
+2,000 SETS and PACKETS
+at Bargain Prices,
+
+_sent post-free on application_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+STANLEY GIBBONS,
+
+LIMITED,
+
+New Announcements.
+
+_ANNUAL SALE OVER THIRTY THOUSAND PACKETS._
+
+NOW READY, the following Popular Series of
+
+PACKETS OF FOREIGN POSTAGE STAMPS
+
+_All the Stamps contained in the following Packets are warranted
+absolutely genuine, free from reprints. They are also in good
+condition and perfect._
+
+These Packets cannot be sent by book post to Postal Union Countries.
+The cost by letter rate is 2-1/2d. for every 100 Stamps. The amount
+required for postage can therefore be reckoned, and should be added
+when remitting.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_New and Improved Packets of Used and Unused Stamps._
+
+No. 1.--The Sixpenny Packet of Mixed Continental Stamps contains 100,
+including many obsolete and rare. (This packet contains duplicates.)
+Post-free, 7d.
+
+No. 2.--The Sixpenny Packet of Used Foreign Stamps contains 50
+varieties, all different, including Egypt, Spain, Chili, New South
+Wales, Transvaal, Roumania, Porto Rico, Argentine, Sweden, Brazil,
+Turkey, &c. Post-free, 7d.
+
+No. 3.--The Sixpenny Packet of Used Colonial Stamps contains 12
+varieties, including Natal, Ceylon, India H.M.S., Cape of Good Hope,
+British Guiana, Mauritius, Tasmania, New South Wales Service,
+Victoria, Jamaica, South Australia O.S., &c. All different. Post-free,
+7d.
+
+No. 4.--The Shilling Packet of Used and Unused Foreign Stamps contains
+50 varieties, including French Soudan, Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal,
+Sandwich Isles (head of King), Italy, Turkey, Finland, Brazil,
+Roumania, Portugal, Argentine Republic, Ecuador, Salvador, Greece,
+Mexico, Shanghai, Philippine Isles, Japan, and others rare. All
+different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 5.--The Shilling Packet of Colonial Stamps contains 25 varieties,
+including Cyprus, Natal, Jamaica, provisional South Australia,
+Victoria 1/2d. rose, surcharged Ceylon, Straits Settlements, India
+Service, Queensland, Hong Kong, Barbados, Swan River, South Australia,
+Centennial New South Wales, Mauritius, Malta, and others rare. All
+different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 6.--The Eighteenpenny Packet of Used Foreign Stamps contains 100
+varieties, including Mauritius, Hong Kong, Finland, Japan 15 and 25
+sen, Barbados, Chili, Brazil, Greece, Russia, Porto Rico, India
+envelope, Jamaica, Belgium, Spain, Canada, &c. All different and
+warranted genuine. Post-free, 1/7.
+
+No. 7.--The Two Shilling Packet of Rare Used and Unused Foreign Stamps
+contains 100 varieties, including Porto Rico, Colombia, New Zealand,
+registered Canada, rare Turkish, Dutch Indies, Ceylon, Mozambique,
+Mauritius, Portugal, French Colonies, O. F. State, Cyprus, Norway,
+Sardinia, Belgium, West Australia, Chili, Egypt, Bavaria, and others
+rare. All different and warranted genuine. Post-free, 2/1.
+
+
+
+
+Approval Sheets and Collections of Stamps.
+
+NEW SHEETS OF STAMPS FOR BEGINNERS AND MEDIUM COLLECTORS.
+
+
+We have just been arranging our Approval Sheets of Stamps on an
+entirely new and much simpler plan than formerly. The Stamps are
+mounted on Sheets, containing an average of 100 Stamps per Sheet. They
+are all arranged in the order of our New Catalogue. First, Great
+Britain and the Colonies, then all Foreign Countries. These Sheets
+contain about 5,000 different Stamps, and a Sheet of any particular
+country will be sent on demand. The Sheets arranged to date are over
+forty in number, and contain all Great Britain and the Colonies, and
+all Foreign Countries.
+
+TO ADVANCED COLLECTORS.--For Collectors more advanced we have an
+assortment of many hundreds of small books of Choice picked Stamps of
+every Country or District in the World. Most of these special books
+contain twenty pages (5x3-1/2 inches), and can be sent by post in an
+ordinary registered envelope to all parts of the world. These books,
+as a rule, include Used and Unused Stamps, but Special Approval Books
+will be made up to suit individual requirements. Collectors writing
+for such should state if they wish for Used or Unused Stamps; if
+singles, pairs, or blocks of 4 are required; also, in Used Stamps, if
+special Postmarks are sought for. In all cases, in these books, we
+shall lay ourselves out to meet the special requirements of each
+individual client, whether the amount required be large or small.
+
+Great Rarities are our Speciality. We have a large number of Stamps on
+hand from L100 to L750 each, and shall be pleased to give prices and
+particulars to advanced Philatelists.
+
+We purchase really Rare Stamps at a much higher Cash Price than that
+paid by any other Stamp Merchant.
+
+
+
+
+Grand Collection Packets.
+
+NEW AND GREATLY REDUCED PRICES FOR 1902.
+
+
+No. 64 CONTAINS 100 VARIETIES,
+
+Including used and unused. Price 6d.; post-free, 7d.
+
+No. 65 CONTAINS 250 DIFFERENT VARIETIES,
+
+Both used and unused Stamps, Envelopes [box] and Post Cards [box] and is
+well recommended as a capital start for a collector. Price 3/-;
+post-free, 3/1.
+
+No. 66, 500 VARIETIES,
+
+And is strongly recommended as the cheapest collection of 500
+different Stamps ever offered--the Stamps could not be bought
+separately for three times the marvellously low price at which it is
+now offered. The Stamps, &c., are clean, picked specimens fit for any
+collection. The best 500 varieties in the trade.
+
+Price 6/-; post-free, 6/1.
+
+No. 67, 1,000 VARIETIES.
+
+This packet contains 1,000 different Stamps (and no Envelopes, Bands,
+and Cards), and is the cheapest packet ever offered by S. G., Ltd.,
+satisfaction being absolutely guaranteed. The price it is offered at
+is the lowest ever quoted for such a collection, embracing as it does
+scores of scarce varieties, provisionals, new issues, and many very
+fine and obsolete varieties.
+
+Price L1, post-free and registered.
+
+No. 68, 1,500 VARIETIES.
+
+Each specimen is in perfect condition, and the 1,500 different Stamps
+form a noble start for anyone. A large number of really rare and
+valuable Stamps are contained in this collection; but it is impossible
+to enumerate them, as we are constantly adding New Issues and Older
+Stamps when we purchase such. Satisfaction is guaranteed. Price L2
+10s., post-free and registered.
+
+No. 69, 2,000 VARIETIES.
+
+A grand packet for a dealer or collector, every Stamp being different
+and genuine, and thus forming a choice collection in itself or a stock
+to make up sheets or for exchange purposes. Price L4 10s., post-free
+and registered.
+
+No. 69A, 3,000 VARIETIES.
+
+A very fine packet, containing many rare stamps, all arranged in
+order, and mounted ready to price or remove to a collection.
+
+Price L11 10s., post-free and registered.
+
+No. 69B, 4,000 VARIETIES.
+
+A valuable collection, all mounted on sheets in order. Really good
+value; being sold by us to collectors at less than the price usually
+charged in the trade.
+
+Price L18, post-free and registered.
+
+
+
+
+Grand New Variety Packets.
