Chapter II: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.