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.
Interest in U.S. Revenues is growing rapidly. The great rarities, 6c., 50c., $1, and $5 Proprietary, the $200 and $500, second issue, now readily bring two or three times catalogue prices. Many millions of these revenue stamps are on legal documents, agreements, contracts, leases, insurance policies, conveyances, mortgages, wills, etc., which are now out of date and of no legal value. All the U.S. Revenues were used throughout the United States for about twenty years, consequently a valuable lot may turn up any day in any part of the Union. During the past week several new minor varieties have been found, notably an unsevered pair of 10c. Power of Attorney, a stamp hitherto believed to exist in this condition, but no pair had ever been seen.
The philatelists of New York contemplate a club-house, and the committee is now asking for one hundred subscriptions of $25 each. They hope to have the club-house ready this autumn.
A few years ago most collectors in Europe preferred cancelled stamps, and several Americans exchanged many of their cancelled for unused copies. Now the demand all over the world for unused specimens has resulted in advancing the price of scarce stamps in this condition to a prohibitive degree. Most of the stamps in the following list of English could have been bought five or six years ago for one tenth the present price or less:
| [3]2d. 1840 | $40 |
| 1d. huge crown water-mark, perforated, 16 | 40 |
| 2d. huge crown water-mark, perforated, | 125 |
| 1d. red, plate 132 | 10 |
| 1/2d. red, plate 9 | 10 |
| [3]1s. octagonal, 1847 | 40 |
| [3]10d. octagonal, 1847 | 25 |
| [3]6d. octagonal, 1847 | 30 |
| 2-1/2d. plate 3, orb water-mark | 20 |
| 3d. plate 4, spray water-mark | 25 |
| 4d. plate 10 | 15 |
| 6d. plate 6, four flowers water-mark | 20 |
| 10d. red-brown | 5 |
| 2s. blue | 40 |
| 5s. plates 1 or 2, Maltese cross water-mark | 15 |
| 5s. plate 4, anchor water-mark | 75 |
| 10s. Maltese cross water-mark | 125 |
| 10s. anchor water-mark | 175 |
| £1 brown, anchor water-mark | 150 |
| £1 brown, Maltese cross water-mark | 300 |