+
+
+In order to meet the wishes of a great number of our customers, we
+have prepared a series of packets, as under, entirely different from
+one another, no stamp in any one packet being in any of the rest of
+the series; and the purchaser of the series of eight packets will have
+1,305 extra good varieties, and no duplicates.
+
+These packets do NOT contain any Post Cards, cut Envelopes, Fiscals,
+or Reprints, and are well recommended as good value, and are only a
+small proportion of the Catalogue value of the single stamps contained
+in them.
+
+No. 70 contains 500 Stamps of Europe, all different.   Price 7/6; post-free, 7/8.
+ "  71    "     125 Stamps of Asia           "               7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  72    "     125 Stamps of Africa         "               7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  73    "     105 Stamps of Australia      "               7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  74    "     125 Stamps of West Indies    "               7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  75    "     125 Stamps of South America, all different.  7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  76    "     100 Stamps of North America          "       7/6      "      7/7.
+ "  77    "     100 Stamps of Central America        "       7/6      "      7/7.
+
+The set of eight packets, containing 1,305 varieties, if all bought at
+one time, will be supplied at the special reduced price of 55/-.
+Postage abroad 2-1/2d. extra for each 125 stamps.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_THE JUBILEE EXHIBITION PACKETS._
+
+No. 78.--The "Queen's Portrait" Packet. 100 Stamps. Price 10s.
+
+The Ten Shilling Packet contains 100 Unused Postage Stamps, each one
+bearing a likeness of HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA. This packet contains
+perfect specimens only, nearly all with original gum. This is a real
+bargain, but as an extra inducement to purchasers we present a
+specimen of a Diamond Jubilee Stamp with each packet; thus each buyer
+becomes a subscriber to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales' Hospital Fund.
+
+No. 79.--The "Queen's Portrait" Packet. 100 Rare Colonials. Price L1
+10s.
+
+The Thirty Shilling Packet contains 100 rare unused Postage Stamps,
+each one bearing a likeness of HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA. The stamps
+in this packet are entirely different from those in No. 78, and
+purchasers of both will thus possess two hundred distinct varieties.
+Most of the English Colonies are represented by carefully-selected
+specimens of the higher value stamps. With this packet we present the
+Half-crown Diamond Jubilee Stamp; thus each purchaser subscribes that
+sum to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales' Hospital Fund.
+
+No. 80.--The "Picturesque" Packet. 100 Pictures. Price 12s. 6d.
+
+Contains 100 Unused Stamps in perfect condition, each one being
+especially selected for beauty, quaintness, or originality of design.
+Among others, we mention:
+
+Natives Paddling on the Congo River.
+Native Village and Scenery in the Congo District.
+A Native Village in Djibouti. The Bridge of Sighs in Kewkiang.
+
+ZOOLOGY IS REPRESENTED BY--The Elephant, the Hippopotamus, the Bird of
+Paradise, the Stag, the Codfish.
+
+Three of the exquisite Portraits of Her Majesty, as depicted on the
+Canadian Jubilee Stamps, showing the Vignettes of the Queen in 1837
+and 1897, form an appropriate addition to this choice and remarkable
+packet.
+
+
+
+
+GREATER BRITAIN PACKETS
+
+OF
+
+_British Colonial Stamps_.
+
+NO DUPLICATES.
+
+
+EVERY Packet of this series contains different varieties, no Stamp
+being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by this novel
+method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates, which is as
+a rule the bane of most packet buying.
+
+                                                 |Price.  |Post-free. |
+                                                 |s. _d._ |s. _d_.    |
+
+No. 111| contains |20 varieties of Stamps of ASIA| 0 6    | 0 7       |
+
+    112|    "     |25      "     "    "          | 2 0    | 2 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    113|    "     |40      "     "    "          | 3 6    | 3 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    114|    "     |40      "     "    "          | 6 6    | 6 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    115|    "     |50      "     "    "          |16 6    |16 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    116|    "     |45      "     "    "          |12 0    |12 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    117|    "     |30      "     "    "          | 4 0    | 4 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    118|    "     |40      "     "    "          |21 0    |21 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    121|    "     |20      "     "    "    AFRICA| 0 6    | 0 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    122|    "     |25      "     "    "          | 2 6    | 2 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    141|    "     |20      "     "    WEST INDIES| 0 9    | 0 10      |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    142|    "     |20      "     "    "          | 2 0    | 2 1       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    151|    "     |25      "     "    AUSTRALASIA| 0 6    | 0 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    152|    "     |30      "     "    "          | 1 6    | 1 7       |
+       |          |                              |        |           |
+    153|    "     |30      "     "    "          | 4 6    | 4 7       |
+
+FOREIGN COUNTRIES PACKETS
+
+OF
+
+_European Stamps_.
+
+EVERY Packet in this series contains different varieties, no
+particular stamp being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by
+this method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates.
+
+                                                  |Price.  |Post-free.|
+                                                  |s. _d._ |s. _d_.   |
+
+No. 201 contains| 50 varieties of Stamps of Europe|0 9     |0 10      |
+
+202        "    |40      "      "    "    "    "  |1 0     |1 1       |
+                |                                 |        |          |
+203        "    |50      "      "    "    "    "  |2 0     |2 1       |
+                |                                 |        |          |
+204        "    |30      "      "    "    "    "  |2 6     |2 7       |
+                |                                 |        |          |
+205        "    |50      "      "    "    "    "  |3 6     |3 7       |
+                |                                 |        |          |
+206        "    |60      "      "    "    "    "  |7 6     |7 7       |
+
+
+
+
+THE 20th CENTURY PACKETS
+
+Of Envelopes, Registered Envelopes, Wrappers, and Letter Sheets,
+
+ALL UNUSED, ENTIRE, AND GUARANTEED GENUINE ORIGINALS.
+
+NO DUPLICATES.
+
+Every Packet of this series contains different Envelopes, etc., no
+piece being included in two Packets, and purchasers will by this novel
+method be saved the inconvenience of acquiring duplicates, which is as
+a rule the bane of most packet buying.
+
+The prices of these new Packets are wonderfully cheap, as we are
+clearing off our stock of entires.
+
+_These Packets cannot be sent by book post abroad. The average rate
+abroad by letter post or parcel post varies so much that sufficient
+should be remitted, and balance, if any, will be credited or returned.
+The prices quoted "post-free" are for Great Britain only._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+ENVELOPE PACKETS.
+
+_Section I.--GREAT BRITAIN & COLONIES._
+
+No. 601.--Contains 29 common varieties, including Bechuanaland,
+Chamba, Cochin, Leeward Isles, etc. Price 2/-; post-free, 2/1.
+
+No. 602.--Contains 36 scarce varieties, including Great Britain
+compound, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Cape, Ceylon, Gibraltar, Grenada,
+Heligoland, etc. Price 8/6; post-free, 8/7.
+
+No. 603.--Contains 36 scarce varieties, including Newfoundland, New
+South Wales, St. Vincent, South Australia, Trinidad, and a really
+grand lot of Victorian. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/1.
+
+No. 604.--Contains 47 varieties of Great Britain only, including a
+superb lot of the rarer compound Envelopes, old dates and high values;
+also scarce Registered Envelopes, Wrappers, etc. A very fine packet
+and good value. Price 40/-; post-free, 40/2.
+
+No. 605.--Contains 50 _rare_ varieties of Bahamas, Barbados, British
+Bechuanaland, British Central and East and South Africa, British
+Guiana, Canada, Cape, and Ceylon. Price 25/-; post-free, 25/3.
+
+No. 606.--Contains 45 _rare_ varieties, including some very scarce
+Ceylon registered, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Gold Coast, Grenada, Heligoland,
+and India. Price 27/6; post-free, 27/9.
