Governments which have issued stamps some times reprint them after they have gone out of use. When these issues are good for postage they are called reissues. When, however, they are obsolete stamps, which cannot be used for prepaying mail matter, they are known as re prints. It sometimes happens that the plates of Government issues of stamps get into the hands of private individuals who reprint them for sale to eollectors. These are known as private re prints and are of nitwit less value than Govern ment reprints because made without authority, and usually in large quantities.
The processes employed in printing in many countries have been sneh as to encourage coun terfeiting. Comparatively little trouble has heel) experienced by governments which have employed tsteel engraving for the production of their stamps. The expense and difficulty of successful imitation by the use of counterfeit steel plates has been such as to deter counterfeiters from at tempting it. The lithographie process is usually employed by counterfeiters. The Government of Spain changed its issues every year for a con siderable period in order to defeat the aim of counterfeiters. Greece also has suffered eonsid erably from counterfeits made to defraud the Government.
The collecting of stamps, sometimes known as philately, has several advantages over the gathering of other objects which satisfy the collecting instinct. The chief of these is the small space which is occupied by a large and valuable collection. There is also a standard of value by means of whieh the worth of stamps may he estimated. This is found in the standard catalogues, which, being based upon a knowledge of the number of stamps in existence, and prices collectors are willing to pay for them, contain approximate valuations for most of them.
The separate engraving of stamps increases very much the interest in them. It has also led to a distinct kind of collecting known as plat ing. Collectors who are interested in doing this seek to restore the original plates of stamps by gathering together all the varieties that have been printed from them and placing them in their proper order in relation to one another.
Great countries are distinctly adverse to the use of the postal service in any other than its legitimate manner. There have been cases where British and French colonial authorities have ar ranged for special issues of stamps or have had overprints, known as surcharges, placed upon them for the purpose of securing all increased sale to collectors, but these attempts have been frowned upon and few of them are made at the present time.
All collectors of stamps collect the perforated as distinct from the imperforate issues. The rouletted varieties are quite generally collected, and those who are especially interested in the smaller varietiesnotice the differences in the gauge of the perforation. Thit, is determined by the number of holes that may be counted in the space of two centimeters and a stamp is known as per forated 11, 13, 15, etc., according to the number of perforations included in that space.
Water-marks have been used by many countries as a means of guard ing against the counterfeiting of their stamps. These are produced in the paper in the same way that the water mark is made in ordinary writing paper. It sometimes appears in the centre of a sheet or pane of stamps.
and again the whole water-mark is found in the space covered by a single stamp. The most emmnon and interesting varie ties of water-mark are those found in the stamps of Great Britain and her colonies. It is sometimes quite diffieult to discern the water-mark, but a stamp placed in benzine upon a black surface usually shows it clearly. Collectors who are especially interested ill minor varieties of water-mark collect them when found inverted or sideways in the stamp, as well as in their proper position. The mis placing of a sheet in the press frequently causes a water-mark to appear at one side instead of at the centre of a stamp, and in some cases it is en tirely lacking for this reason, and, where the margin of a sheet contains lines or large letters, these are found in the stamps.
The colors of the paper on which stamps are printed appeal strongly to all collectors, also the quality of the paper itself. Laid paper is a variety showing parallel lines, similar to those of the water-mark, such as may be found in many varieties of writing paper. All paper that does not have laid lines is known as wove, some of it being of even texture and showing no marks whatever, while other varieties show that which is similar to the weaving of cloth gives the name. Collectors who are spe cialists note the differences of hard and soft paper. Thin and thick paper varieties are also collected.
The value of stamps depends, not, as is com monly supposed, upon their age, but upon the number that have been is sued and the number pre served. Great countries. like the United States and the principal nations of Eu rope, issue large numbers of every stamp that they put into circulation. The stamp which corresponds to the ordinary letter rate in any large country is al ways common. Very old issues of small coun tries whose postal service was limited attain high value. Confederate postmasters during the War of Secession issued stamps of a class similar to United States postmasters' stamps. Some of these in fine condition are rare, bringing $500 each and upward, according to their condi tion. The United States Baltimore stamp of the 10-eent denomination, which differs from the 5-cent only in the numeral, is one of the rarest known. The first issue of Mauritius brings a very high price, exceeding $2000 for a fine speci men. All early issues of stamps are continually increasing in value, for the supply of them is limited and the demand grows constantly.
There are very valuable col lections of stamps held in all the principal countries of the world. The British Museum owns one which was left to it by a late member of Parliament and which contains very fine specimens of the rarest stamps of all countries. The most com plete collection in the world is owned in France. The actual value of these collections is difficult to estimate, as they contain stamps of which few specimens are known and varieties which are unique.
Consult: Calman and Collin. Catalogue for Advanced Collectors (New York. 1902) ; Luff, The Postage Stamps of the United States (ib., 1902) ; Wright and Creeke, The Adhesive Stamps of the British, Isles (London, 1S99) ; Kr0tzscb, Perm a !lentos Handbuch der Postfreimarkenkunde (Leipzig, 1895 et seq.).