H. E. Banning.
Newport, R. I.
This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor Stamp Department.
The number of intelligent inquiries I receive each week is so large that all of them cannot be answered in the narrow limits of this column. Inquirers sending a stamped and addressed envelope will be answered direct. Inquiries without prepaid and addressed envelopes will have to wait their turn.
The upper left-hand pane of 100-stamp sheet No. 170 contains both varieties of triangles (II. and III.). The first discovery was made in San Francisco, and dealers have been buying these sheets all over the country at $3 each. Several collectors managed to find a number of sheets in New York city, which they bought at face, and sold at fifty per cent. profit.
D. H. S.—I would advise you to ask your postmaster.
Mrs. Maud G. F.—The red stamps are the common 1851 issue. Millions were used every day for over five years. The blue ones are 1869 issue worth 25c. each. The Brattleboro, Vt., has the name of the town and initials of the postmaster. It is printed on buff paper in black ink.
Mrs. E. V. B.—The $1 Colombian can be purchased for $8.
P. F. Lisk.—I do not purchase stamps.
Robert Peltier, Lycee Janson de Sailly, Paris, France, wants to exchange French stamps for U.S. stamps and others.
W. T. Helm.—The "Postal Service" envelopes are not stamps; they are franks. The one described is worth 20c.
Elias Alter, New York City (gives no street address), and Burette Snyder, Cape Girardeau, Mo.—Wish to exchange stamps.
R. C. Megrue.—All the proof specimens of U. S. stamps are more or less valuable. The "Department" proofs are worth more than the proofs of the regular issues.
G. G. Stone.—The 1c. Columbians can still be bought at many post-offices, hence there is no premium. Treasury Department used set is worth about $8.
E. L. Davis.—There is no way to restore the color of a stamp except where the color has oxydized. In that case a chemical which can be bought of stamp-dealers for 25c. per bottle, will restore the original color. Put your stamps on hinges, and you can change easily as often as you want. Hinges cost 10 to 15 cents per 1000.
G. R. Moffitt.—Your stamp is from Montenegro, which has issued sets in 1874, 1880, 1893, and 1894.
F. S. Perkins.—It is a medal or token, not a coin. No value.
S. C. R. of K. B. K.—I cannot keep on repeating values of coins given in back numbers of the present volume. See the Round Table for December 17, 1895, and January 14, 1896. The rare pink is a 3c., not a 2c. stamp.
Sergeant.—See answer to S. C. R.
L. B. Hershey.—The 3c. 1869 unused is worth 25c.; used, 2c.—that is, dealers ask those prices. They buy much cheaper.
D. Barnum.—Your list of inquiries is too long for answer in this column. You have some very nice stamps, but there are no rarities in the list.
Mrs. W. H. H.—See Round Table of December 17, 1895, and January 14, 1896, for prices asked by dealers for U. S. coins. What dealers pay I do not know.
H. Merritt.—What you describe are not postage-stamps or stamped postage-envelopes. Before postage-stamps were used almost every postmaster had a hand stamp to mark "Paid," "Paid 5 cents," or "Paid 10 cents," etc., on letters for which he received postage in advance. Where not so marked the person to whom the letter was addressed had to pay the postage. I know very few collectors of these postmarks, as they have no money value.
G. M. Ross.—The prices quoted in this column are those asked by dealers, not what they pay. That, of course, I do not know.
A. Schmengler.—The 1861 3c. U.S. comes in hundreds of shades, from a pale washed-out color to a deep scarlet. Only one of these varieties has any value; that one is the "Pink," which is a brilliant color on a bluish background. It is very scarce. I have looked over tens of thousands of this stamp, and never found a copy of the true "Pink."
Philatus.