Letters are often received asking what one must do in order to become a member of the Camera Club. All that is necessary in order to become a member is to send name and address to the editor and state your desire.
George H. Baynes, Jun., St. Paul's School, Concord, N. H., and Howard Preston Bartram, No. 67 Washington Street, Newark, N. J., both wish to be enrolled as members of the Camera Club. Sir Howard asks what is the object of the club. Its object is to raise the standard of amateur photography among young people, and by helpful suggestions aid its members in perfecting themselves in the art of making pictures with the camera. It also keeps its members informed in regard to the best methods and new discoveries in the mechanical part of photography, and each year offers valuable prizes for the best pictures submitted by members of the club, in order to stimulate them to excel in photography.
Sir Knight E. D. Ball, Spartansburg, S. C., wishes to correspond with some amateur photographer living in the tropics, as he would like to make exchanges of photographic views.
Sir Knight Charles E. Botsford, Newark, N. J., asks for a blue-print solution which will keep, how to make sensitive plates, and how to make paper like solio, aristo, etc. He also encloses two blue prints made from a formula given in the Round Table, and asks why one is not good. Blue-print sensitizing solution will keep for a long time if not mixed. Keep the two solutions separate till wanted for use, and wrap the bottles in non-actinic paper, or keep them in a dark-room. Directions for making sensitive plates would occupy too much space to allow giving them in "Answers to Queries." Both sensitive plates and solio and aristo papers are so cheap, and are so much better made than an amateur can make them, that it is better to buy them ready prepared. The trouble with the print from the negative is that it was not printed long enough, and faded in the washing. Print till the shadows are deeply bronzed. The paper sent seems to be very evenly sensitized and of a good color. Also asks for the address of George McCarthy.
Sir Knight Sprague Carleton asks what is the reason of the transparencies which he makes having no detail. He says he prints one second, and develops according to directions, using Eastman's plates and formula. The proper way to print transparencies is to print by the dark-room lantern. Place the plate in the holder, then open the door of the lantern, and holding the printing-frame twelve or fifteen inches from the light, print for at least five seconds, moving the frame a little all the time, so that the picture may print evenly. Some negatives will require a longer time than others, just the same as if printing on paper. If the dark-room lantern is not suitable, use a No. 2 kerosene burner turned about half-way down, and expose the plate from three to ten seconds, according to the density of the plate.
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.
All U. S. stamps are first engraved on a soft steel die, which is afterwards hardened; several impressions of the die are then made on a roller of soft steel, which is subsequently hardened. Impressions from the roller are then made upon the soft steel plates used in printing. The following are some of the ways in which minor varieties of the design are caused: By the shifting of the roller during the making of the plate, causing the top and bottom parts of the stamp to be doubled; by missing the guide-lines, causing them to appear in the stamp; by retouching the die roller or plate—each plate is retouched, but some of the dies and rollers are not; by a brittle roller—small pieces break off and become embedded in the plate, causing white blotches to appear in the design; by re-entering—that is, impressing the roller twice on the same stamp in the plate; also by the wearing of the plate.
A unique medal is said to be preserved in the Paris mint. It is a very large gold piece bearing on the obverse the Emperor Napoleon's portrait, and the reverse Hercules strangling the giant Antæus. The inscription is Descente en Angleterre (Invasion of England), and Frappé à Londres (Struck in London). The die was broken after the collapse of Napoleon's plan, and only the proof copy preserved.
The movement among the younger philatelists to collect late issues only is growing everywhere. The low prices at which the bulk of the stamps issued during the last ten years can be had is a great argument in its favor. In 1890 the first postage-stamp ever issued was fifty years old. One collector in England began with the stamps current January 1, 1890, and now has a collection in ten albums of seventy pages each. The "Seebecks" appear, but they cost so little, are so handsome in themselves, and as the issues have undoubtedly done postal duty, many collectors will not be frightened off even by the S. S. S. S. I wonder whether the Seebecks, fifty years after their issue, will not be as scarce and as much sought after as early English, French, etc.?
W. H. Bangs.—The quarter-dollar is worth face only; the 3c. Playing Card green is worth $4 perforated, $15 unperforated.
J. Hung.—The collection of entire U. S. envelopes means the spending of a large amount of money and the exercise of patience, as the rare envelopes only turn up occasionally. Many collectors of entire envelopes do not try to collect all sizes, but take one of each die on each paper. Other collectors prefer to take their U.S. envelopes "cut square"—that is, the die only, leaving a large square margin. This is the usual method, and U. S. envelopes are likely to increase in value every year.
J. Rivo.—See answer to T. L. Watkins, No. 864. Ribbed paper is ordinary paper (wove or laid), run between rollers having fine lines cut in them longitudinally. Many ordinary stamps present the appearance of ribbing in consequence of their having been pasted on ribbed paper envelopes or wrappers. Personally I do not believe in the so-called ribbed paper U. S. stamps.