+
+No. 607.--Contains 34 varieties of the Indian States, including
+Chamba, Gwalior, Jhind, Nabha, Puttialla, Bamra, Charkhari, Cochin,
+Duttia, Holkar, Hyderabad, and Travancore. Price 10/-; post-free,
+10/1.
+
+No. 608.--Contains 29 scarce varieties of Leeward Isles, Malta,
+Mauritius, Newfoundland, New South Wales, New Zealand, and Niger
+Coast. Price 12/-; post-free, 12/2.
+
+No. 609.--Contains 29 scarce varieties of Queensland, St. Lucia, St.
+Vincent, Sierra Leone, South Australia, Straits Settlements, Tasmania,
+Tobago, Trinidad, and Victoria. Price 12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+SPECIAL OFFER.
+
+Packets 601 to 609 inclusive, containing 335 different varieties of
+Envelopes, Wrappers, etc., of Great Britain and her Colonies. Price L6
+10s. Postage extra.
+
+
+
+
+ENVELOPES.
+
+_Section II.--FOREIGN COUNTRIES._
+
+No. 610.--Contains 20 common varieties. Price 1/-; post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 611.--Contains 21 scarcer varieties. Price 2/6; post-free, 2/7.
+
+No. 612.--Contains 21 varieties, including Argentine, Brazil, Ecuador,
+Guatemala, etc. Price 4/6; post-free, 4/7.
+
+No. 613.--Contains 24 varieties, including Persia, Russia, Shanghai,
+Uruguay, etc. Price 6/6; post-free, 6/7.
+
+No. 614.--Contains 41 scarce varieties of Argentine, Austria, Austrian
+Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chili, and Costa Rica. Price
+16/6; post-free, 16/8.
+
+No. 615.--Contains 62 varieties of Danish West Indies, Ecuador, Egypt,
+France, and Envelopes of _twenty_ different French Colonies. Price
+12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+No. 616.--Contains 43 _rare_ varieties of the German States, including
+very scarce Lubeck, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
+Prussian, Saxony, Thurn and Taxis, Wurtemberg, etc. A really good
+packet and exceptional value. Price 50/-; post-free, 50/3.
+
+No. 617.--Contains 40 varieties of Guatemala, Hawaiian Isles, Holland,
+Dutch Indies, and Honduras. Price 12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+No. 618.--Contains 35 scarce varieties of Japan, including rare plate
+numbers, Liberia, Mexico, Monaco, and Montenegro. Price 20/-;
+post-free, 20/3.
+
+No. 619.--Contains 30 varieties of Nicaragua, especially strong in the
+older issues. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/1.
+
+No. 620.--Contains 38 scarce varieties of Paraguay, Persia, Peru,
+Portugal, Roumania, Russia, etc. Price 18/6; post-free, 18/9.
+
+No. 621.--Contains 39 scarce varieties of Finland, Russian Local
+Envelopes, Shanghai, Transvaal, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,
+and Uruguay. Price 17/6; post-free, 17/9.
+
+No. 622.--Contains 77 varieties of Salvador, including many really
+rare and provisional issues. A very fine and interesting set. Price
+25/-; post-free, 25/3.
+
+No. 623.--Contains 32 old varieties of the United States of America,
+including scarce dies and papers of the Reay and Plimpton issues, and
+the old 3 cent letter sheet on blue paper. Price 15/-; post-free,
+15/3.
+
+SPECIAL OFFER.
+
+PACKETS 610 to 623 inclusive, containing 527 varieties of Envelopes,
+Wrappers, etc., of Foreign Countries. Price L9 5s. Postage extra.
+
+
+
+
+THE 20th CENTURY PACKETS
+
+Of Post Cards and Letter Cards.
+
+_ALL UNUSED, ENTIRE, AND GUARANTEED GENUINE ORIGINALS._
+
+NO DUPLICATES.
+
+POST CARD PACKETS.
+
+_Section I.--GREAT BRITAIN & COLONIES._
+
+No. 650.--Contains 13 common varieties. Price 1/-; post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 651.--Contains 13 common varieties, different from the last. Price
+1/-; post-free, 1/1.
+
+No. 652.--Contains 16 common varieties, all different from those in
+the other packets. Price 1/3; post-free, 1/4.
+
+No. 653.--Contains 24 scarce varieties of Cards, including Bangkok,
+Barbados, British Central Africa, etc. Price 4/6; post-free, 4/7.
+
+No. 654.--Contains 26 scarce varieties, including Falkland, Gibraltar,
+Heligoland, Hong Kong, etc. Price 4/6; post-free, 4/7.
+
+No. 655.--Contains 23 scarce varieties, including Nevis, Newfoundland,
+North Borneo, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, etc. Price 4/-; post-free, 4/1.
+
+No. 656.--Contains 24 scarce varieties, including Tasmania, Tobago,
+Trinidad, Turks Islands, Virgin Isles, Zululand, etc. Price 4/-;
+post-free, 4/1.
+
+No. 657.--Contains 38 rare varieties, including scarce Cards from
+Great Britain, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, etc. Price 10/-;
+post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 658.--Contains 47 rare varieties from British Central, East, and
+South Africa, Canada, Ceylon, Cape of Good Hope, Cyprus, Gambia, etc.
+Price 10/6; post-free, 10/8.
+
+No. 659.--Contains 47 rare varieties from Gibraltar, Gold Coast,
+Grenada, Heligoland, Hong Kong, India, Chamba, Gwalior, Puttialla,
+etc. Price 12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+No. 660.--Contains 39 rare varieties from Sirmoor, Cashmere, Jamaica,
+Labuan, Montserrat, Natal, Nevis, etc. Price 12/6; post-free, 12/8.
+
+No. 661.--Contains 41 rare varieties, including New South Wales, New
+Zealand, Niger Coast, North Borneo, Queensland, St. Lucia, Seychelles,
+Sierra Leone, etc. Price 9/6; post-free, 9/8.
+
+No. 662.--Contains 41 rare varieties from South Australia, Straits,
+Tasmania, Tobago, Trinidad, Turks Islands, Victoria, Western
+Australia, etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+SPECIAL OFFER.
+
+Packets 650 to 662 inclusive, containing a really grand collection of
+392 varieties of Post Cards of Great Britain and Colonies. Price L4.
+Postage extra.
+
+
+
+
+Section II.--FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
+
+No. 670.--Contains 20 common varieties. Price 1/6; post-free, 1/7.
+
+No. 671.--Contains 27 other common varieties. Price 2/6; post-free,
+2/7.
+
+No. 672.--Contains 38 varieties, including some scarce. Price 3/-;
+post-free, 3/1.
+
+No. 673.--Contains 35 varieties, including some scarce ones. Price
+3/6; post-free, 3/7.
+
+No. 674.--Contains 31 scarcer varieties, including Austrian Italy,
+Hungary, Belgium, Congo, and Brazil. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/1.
+
+No. 675.--Contains 31 scarce varieties, including Bulgaria, Chili,
+Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Morocco, Tunis, etc. Price 4/-;
+post-free, 4/1.
+
+No. 676.--Contains 36 scarce varieties, including German East Africa,
+Greece, Guatemala, Hawaiian Islands, Holland, Curacao, Dutch Indies,
+Surinam, etc. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/2.
+
+No. 677.--Contains 45 scarce varieties, including Italy, Eritrea, San
+Marino, Japan, Luxemburg, Mexico, etc. Price 8/-; post-free, 8/2.
