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Hobbies I Have Known: II. Stamp Collecting (Continued)
LAST MONTH we discussed the buying by stamp collectors of “wallpaper” produced to sell to them. It is reputed that a major stamp wholesaler can arrange with some iron curtain countries to produce desired stamp issues. This has often been done by various “banana republics.” As rackets go, this one is relatively harmless; and it is difficult to feel much sympathy for those who insist on being gulled. A few countries will even cancel their stamps with the name of any city. Russia and many other countries sell cancelled stamps (called CTO, cancelled to order) as well as new (mint) stamps. In the stamp market, CTO’s are less desirable than postally used stamps.
The other major aberration of collectors is gum. Stamps with original gum have always been prized more than ones with gum removed but the standard method of mounting stamps in albums has for many years been by stamp hinges. The removal of a stamp hinge leaves a small mark on the gum but this is considered normal and the stamp is still described as having “original gum.” Now stamps which have not been hinge mounted, “never hinged,” sell for a considerable premium, say 20%, over stamps which have the slight hinge marks.
Mint stamps, therefore, are now commonly placed in special mounts which are then stuck into the album. On the other hand, the major stamp societies demand that stamps to be displayed at their shows be mounted on album pages by hinges. The never-hinged mania permits a clever gum repairman to make a good living. Even the full gum (with hinge mark) requirement is peculiar since some stamp issues exist whose gum cracks and destroys the stamp, but the never-hinged vogue is insane. It is, however, now well established and growing. One solution is to have your stamps printed directly on your album pages. At least that’s the method employed by Prince Rainier for his collection of Monaco stamps.
The stamp collector who is also an amateur printer is in an ideal position to produce his own album pages. Most commercially available albums are not very satisfactory; there is a decided tendency to use ornate designs and to use such striking color that attention is diverted from the stamps. For most specialized fields no commercial albums are available.
Formal stamp exhibiting is usually done by mounting album pages in a display frame. While there are artists who prepare special pages, it is common to see stamps worth hundreds of dollars mounted on rather crudely hand lettered or typewritten pages. Non-printers have difficulty recognizing that it is often worthwhile to have printing done even though only a single copy is needed.
In any case the stamp collector-printer is limited only by his taste and ability in producing his album pages.
No one has any idea of how many stamp collectors are active in the hobby. It is typically a hobby of the young and the old with a sizable gap in the middle years. For the young it is a painless, and therefore efficient, way of learning geography, history and current events. For the old it is an absorbing, time-consuming, sedentary hobby to be pursued in solitude or in relationship with others in local and national clubs and societies. Many people find relaxation and enjoyment in working with stamps and in becoming an expert in some specialized field of philately.
As a parting tip to non-collectors, if a postal clerk offers you stamps which appear defective with a color missing or which have no perforations between stamps, do not complain or call attention to it. Buy it. Take your stamps to a reputable dealer for determination of whether it is a freak (small value) or an error (great value). Freaks include poor registration of color and perforations, imperfect inking and other printing transients.
A missing color or a missing row of perforations is an example of an error. The quality control is lowering on U.S. stamps, errors are not infrequent and they are valuable. Do not use scissors to separate coil stamps which have no perforations between them; you will lose at least $99.98 by doing so. In 1918 one sheet of 24¢ airmails with inverted airplane was sold at the postoffice. Each is now worth $25,000.
From The Boxwood Press Cookbook:
Uncle Jake’s Cornbread and Pinto Beans
1 pound pinto beans
1 teaspoon salt
2 or 3 ham hocks or 1 pound fatback
Cornbread: See The Boxwooder Number 4 or write for recipe.
Pinto Beans: Wash beans and remove defective beans and rocks*. Cover beans with water and soak overnight or bring to a boil; turn off heat and soak for one hour. Cut deeply into ham hocks or dice the fatback. Put everything in a gallon pot; add water to fill and cook at simmer for 4 hours or for 45 minutes in a pressure cooker.
Serving: For an individual serving, place a large piece of cornbread in a plate or in a soupbowl and ladle beans with plenty of soup over cornbread. Raw onion rings and pickle relish may be added. Leftover beans should be refrigerated, and will improve in flavor with each reheating.
*Rocks are traditionally included with pinto beans; their taste is not objectionable, but they are shocking to chew.
Merry Xmas to N.A.P.A. and other friends
Printed by Jacob L. & David L. Warner at their private press.
Greenbelt, Maryland 20770