FORTUNES IN STAMPS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 752, 26 February 1910, Page 12

FORTUNES IN STAMPS.

■::'Critical:-Btamp' collectors■ assembied-'re-cently, in; London to see, ■privately,:-for • the first: time,'- an. unusually', interesting collection of 'Transvaal stamps- exhibited ,by-Mr. Harvey E: 'Qi Clarke, a member of .the; Royal Philatelic , ' Society.'.: ■ ■ : .- ■ "Dating from i the..first . Republic* ''they follpw 'the 'history of South' Africa,": dx;plained' Mr. ;F. J. 15 Melville,' preisident of the -Junior'■; Philatelic Society.,: ;"This' althbugha collection of only one country, . is valued'at thousands of pounds".':.'; The rprices realised_.iat the sales -of- notable, stamp ; collections: are frequently very :high.iOne v orj'two' comparatively recent instances are:— - ; .,.,'■ ;'. V' : .'-''■■:'■■■■;:".?'. ■: .-.: ' Ayre ' Collectibn ';''■ ■>.- Mann Collection ■.....„....„,'.:■..:.. :-.' Avery Collection '...... i .......;..;..je25,500 ;;-Paul:. Collection .•v.;.'....'. , ..;-;';.;.;. : .. : JBll, iW ■:,' - .Thompson C011ecti0n;'....:....;....;'^£7,000^

- ■■•• "It is estimated,"/added''Mri~ Melville, "that there are.now/at least 500,000 stamp collectors in'the country.. Moro than ,70 per.cent. •of schoolboys.are collectors', too;. Every, year the hobby! seems to grow, in popularity. Every year,: too,, tho value of rare, stamps increases." ■ Not * many" years ago a post.office Mauritius stamp, either ;of the Id.'or 2d; value,: realised 420.:T0-" day one unstamped specimen of the. Id.' value is\worth JC2OOO. .A,little while ago the Prince of Wales, who is an enthusiastic collector,paid ,£liso for. one .of the 2d. utamps,' which! are slightly;less rare than the'ld. ones. A' 'blue ; 2. cents missionary ..stamp of .Hawaii,''dating' from 1851, is now worth at least £1000. .-;;; .;,■". ."An idea of the growth of- stamp"collecting may be gained from the number of hooks relatingjto;it.■:■ My own library, an incoinpleto one, contains quite.'2soo books,-,cach' one /about.' eome. phase 'of the. hobby. :■ Two important firms' have-be-tween : them ", over invested in stamps." ..'', ■ ' •" . : .'.;- ' '• ,'•■ '■:■:■/: v ■■";..