+
+No. 678.--Contains 48 scarce varieties, including Monaco, Montenegro,
+Nicaragua, Orange Free State, Paraguay, Persia, Peru, Azores, Madeira,
+etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 679.--Contains 39 scarce varieties from Roumania, Russia, Finland,
+Servia, Shanghai, Siam, South African Republic, Spain, etc. Price 7/-;
+post-free, 7/2.
+
+No. 680.--Contains 45 scarce varieties from Cuba, Norway, Sweden,
+Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, etc. Price 9/6; post-free, 9/8.
+
+No. 681.--Contains 39 rare varieties from Argentine, Austrian Italy,
+Hungary, etc. Price 6/6; post-free, 6/7.
+
+No. 682.--Contains 51 rare varieties from Belgium, Congo, Bolivia,
+Brazil, etc. Price 15/-; post-free, 15/2.
+
+No. 683.--Contains 54 rare varieties from Bulgaria, Chili, Colombia,
+Costa Rica, Denmark, Iceland, etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 684.--Contains 54 rare varieties from Ecuador, Egypt, France,
+Tunis, Baden, Bavaria, etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 685.--Contains 72 rare varieties from Wurtemberg, Greece,
+Guatemala, Hawaiian Islands, Hayti, Holland and Colonies. Price 15/-;
+post-free, 15/3.
+
+No. 686.--Contains 62 rare varieties from Italy, Japan, Luxemburg,
+Mexico, etc. Price 14/-; post-free, 14/3.
+
+No. 687.--Contains 50 rare varieties from Monaco, Montenegro,
+Nicaragua, Paraguay, Persia, etc. Price 10/-; post-free, 10/2.
+
+No. 688.--Contains 59 rare varieties from Peru, Portugal and Colonies,
+Roumania, etc. Price 15/-; post-free, 15/3.
+
+No. 689.--Contains 78 rare varieties from Russia, Finland, Salvador,
+etc. Price 15/-; post-free, 15/3.
+
+No. 690.--Contains 48 rare varieties from Shanghai, Siam, Spain and
+Colonies, Sweden, etc. Price 16/6; post-free, 16/8.
+
+No. 691.--Contains 43 rare varieties from Switzerland, Turkey, United
+States, Uruguay, Venezuela, etc. Price 9/6; post-free, 9/8.
+
+SPECIAL OFFER.
+
+Packets 670 to 691 inclusive, containing a superb collection of 1,005
+varieties of _Post Cards_ of Foreign Countries; a bargain. Price L8
+10s. Postage extra.
+
+
+
+
+SIXTIETH THOUSAND.
+
+_1/- each_.
+
+THE SEVENTH EDITION OF
+
+The Improved Postage Stamp Album,
+
+No. 0.
+
+THE BEST AND LARGEST SHILLING ALBUM EVER PUBLISHED.
+
+176 large pages. Spaces for 4,700 Stamps.
+
+48 extra pages added in this Edition without extra charge.
+
+_This Album is now selling at the rate of over 1,000 copies a month_.
+
+The demand for this Album has simply been phenomenal, and it gives
+universal satisfaction--not a single complaint has been received. The
+last Edition had nearly 20 extra pages added, and now another 48 pages
+have been added, and all the Geographical and Historical Notes brought
+up fully to date. All the newest Stamp-issuing countries, such as
+Ichang, Las Bela, Tientsin, Bundi, Dhar, etc. etc., have been added.
+At the top of each page there is the name of the country, and a mass
+of valuable information, including date when Stamps were issued,
+population, area, reigning sovereign, capital, etc. Spaces of proper
+sizes are provided for all Stamps, and the book is bound in a superior
+manner in gilt cloth. The Album contains a pocket to hold duplicate
+Stamps, and fifty Stamps will be presented _gratis_ with each Album.
+There is also an Illustrated Frontispiece of the Rarest Stamps, with
+prices attached that we pay for each.
+
+Price, bound in handsome gilt cloth, 1/-, or post-free 1/3.
+
+     E. S. says: "I asked a friend where the best place was to buy a
+     Stamp Album cheap. He referred me to you, saying that he had bought
+     one and sold it next day for 1/6, after keeping the stamps."
+
+     A. A. writes: "I received your Stamp Album on Thursday, and I
+     wonder how you can sell it so cheap; for as soon as a friend saw it
+     he offered me 2/- for it. Please send me another."
+
+     C. A. W. writes: "Please send me one of your marvellous 1/- Albums,
+     with packet of stamps, in order that I may convince my incredulous
+     friends that such a thing is possible."
+
+     Miss M. R. writes from Piccadilly: "I was greatly pleased with the
+     Album I received this morning, which all my friends admired, and
+     thought it very cheap."
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+Improved Postage Stamp Album.
+
+_FOURTEENTH EDITION_.
+
+GREATLY ENLARGED AND RE-WRITTEN.
+
+Size of Page, 10 by 7-3/4 ins.
+
+_One Hundred Stamps, all different, are presented with each Album
+sold_.
+
+[Illustration: COVER OF NO. 3.]
+
+This new Edition is printed on a _superior_ quality paper, especially
+made for it. The shape is oblong, and spaces are provided according to
+the different requirements of the various countries.
+
+A large number of guards have been provided so that the Album shall
+not bulge when full.
+
+The Album is divided into Continents, and the name of the country only
+is given at the head of each page.
+
+Fifty-seven different watermarks are illustrated in actual size, and
+lists are given of the various watermarks of the different countries.
+
+Two pages of illustrations of _rare stamps_ are given, with the price
+under each stamp that we will pay for it.
+
+Special attention has been paid to the binding, which is exceptionally
+strong, and the covers are artistically designed.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_PRICES (all well Packed)._
+
+No. 2.--Strongly and neatly bound in Plain Cloth, gilt lettered back
+and sides, 304 pages. Price 3/6; post-free, 3/11; abroad, 4/6.
+
+No. 3.--Well bound in Art Vellum, as illustration, blocked in gold and
+colours, 304 pages. Price 5/-; post-free, 5/6; abroad, 6/2.
+
+No. 4.--Handsomely half-bound, Art Vellum sides, gold lines and gilt
+letters on back, gilt edges, with extra leaves after each continent
+for new issues, making in, all 368 pages. Price 7/6; post-free, 8/-;
+abroad, 8/9.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+EXTRA LEAVES
+
+_Can be supplied to this and the older small sizes, as under._
+
+14th (New) Edition.
+               Plain edges, for Nos. 2 or 3 ... 9d. per doz.; 5/- per 100.
+               Gilt    "     "   No. 4      ... 1/3   "       8/6   "
+
+12th or 13th Edition (smaller size)--
+               Plain edges, for Nos. 2 or 3 ... 6d.   "       3/9   "
+               Gilt    "     "   No. 4      ... 1/-   "       7/-   "
+
+
+
+
+NEW EDITION.
+
+_100 POSTAGE STAMPS, all genuine and
+different, and of a catalogue value of over 8/-, are presented with
+each STRAND ALBUM_.
+
+THE STRAND POSTAGE STAMP ALBUM.
+
+Well arranged, reliable, and thoroughly correct.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The book, which is printed on an unusually good quality paper, is
+bound in a new and specially designed cover. The shape is as
+illustrated, and the size a new and convenient one, viz. 9-1/2 in. by
+7-1/2 inches. Sufficient guards have been inserted so that when the
+Album is full the covers shall be level with each other, and not
+bulged, as is often the case in imperfectly constructed books.
+
+Nos. 15 and 16 include a series of Six Maps, specially engraved for
+this Publication, and beautifully printed in Colours.
