38 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1914. 



of the year, and labels had been prepared for about 30,000 more. As 

 regards the material on hand the work had been somewhat more than 

 half completed, and the alphabetical arrangement of the stamps by 

 countries had progressed to the letter N. Spaces have been reserved 

 for all of the primary varieties lacking, which it is expected to pro- 

 cure from time to time. The collection is, therefore, by no means a 

 complete unit, but to be considered as the nucleus of a greater and 

 more perfect representation of the stamps of the world to be gradu- 

 ally rounded out. As at present constituted it is most important on 

 account of its size and wide representation, as well as for the period 

 covered, commencing about the middle of the nineteenth century. It 

 lacks especially the rare specimens of collectors and common varieties 

 of certain periods, particularly of foreign issues. In general the 

 mounting is of single stamps of each issue, but when necessary to 

 serve a particular purpose they may be mounted in pairs, strips, 

 blocks, or sheets. A selected series of the stamped envelopes of the 

 United States follows the stamps of that country, but otherwise no 

 provision has yet been made for the exhibition of postal cards and 

 envelopes. In addition to the exhibition series which is expected to 

 be the most complete, a reserve series will also be maintained for the 

 use of special students of the subject. 



The collection of United States stamps from the Post Office De- 

 partment is an especially valuable one, all of the regular Government 

 issues during the nineteenth century being represented as to types ex- 

 cept the 1, 5, and 12-cent stamps of August, 1861, the other desiderata 

 consisting in the lack of a number of scarce shades and special print- 

 ings. The issues of the present century for the United States, the 

 Philippine Islands, and the Canal Zone lack only a few shades which 

 are not rare and can readily be secured. The representation of 

 foreign stamps, however, is far less complete, and includes not a 

 single one of the many great rarities of the nineteenth century. 

 Though numerous gaps occur in the series of the twentieth century, 

 they can mostly be filled without trouble and through the medium 

 of exchange. 



In the United States series, the installation of which has been 

 completed, occur the following rare stamps, mainly unused copies 

 and all in fine condition, namely, the 1-cent (type 1), 5-cent in dark 

 brown and red brown and 24-cent of the issue of 1851 ; the 5-cent 

 (type 1), in brick red and red brown, of the issue of 1857; the 3-cent 

 rose, 3-cent carmine, 10 and 24-cent, and the 90-cent imperforate of 

 the issue of Augiist, 1861 ; the 3-cent scarlet, 5-cent buff, 5-cent olive 

 buff, and 24-cent steel blue of the issue of 1862-1866 ; the 15 and 30- 

 cent of the issue of 1869, with inverted medallions, the latter being 

 one of the three great rarities in the issues of this Government ; and 

 a 12-cent, grilled, of the issue of 1870. The set of reprints of vari- 



