Chapter II: Preface: 7

PHILATELIC TERMS 21

CHAPTER I

THE GENESIS OF THE POST 55

The earliest letter-carriers--The Roman _posita_--Princely
Postmasters of Thurn and Taxis--Sir Brian Tuke--Hobson
of "Hobson's Choice"--The General Letter Office of
England--Dockwra's Penny Post of 1680--Povey's "Halfpenny
Carriage"--The Edinburgh and other Penny Posts--Postal rates
before 1840--Uniform Penny Postage--The Postage Stamp regarded
as the royal _diplomata_--The growth of the postal business.

CHAPTER II

THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IDEA 77

Early instances of contrivances to denote prepayment
of postage--The "Two-_Sous_" Post--_Billets de port
payé_--A passage of wit between the French Sappho and M.
Pellisson--Dockwra's letter-marks--Some fabulous stamped
wrappers of the Dutch Indies--Letter-sheets used in
Sardinia--Lieut. Treffenberg's proposals for "Postage Charts"
in Sweden--The postage-stamp idea "in the air"--Early British
reformers and their proposals--The Lords of the Treasury start
a competition--Mr. Cheverton's prize plan--A find of papers
relating to the contest--A square inch of gummed paper--The
Sydney embossed envelopes--The Mulready envelope--The
Parliamentary envelopes--The adhesive stamp popularly preferred
to the Mulready envelope.

CHAPTER III

SOME EARLY PIONEERS OF PHILATELY 113

"Hobbyhorsical" collections--The application of the term
"Foreign Stamp Collecting"--The Stamp Exchange in Birchin
Lane--A celebrated lady stamp-dealer--The Saturday rendezvous
at the All Hallows Staining Rectory--Prominent collectors
of the first period--The first stamp catalogues--The words
_Philately_ and _Timbrologie_--Philatelic periodicals--Justin
Lallier's albums--The Philatelic Society, London.

CHAPTER IV

ON FORMING A COLLECTION 133

The cost of packet collections--The beginner's
album--Accessories--Preparation of stamps for mounting--The
requirements of "condition"--The use of the stamp-hinge--A
suggestion for the ideal mount--A handy gauge for use in
arranging stamps--"Writing-up."

CHAPTER V

THE SCOPE OF A MODERN COLLECTION 151

The historical collection: literary and philatelic--The quest
for _rariora_--The "grangerising" of philatelic monographs: its
advantages and possibilities--Historic documents--Proposals and
essays--Original drawings--Sources of stamp-engravings--Proofs
and trials--Comparative rarity of some stamps in pairs, &c., or
on original envelopes--Coloured postmarks--Portraits, maps, and
contemporary records--A lost opportunity.

CHAPTER VI

ON LIMITING A COLLECTION 197

The difficulties of a general collection--The unconscious
trend to specialism--Technical limitations: Modes of
production; Printers--Geographical groupings: Europe and
divisions--Suggested groupings of British Colonies--United
States, Protectorates and Spheres of Influence--Islands of the
Pacific--The financial side of the "great" philatelic countries.

CHAPTER VII

STAMP-COLLECTING AS AN INVESTMENT 209

The collector, the dealer, and the combination--The factor
of expense--Natural rise of cost--Past possibilities in
British "Collector's Consols," in Barbados, in British
Guiana, in Canada, in "Capes"--Modern speculations: Cayman
Islands--Further investments: Ceylon, Cyprus, _Fiji Times_
Express, Gambia, India, Labuan, West Indies--The "Post
Office" Mauritius--The early Nevis, British North America,
Sydney Views, New Zealand--Provisionals: _bonâ fide_ and
speculative--Some notable appreciations--"Booms."

CHAPTER VIII

FORGERIES, FAKES, AND FANCIES 237

Early counterfeits and their exposers--The "honest"
facsimile--"Album Weeds"--Forgeries classified--Frauds on
the British Post Office--Forgeries "paying" postage--The One
Rupee, India--Fraudulent alteration of values--The British 10s.
and £1 "Anchor"--A too-clever "fake"--Joined pairs--Drastic
tests--New South Wales "Views" and "Registered"--The Swiss
Cantonals--Government "imitations"--"Bogus" stamps.

CHAPTER IX

FAMOUS COLLECTIONS 261

The "mania" in the 'sixties--Some wonderful early
collections--The first auction sale--Judge Philbrick and his
collection--The Image collection--Lord Crawford's "United
States" and "Great Britain"--Other great modern collections--M.
la Rénotière's "legions of stamps"--Synopsis of sales of
collections.