+
+No. 14. 320 pages. Spaces for 8,000 Stamps.
+
+Nos. 15 and 16. 400 pages. Spaces for 11,000 Stamps.
+
+Concise Geographical and other particulars with Illustrations are
+given at the head of each country, the pages being divided into
+rectangles, as is usual, with this most important innovation, that
+they vary in size so as to conveniently accommodate the Stamps desired
+to be placed in position. This is an advantageous improvement that
+will commend itself to every collector. Post Cards are not provided
+for, as all Philatelists of experience know it is best to collect them
+separately.
+
+A new and very important departure has been made in Nos. 15 and 16, in
+including for the first time in any Philatelic Album a series of Six
+specially drawn Maps, printed in colours, and giving the names of all
+Stamp-issuing Countries. They are of course fully brought up to date,
+and are not needlessly encumbered with unnecessary names, so as to
+increase their usefulness for easy and instant reference.
+
+Each Album now has four full-page Illustrations of the Watermarks
+found on all Stamps.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+PRICES.
+
+No. 14.--Strongly and neatly bound in plain cloth, gilt lettered, 320
+pages, 2/6; post-free, 2/11; abroad, 3/4.
+
+No. 15.--Strongly and handsomely bound in plain cloth, with gilt edges
+and lettering, and 6 Maps, and 80 extra leaves, 5/-; post-free, 5/5;
+abroad, 6/-.
+
+No. 16.--Handsomely bound in half morocco, lettered on back, plain
+cloth sides, with 6 Maps, gilt edges, 400 pages, 8/6; post-free, 9/-;
+abroad, 9/6.
+
+BLANK LEAVES. For No. 14.--9d. per dozen; 5/- per 100, post-free. For
+No. 15 or 16, gilt edges.--1/3 per dozen; 9/- per 100, post-free.
+
+
+
+
+THE CENTURY ALBUM.
+
+[Illustration: ALL THE WORLD IN ONE VOLUME.]
+
+_NOW READY. In One Volume, 580 pages. Size of each page 10 by 13
+inches._
+
+The CENTURY ALBUM
+
+OF THE
+
+Postage Stamps of the World.
+
+_Including a full Descriptive Catalogue, and Illustrated with several
+thousand full-sized reproductions of the Stamps_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+This Album is produced in a very large edition at a cost of between
+L2,000 and L3,000, and will be found to fulfil a long-felt want for an
+Album in One Volume, of high-class style, and on thoroughly good and
+highly surfaced paper, well and strongly bound.
+
+The Century Album is printed on one side of the paper only, catalogue
+and illustrations on the left, and numbered spaces to correspond on
+the right-hand pages.
+
+All minor varieties of perforation, watermark, and type are omitted,
+and only such varieties are included as can be distinguished by the
+young Philatelist.
+
+Space has been provided for some 18,000 stamps, and provision made for
+new issues by the insertion of numerous blank pages.
+
+IN TWO QUALITIES.
+
+No. 21.--On extra stout highly glazed paper, strongly bound in cloth,
+gilt lettered and artistically designed cover, coloured edges.
+
+Price 12/6; post-free in Great Britain, 13/4.
+
+No. 22.--As last, but half bound in morocco, plain sides, raised
+bands, and gilt lettering on back, gilt edges; supplied in strong box.
+
+Price 25/-; post-free in Great Britain, 26/-.
+
+Extra Blank Leaves for this Album, 8d. per dozen, plain; or 1/- per
+dozen with gilt edges.
+
+
+
+
+THE IMPERIAL ALBUM
+
+(OPEN), SHOWING GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+The Sale of these Albums averages over 6,500 per annum.
+
+IMPERIAL ALBUM.
+
+_NOW READY. NINTH EDITION_, 1902.
+
+Great Britain and Colonies.
+
+504 pages. Size of pages, 8-3/4 by 11-1/2 inches. About 1,800
+Illustrations.
+
+Since the publication of the previous edition of this Album, we have
+published the "Century" Album, designed for those who desire to
+collect in the simplest form, without regard to perforations or
+watermarks, and who desire a complete Album in one volume.
+
+In order, however, to further the wishes of those who collect on more
+elaborate methods, the present edition has been prepared and very
+considerably enlarged, and for all practical purposes runs parallel
+with our current Postage Stamp Catalogue.
+
+The close of the century marks an epoch in the history of postage
+stamps, and the present edition may be considered as
+
+A PERMANENT ALBUM
+
+_Of the Postage Stamps issued during_
+
+THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
+
+New issues appearing after the date of this edition are best collated
+and arranged in blank albums, preferably with movable leaves, such as
+our ORIEL or PHILATELIC ALBUMS.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_This Album is issued in FOUR qualities only (No. 6 has been
+discontinued) of paper, binding, &c._
+
+No. 5.--On extra stout paper, bound in embossed cloth, gilt lettering,
+sprinkled edges. _Marone-colour covers_.
+
+Price without postage, 10/-; post-free in Great Britain, 11/-.
+
+No. 7.--On extra stout paper, handsomely bound, extra gilt, bevelled
+boards, gilt edges, and patent expanding clasp. _Dark green covers_.
+
+Price without postage, 15/-; post-free in Great Britain, 16/-.
+
+No. 8.--On highly rolled plate paper, extra strongly bound in half
+green morocco, lettered on back, cloth sides, gilt edges, no locks or
+clasps.
+
+Price without postage, 25/-; post-free in Great Britain, 26/-.
+
+No. 9.--On highly rolled plate paper, magnificently bound in finest
+green Levant morocco, rounded corners, with gold line round the
+bevelled edges, lettered on back, gilt edges, patent expanding lock.
+
+Price without postage, 50/-; post-free in Great Britain, 51/-.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+IMPERIAL ALBUM.
+
+_NOW READY. NINTH EDITION, 1902._.
+
+Foreign Countries.
+
+870 pages, measuring 8-3/4 x 11-1/2 inches. About 2,400 Illustrations.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_This Album is issued in FOUR qualities only of paper, binding, &c.
+(No. 66 has been discontinued.)_
+
+No. 65.--On extra stout paper, bound in embossed cloth, gilt
+lettering, sprinkled edges. _Marone-colour covers_.
+
+Price without postage, 15/-; post-free in Great Britain, 16/-.
+
+No. 67.--On extra stout paper, handsomely bound, extra gilt, bevelled
+boards, gilt edges, and patent expanding clasp. _Dark green covers_.
+
+Price without postage, 21/-; post-free in Great Britain, 22/-.
+
+No. 68.--On highly rolled plate paper, extra strongly bound in half
+green morocco, lettered on back, cloth sides, gilt edges, no locks or
+clasps.
+
+Price without postage, 30/-; post-free in Great Britain, 31/-.
+
+No. 69.--On highly rolled plate paper, magnificently bound in finest
+green Levant morocco, rounded corners, with gold line round the
+bevelled edges, lettered on back, gilt edges, patent expanding lock.
+
+Price without postage, 60/-; post-free in Great Britain, 61/-.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+These Albums are too heavy for book post abroad, but can be sent by
+parcel post where same is in operation; the weight is about 8 to 10
+lbs., and cost can be calculated for each country.
+
+
+
+
+The PHILATELIC ALBUMS A to E.
+
+_As described on page_ 20.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The "ORIEL" Albums are of a similar style, but more portable and in a
+superior binding. _See page_ 21.
+
+The leaves in this Album are retained in their places by an original
+and newly patented plan, entirely doing away with the unsightly screws
+hitherto necessary on the outside of books of this class.
