The collection which has been formed by the authorities of the Berlin Postal Museum has been attaining a high rank in recent years. The Museum, which is the finest repository of postal records and curios in the world, was founded by Dr. von Stephan, the first Director of the Posts of the German Empire, and the first to propose the use of post-cards. The stamp collection was based at first on the stamps received at the General Post Office in Berlin from the postal administrations of other countries. But the collection is being built up on philatelic lines, and is not to be compared with the fancy frames devised by decorative fiends for the postal museums of other countries. In Berlin the collection shows essays and proofs, those of the old German States being particularly fine, and most of the prominent rarities have been acquired, chiefly by exchange of duplicate stamps. There is the 1d. Post Office Mauritius used, and the 2d. unused; the 2 cents circular British Guiana, the 2 cents, 5 cents, and both types of the 13 cents of the Hawaiian "Missionaries"; pairs of the 27 paras and 108 paras of Moldavia, and a set of the 27, 81, and two of the 108 paras all cut round, and all used together on one envelope; the woodblock errors of the Cape of Good Hope; the 15 cents and 30 cents Reunion; and a wonderful range of the stamps of all the German States.
The late Duke of Leinster left his valuable collection to the Irish National Museum; and there are several instances of bequests and gifts of lesser importance to local museums. In 1910 Mr. George H. Worthington, the owner of the finest collection in the United States, made the announcement that he was going to leave his great collection to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
It is to be hoped that Mr. Worthington may be spared to continue his collection for many years to come, but on the ultimate fulfilment of the bequest the people of the United States will enjoy the public possession of what is now one of the three largest collections in the world. Mr. Worthington's gems include most of the well-known rarities. He has the Cape woodblock 4d. error in a block with three of the 1d. stamps all in red, and his entire collection of Capes is extremely fine. Like most of the larger collections in America, the Worthington one contains a strong showing of the Hawaiian stamps and of the United States and Confederate States "Postmasters'" stamps. There is, for example, the only known 2 cents Hawaiian "Missionary" on envelope. Mr. Warren H. Colson,[24] of Boston, records that Mr. Worthington prizes highly the only unused copy known of the United States 15 cents of 1869 with the inverted frame, and as a companion treasure he has the 30 cents in like condition, but of this three other unused copies are recorded.
The Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals, I gather from the same authority, include all the rare Baton Rouge; a 10 cent Beaumont, on pink paper; the Emory, Va.; Grove Hill, Alabama; the rare Macons and a particularly fine lot of the Texas locals, including several Goliads, the Helena, and two very rare Victorias.
The 1d. Post Office Mauritius is included in two copies used on the entire envelope; the Sydney Views are a splendid lot, and include a superb unused block of four of the 1d. plate 1 with original gum.