+
+Pronounced by all who have seen it an ingenious and admirable
+arrangement, pre-eminently adapted for the purpose, and completely
+solving a difficulty experienced by collectors in general.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE FIFTH EDITION OF
+
+THE PHILATELIC ALBUM.
+
+The most suitable Album published for Advanced Collectors.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Several important improvements have been introduced into this New
+Edition, suggested by increased experience, and greatly enhancing the
+use of this Work. Especially produced in answer to numerous inquiries
+for a really permanent blank Album. It will be found suitable for the
+reception of the most extensive and complete collection possible. It
+is also adaptable for Post Cards, Revenue Stamps, or entire Envelopes.
+Collectors using Albums of this class frequently resort to books not
+specially manufactured for the purpose, and hence unsuitable, or the
+more expensive and very often unsatisfactory mode of having them
+expressly made; it is to meet this want that this Album is published,
+and all that experience can suggest has been carried out to make it
+worthy the use of even the most advanced collectors, and adaptable to
+any arrangement that may be desirable.
+
+It is likewise especially applicable for the use of those Philatelists
+who arrange their collections by the Catalogue published by ourselves
+or any other standard list. This Album is also peculiarly suitable for
+those who collect special countries only, taking as their guide the
+various lists published by the London Philatelic Society, etc. Each
+leaf has a double linen joint on an entirely new plan, allowing the
+leaves to set properly when the book is opened, and giving strength at
+the same time. A narrow marginal border embellishes each page, with a
+semi-visible network of quadrille dotted lines, designed to assist the
+correct insertion of the specimens to be mounted. The leaves are 100
+in number, and printed on one side only, on a very fine quality white
+card paper. They are movable, allowing rearrangement or extension into
+two or more volumes, as may be desired at any future time. It is
+hardly necessary to point out the advantage of this; moreover, if a
+page becomes spoilt, it can be at once replaced. A handsomely arranged
+title is included. An inspection is desired where possible.
+
+PRICES.
+
+A.--Strongly bound in half morocco, gilt ornaments and lettering;
+packed in a box, 30/-; carriage extra. Under 11 lbs., can be sent by
+parcel post for 31/-.
+
+B.--Handsomely bound in full Persian morocco, bevelled boards, gilt
+edges, double-action expanding lock and key; packed in a box, 50/-;
+carriage paid, 51/-.
+
+Spare blank linen-jointed leaves can be had, 1/9 per dozen, or 2/3 per
+dozen if with gilt edges, post-free; abroad extra. A sample leaf sent
+for 2-1/2d., post-free.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At the request of several London collectors we have prepared an Album
+of portable size, and convenient for taking to meetings of the
+Philatelic Society, etc. Our large blank Albums, as described above,
+are found to be too heavy and cumbersome for such purposes, and our
+new book will be found a very suitable one.
+
+The size of the pages in E is 11 x 9-1/2. Weight, 7 lbs. 100 leaves.
+
+E.--Strongly bound in half morocco, gilt ornaments and lettering;
+packed in a box, 25/-, or 25/9 by parcel post.
+
+
+
+
+THE ORIEL
+
+Postage Stamp Album.
+
+This new album has been based on a special order from Mr. M. P.
+CASTLE, Vice-President of the Philatelic Society of London, to whom we
+have supplied 60 of these books, and to whom reference is kindly
+permitted. It has met with such an unusually favourable reception from
+those Collectors who have already used it that, on account of its
+general adaptability, it must undoubtedly quickly take a front rank in
+this class of publication. Amongst its numerous advantages, one
+especially may be named, and that is, its convenient size, rendering
+it extremely portable, and suitable for attending philatelic meetings,
+etc.
+
+To those Philatelists who are unable to personally inspect same at our
+Establishment, a brief description will be acceptable:--
+
+Each Album contains 50 leaves of the best hand-made paper, faced with
+Japanese tissue paper, so as to prevent all friction, and is bound in
+half red morocco, with cloth sides finished in gold. A space on the
+back of the cover is left plain, so that a Collector can have his
+books lettered or numbered to show the contents. Each Album is
+contained in a cloth drop-in case lined with lamb's wool. The leaves,
+unless specially ordered, are supplied perfectly blank, without any
+lined border or background, but if desired special leaves can be
+supplied with a fine quadrille background, as supplied to the other
+Philatelic Albums of this form. Exact size of leaves from the outside
+edges, 10 inches by 10-1/4; available for mounting stamps, 8-3/4
+inches by 10-1/4.
+
+The price of the Album is 30/-; post-free, 30/7 (too heavy for post
+abroad, so will be sent carriage forward).
+
+The Leaves, either plain or with quadrille background, can be supplied
+at the price of 4/6 per dozen, or 32/6 per 100.
+
+
+
+
+THE PHILATELIST'S COLLECTING BOOK.
+
+FOR THE COAT POCKET.
+
+With Patent Fastening to Flap.
+
+_Size, 6-1/2 by 4-1/4 inches. Handsomely bound in Art Cloth._
+
+Each book contains 12 pages, having four strips of linen, 3/4-inch
+wide, arranged horizontally, glued at the bottom edge and with the
+upper one open, for the safe retention and preservation of recent
+purchases or duplicates. A large pocket is also provided at the back
+for Envelopes or Stamps in bulk. In daily use by leading London
+Collectors.
+
+No. 17.--As illustrated. Price 2/6; post-free, 2/7.
+
+No. 18.--Oblong, twenty-four pages, six strips on each page,
+interleaved with strong glazed paper to prevent rubbing. Price 5/-;
+post-free, 5/3.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE MONTHLY JOURNAL.
+
+_Edited by MAJOR E. B. EVANS._
+
+Published on the 1st of each month, and chiefly noted for:--
+
+1st.--Verbatim Reports of all Law Cases of Interest to Philatelists.
+
+2nd.--Earliest Information on New Issues.
+
+3rd.--Largest Stamp Journal Published: recent numbers containing from
+50 to 72 pages.
+
+4th.--Quality of its Articles; with MAJOR EVANS as Editor this can be
+taken for granted.
+
+5th.--Entirely Original Articles by the leading Philatelic Writers of
+the day.
+
+SUBSCRIPTION--2/- per annum, or 5/- for three years.
+
+_Sample Copy sent gratis and post-free on application._
+
+All Subscriptions must be prepaid, and commence with the JULY Number.
+The Prices for Back Numbers will be found in the current number of the
+_Journal_. There is no discount to the Trade.
+
+_The Monthly Journal_ now includes the Addenda to our Current Priced
+Catalogue. The old method of publishing addenda quarterly has been
+discontinued; and in the months of March, June, September, and
+December a Special Number of the Journal is sent to all Subscribers,
+containing lists of all Stamps, etc., that have appeared since the
+publication of the Catalogue. In the other months there will be quoted
+Special Bargains, Rarities, and prominent Alterations in Prices.
+
+_We therefore_ STRONGLY RECOMMEND _all purchasers of the Catalogue to_
+SUBSCRIBE TO "THE MONTHLY JOURNAL"--_forming, as it does, a complete
+continuation of the Catalogue up to date._
+
+
+
+
+The Stamp King.
+
+A PHILATELIC NOVEL.
+
+BY MESSRS. BEAUREGARD AND GORSSE.
+
+_Translated from the French by_ EDITH C. PHILLIPS.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_The story commences at the New York Philatelic Club, and traces out
+in a most amusing manner the struggles of the two leading members to
+secure the rarest stamp in the world. The chase leads these collectors
+to London, Paris, and Naples, and ends, after many curious adventures,
+in New York._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+EXTRACTS FROM REVIEWS.
+
+The Daily News says: "A delightful addition to modern books of
+adventure.... Incidentally, there is a marvellous revelation of the
+inner affairs and methods of the stamp-collecting world; but the main
+interest of the book, to our mind, is its remarkable story, and it can
+and will be read with pleasure by many who care nothing whatever about
+the philatelic mania.... It would be spoiling a very good thing to
+tell the rest of the story of the adventures of these two, ... and we
+shall be much mistaken if this book, in popular form, does not meet
+with phenomenal favour."
+
+The Spectator says: "A most diverting extravaganza, rather in the
+style of Jules Verne.... The apology of the translator for the lack of
+verisimilitude in the last scene is entirely unnecessary; otherwise
+she has done her work with credit, while M. Veilliemin's spirited
+illustrations heighten the attractions of a most entertaining and
+ingenious story."
+
+The People: "A novel that will certainly interest the ordinary reader
+and doubly interest the Philatelist. It is profusely illustrated, and
+with a class of illustration that puts to shame much of the rubbish
+that we find in English novels."
+
+The London Philatelist says: "It may at once be said that it is
+amusing in the extreme, and cannot fail to entertain all its readers.
+We have to heartily congratulate the translator upon the accuracy and
+excellence of her handiwork. _The Stamp King_, we should add, is both
+superbly illustrated and beautifully printed, and will assuredly
+command a wide circle of readers."
+
+Vanity Fair: "This very sprightly novel on the stamp-collecting mania
+is most amusing, and might be just the thing for a present to young
+folks who are ardent collectors and readers of cheery, harmless
+fiction. It is excellently 'got up,' the illustrations are very good,
+and the story itself is quite exciting. All people who love (or
+loathe) stamp collecting are honestly advised to read the racy story
+of Miss Betty Scott."
+
+The Liverpool Mercury: "The enthusiasm of Philatelists in their
+favourite pursuit is well illustrated in this capital story. It
+possesses many merits, the interest being sustained throughout. The
+translation is admirable, scarcely a trace is to be seen of French
+idiom, while the rendering into American vernacular is particularly
+clever and satisfactory."
+
+The Court Circular: "A very great amount of interest is taken in stamp
+collecting, and a book pleasantly dealing with the stamp hobby, such
+as the one before us, will be sure to find a wide circle of readers."
+
+The Lady's Pictorial: "This curious story is unique, for never before
+or since its publication has the stamp-collecting hobby been turned to
+account as the central idea of a really interesting romance and love
+story."
+
+Gentlewoman: "The story is full of exciting incidents."
+
+_Half bound in Art Buckram, cloth sides, gilt lettering, plain edges,
+200 pages, 80 fine illustrations. Price 6/-; post-free, 6/4; abroad,
+6/8._
+
+
+
+
+The Stamp Collector.
+
+By HARDY and BACON.
+
+This well-known and most interesting handbook was published in 1898 by
+Mr. George Redway in his _Collector Series_. On the failure of this
+publisher lately, we purchased the balance of the edition--about 1,200
+copies--and are now able to offer the work at a great reduction on its
+original price.
+
+_The chief contents are as follows:_
+
+The Issue of Postage Stamps. Collecting--Its Origin and Development.
+Stamps made for Collectors. Art in Postage Stamps. Stamps with
+Stories. History in Postage Stamps. Local Stamps. The Stamp Market.
+Post Cards. Famous Collections. List of Philatelic Societies.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Well bound in art cloth, gilt lettered, 247 illustrations, 294 pages.
+Price 4/6; post-free, 4/10; abroad, 5/1.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Mulready Envelope and its Caricatures.
+
+This Work is a reprint in book-form, with a few alterations and
+additions, of a series of papers that have appeared in "The Monthly
+Journal." The book consists of 240 pages and some 45 full-page
+Illustrations of the most curious varieties of these interesting
+Caricatures. This New Work will be of interest, not only to Stamp
+Collectors, but also to those interested in Engravings--especially in
+the works of LEECH, MULREADY, CRUIKSHANK, DOYLE, PHIZ (H. K. BROWNE),
+THEO. HOOK, etc. etc. The Work has been produced in a very superior
+manner, and is printed on special paper with extra large margins; and
+by the kind permission of the Board of Inland Revenue an Illustration
+of the original Mulready is also included.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+No. 1.--Strongly bound in extra cloth, gilt lettering, marbled
+burnished edges, &c., 6/-; post-free, 6/4; abroad, 6/8.
+
+No. 2.--_Edition de Luxe_, handsomely bound, extra gilt, hand-made
+paper, with uncut edges, 10/-; post-free, 10/4; abroad, 10/8.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The "Philatelists' Vade Mecum."
+_(SECURED BY LETTERS PATENT.)_
+
+Is an entirely New and Original Invention for enabling Collectors to
+Mount Stamps without handling them, and is a _multum in parvo_ of
+Philatelic requisites.
+
+It consists of a pair of broad-headed flat metal tongs, one of which
+is fitted with a solid wedge. The object of this is to permit the free
+end of a mount held by the tong to be bent over, moistened, applied to
+the back of the stamp, and pressed down, and the mount can then be
+released, the stamp lifted, the other end of the mount moistened, and
+the stamp fastened thereby on the page. In the handle is inserted a
+glass of high magnifying power. On one side of the middle part is a
+millimetre scale (divided to half millimetres), and on the other a
+two-inch scale (divided to sixteenths), both accurately marked off.
+The stamp can be firmly held along either scale by the tongs. The
+tongs are made of solid nickel, polished, and fit into a handsome
+velvet-lined case, the size of which, when closed, is slightly less
+than 6 inches long, 1-3/4 inches wide, and only 1/2 inch thick.
+
+_PRICE, with case complete, 2/6; post-free, 2/7; abroad, 3/9._
+
+
+
+
+SECOND EDITION. REVISED TO DATE.
+
+A GLOSSARY FOR PHILATELISTS,
+
+ENTITLED
+
+Stamps and Stamp Collecting.
+
+BY MAJOR E. B. EVANS.
+
+
+This Work is intended to fill a void which has hitherto existed in the
+Philatelist's Library. It will be found invaluable as a most useful
+and indeed a standard book to refer to in all cases of doubt or
+obscurity appertaining to Postage Stamps and their surroundings.
+
+The Collector is not infrequently perplexed by the various terms
+employed, and the fullest explanations are here given of such.
+
+Much interesting information is also included as to the various
+classes of and the manufacture of the paper employed, the typography,
+the embossing, the perforating or rouletting, together with many
+instructive and interesting details connected with the fascinating
+science of Stamp collecting.
+
+_Price 2/- in strong Paper Cover, 4/- in Gilt Cloth; post-free, 3d.
+extra._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A COLOUR DICTIONARY,
+
+GIVING OVER
+
+_Two Hundred Names of Colours used in Printing, &c._
+
+Specially prepared for Stamp Collectors by B. W. WARHURST.
+
+Useful for many businesses in which coloured articles are bought and
+sold, and to give a more definite idea of the colours represented by
+certain names in common use, which are very frequently misunderstood.
+
+SUITABLE FOR USE IN SCHOOLS.
+
+Printed in TEN differently coloured inks on as many different papers,
+and further explained by diagram and ILLUSTRATED IN FIFTY-EIGHT
+COLOURS.
+
+_Price 2/6 in strong Paper Cover, 4/6 in Gilt Cloth; postage 3d.
+extra._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+POCKET MAGNIFYING GLASSES.
+
+After examining some scores of different sorts, we have been able to
+get one combining the greatest power with the largest field obtainable
+for pocket use. These glasses are mounted in handsome vulcanite
+frames, and are very compact. There are two lenses in each, which may
+be used singly, or if a very strong power is desired, may be combined.
+
+_Price 7/6; post-free, 7/7; abroad, 8/4._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+SURCHARGE MEASURER.
+
+[Illustration:]
+
+The accompanying illustration will give the best idea of what this is.
+It consists of a pair of needle-pointed spring compasses, capable, by
+means of an adjusting screw, of measuring with the greatest accuracy
+all surcharges up to 40 millimetres in length. In addition to the
+measure a millimetre gauge is obtained by running the head of the
+screw along a piece of paper, a series of lines exactly a millimetre
+apart being thus indented in the paper. For measuring surcharges on
+such stamps as Natal, Straits Settlements, &c., this will be found
+invaluable, and also in the detection of forgeries--a forgery or
+forged surcharge very seldom being _exactly_ the same size as the
+original.
+
+_Price 7/6; post-free, 7/7; abroad, 7/11._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+Prepared Stamp Mounts.
+
+ACTUAL SIZE AND SHAPE.
+
+[Illustration: No. 1. No. 2. No. 3.]
+
+
+For affixing Stamps in Collections neatly and expeditiously. Far
+superior to the old plan of gumming the Stamps, and inserting them so
+that it is only with great difficulty they can be withdrawn. These
+Mounts are made of a thin strong white paper, and are ready gummed. By
+their use, Stamps can be removed at any time without injuring them, or
+in any way disfiguring the Collection. They are invaluable to those
+who collect watermarks. They should be used on the hinge system; thus,
+Moisten the Stamp, attaching the back of it to one half of the mount,
+the other half being fastened to the Album. The Stamp will then be
+facing the page; but do not turn it over until perfectly dry. A
+Collection with the Stamps mounted in this manner is far more
+valuable, if at any time a sale is desired. Three sizes are kept in
+stock: No. 2, medium size, suitable for ordinary-sized adhesives; No.
+1, smaller size; No. 3, large size--for such Stamps as old Portuguese,
+or for cut Envelopes. This size may also be used for Cards by using
+two mounts for each card.
+
+PRICES:
+
+_No. 1, 2, or 3 size, 3d. per 100; 1/6 per 1,000, post-free; 5,000,
+6/6; 10,000, 12/-._
+
+_The Prepared Paper can be supplied in Large Sheets, ready Gummed, at
+3d. per Sheet, post-free_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[Illustration: No. 4. No. 5. No. 6.]
+
+NEW CHEAP MOUNTS. At the request of many clients we have prepared a
+New Cheap Mount, made from a thicker paper; a gum is employed that
+permits the Mount to be removed from a book or sheet without damage to
+the paper, or tearing the Mount, which can thus be used several times
+over, such Mounts being particularly serviceable for exchange clubs,
+or for use in dealers' stock books, &c. The Mounts are put up in neat
+glazed card boxes, 1,000 of a size in a box, and are sold in sets of
+three sizes, viz., three boxes and 3,000 Mounts for 2/6; 9,000, price
+6/6; or _separately, any size_, at 1/- per 1,000 post-free.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+NEW SPECIALITY.
+
+FOR STAMP COLLECTORS.
+
+_SPECIAL POCKET BOOKS, PURSES,_
+
+AND
+
+CARD CASES.
+
+Each of the following New and Useful Specialities has separate
+compartments provided for Postage Stamps, consisting of strips of thin
+celluloid protecting the stamps, and enabling them to be seen at once,
+and arranged so that the stamps can be put in or withdrawn in an
+instant without damage.
+
+70.--TUCK CASE FOR THE WAISTCOAT. Pocket size.                   _s. d._
+3-1/2 x 2-3/8. Very thin, made in morocco leather, lined
+leather of a neutral colour, with transparent pockets through
+which stamps can be seen.
+                                         Price 2/6; post-free,    2 7
+
+71.--BEST MOROCCO GENTLEMAN'S CARD CASE, with usual pockets for
+visiting cards, and special compartments for stamps secured by a
+tuck flap fastening. (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.)
+                                         Price 4/6; post-free,    4 7
+
+72.--BEST MOROCCO WALLET. 5-3/4 x 3-1/2 inches. Lined leather
+throughout, flap and nickel lock fastening, gusset and tight
+pockets for letters; special provision for stamps under
+transparent pockets secured by an inner flap, and tuck fastening;
+leather covered notebook. (Highly Recommended.)
+                                         Price 10/-; post-free,  10 2
+
+73.--LIMP MOROCCO LETTER CASE. Size, 6-1/4 x 4 inches. With
+gusset pocket for private letters, tight pocket for foreign post
+cards, and an array of transparent pockets for stamps.
+                                         Price 3/6; post-free,    3 7
+
+74.--Ditto, ditto, with a gilt-edged ruled book under an elastic.
+                                         Price 4/-; post-free,    4 1
+
+75.--BEST MOROCCO LETTER CASE, lined leather throughout, with
+gusset pocket for private letters, and special pocket containing
+an ingenious receptacle to hold a large assortment of stamps.
+Being detachable, it can be used either with or without the outer
+case.
+                                         Price 5/6; post-free,    5 8
+
+76.--BEST MOROCCO PURSE. 4 x 2-1/2 inches. Flap and nickel lock
+fastening, stitched expanding pockets. The front to open out,
+displaying transparent pocket for stamps, with a separate flap to
+fasten. The purse can be used independently of the stamp
+compartment.
+                                         Price 6/6; post-free,    6 7
+
+
+
+
+STANLEY GIBBONS'
+
+New Stamp Catalogue.
+
+_5,000 NEW AND ENLARGED ILLUSTRATIONS._
+
+POCKET SIZE, IN TWO VOLUMES.
+
+VOL. I. contains all
+
+ADHESIVE STAMPS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THE BRITISH COLONIES.
+
+New and Enlarged Edition. Price 2/-; post-free, 2/3.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+VOL. II. contains the
+
+POSTAGE STAMPS OF THE REST OF THE WORLD.
+
+Price 2/-; post-free, 2/3.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Orange River Colony, Transvaal, and Mafeking Siege Stamps are
+transferred to Part I., being now English Colonies.
+
+Particular attention has--in both volumes--been given to the
+production of enlarged illustrations of many minor varieties, which
+can easily be distinguished from a large print, but which are
+difficult to describe.
+
+Many important countries have been thoroughly revised and re-written.
+_One hundred extra pages_ have been added to the two volumes without
+any extra charge.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+REAL MARKET PRICES.
+
+It is, above all things, highly important that Collectors and Dealers
+should know the exact and real market values of all Stamps. This Firm
+has taken the greatest pains to arrive at these prices, and the prices
+quoted in these Catalogues are those at which STANLEY GIBBONS will
+supply the Stamps if unsold at the time of the order.
+
+To facilitate business in all parts of the world, an Introduction,
+Details as to Approval Selections, Glossaries of Philatelic Terms,
+etc., are given in English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+STANLEY GIBBONS, LTD., 391, STRAND, LONDON, W.C.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stamp Collecting as a Pastime, by
+Edward J. Nankivell
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME ***
+
+***** This file should be named 18204.txt or 18204.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/1/8/2/0/18204/
+
+Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Sankar Viswanathan, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+*** END: FULL LICENSE ***
+
diff --git a/18204.zip b/18204.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b82a96b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18204.zip
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..02e334e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #18204 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18204)