Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 15, 1975, Winnipeg, Manitoba Features Winnipeg free press saturday november 15, 1975 new Leisure the stamp collector v it e i me evaluating and disposing of your collection to continue last week s discussion on the value of stamp collections if you have gone to several dealers who Haven t offered an acceptable Price for your collection you still nay try to sell it on your own. One Way would be to find the stamp club in your Community attend one or two meetings and try to find a member interested in what you have to offer. Speak to the Leader of he club he May steer you o an interested buyer. In almost All stamp clubs you will find Vest pocket dealer. He does t operate out of a shop. In fact he May operate a Small business out of his Home mostly by mail when the service is operating or he May actually operate out of his Vest pocket. This does t mean he in t knowledge Able or in t Abie to buy or sell Stamps. If you get a copy of the Canadian philatelists the american philatelists or ban topics you will find the members of either the american stamp dealers association or the Canadian stamp dealers association listed. Both groups police their membership but Many dealers Don t belong to either of these groups. These journals also carry advertisements from dealers who arc members of the particular stamp society. There is also a certain amount of policing Here and the collector has Access to reliable dealers throughout the country and overseas. If the collector has a valuable collection these journals will give him the names of various auction houses in Canada and other countries. An auction House is the Best Way to dispose of a valuable collection. These auction houses found mainly in Large cities sell at auction and for commission holdings they consider valuable enough to list in their auction catalogues by lots. These lots May consist of several Stamps or a single stamp. The catalogues Are often elaborate and beautifully 4 prepared with photographs of particularly attractive Stamps and have become collectable them selves. They May also form a part of Many reference libraries. One of the most interesting ways to dispose of a skimp collection is by becoming a dealer yourself. This entails a knowledge of your collection and the Stamps. This method generally is open Only to those with Large collections and a desire to turn a lifetime Hobby into a flow of ready Cash. An advertisement placed in a stamp Magazine Jour Nal or paper will bring some response. This method will yield the Best return for the knowledgeable collector but it has some dangers. The collector does t really give up collecting. The need for continuing Stock once a clientele has been established May mean funds realized from sales will be channelled Back into the business. The whole thing May be so much fun and so worthwhile it forms a whole career. By g. F. Hansen f t so much has been said about the investment value of stamp collecting i am almost afraid every time someone contacts me about his stamp hold Ings. The Assumption always is these holdings Are valuable and represent considerable Cash returns which will be quickly forthcoming. Unfortunately this generally is just not so. The collector May have made some poor choices As far As investment is concerned in what he collected. He May have mounted his collection poorly so Stamps which might have been fairly valuable have become worthless. He May have collected such a narrow specially it s necessary to find the few collectors interested in the same items. One of the present prime examples of poor investment potential in the Stamps of Canada is paying Large sums for modern varieties. Most of these Are of a transient nature with prices artificially set by dealers on that basis of whatever the traffic will boar. The last definitive or regular Issue the one in use from 1967 until 1974, is indicative of what May happen to modern stamp varieties. There were several items in that series which for some reason were priced High during the currency of the Issue. Prices were High because every time a new rarity was found there were collectors clamouring to buy it at any Price. Some items were actually scarce. One Case i can name is the six cent i Brit Black Booklet. This item was so scarce single Stamps from the Booklet which was per cd 10 so the Stamps could be identified from the Normal Sheet Stamps wore going for prices in excess of a copy. Complete booklets went As High As this item has been dropping steadily in the last few months and now has gone below i predict it stabilize at As i indicated in my last catalogue and May even go lower. If you have a collection you think May be valuable you May be Able to Leil quickly yourself if there is any use taking it to a dealer for an evaluation. If the Stamps Are glued Down in stamp albums in which Stamps face each other on the pages if the Stamps Are dirty torn or untidy if most of the Stamps Are simply crammed together in boxes or envelopes chances Are the value of the collection will be Low. If the Stamps Are mounted carefully and neatly in Good Quality printed albums or in albums obviously cared for by the collector if everything is put together in a neat and logical fashion and even the extra Stock taken care of in Stock books there is some likelihood the collection May be valuable. 1 i n Sicri i a i in m w to i Winnipeg gardens gave a colourful display of marigolds snapdragons petunias fibrous begonias and even Salvia right up to oct. 25, in spite of Frost warnings and morning temperatures of from Zero to minus two degrees celsius. The extended Frost free period was the result of the tempering influence of Trees shrubbery and Urban surroundings maintaining a Home microclimate about four degrees warmer than that recorded at Winnipeg s International Airport. For example the morning of oct. 23, Winnipeg s official temperature was minus two degrees. But my outdoor thermometer read two degrees with no Frost damage evident in my Garden. During the weekend of oct. 25, with official temperatures dipping to minus six degrees. Jack Frost blackened our gardens with the exception of Garden chrysanthemums. These mums continued to Bloom. This being the Case i think it is still seasonable to make a few observations on Prairie bred Garden chrysanthemums and their place in the Garden. Mums Are known As Short Day plants. They develop blooms Only when exposed to relatively Short Daylight periods and correspondingly longer night periods. Because of this trait Garden mums obtained from More southerly climes such As Eastern Canada Don t set blooms during the Long Daylight hours of our Prairie Summers Early enough to be of much value to gardeners. However we now have Prairie bred and grown Garden mums selected for an inclination to set Boom at least a month earlier than Ordinary Garden mums and for Winter hardiness in our Cli mate i suggest the following Winter Protection for mums cover each clump with a pile of leaves Straw or Garden debris to hold the Snow. Even More important this keeps the soil around them from freezing and thawing in Early Spring. Prairie bred Garden mums can go through Sev eral Winters with Little loss but one year numerous clumps will die either wholly or in part. I believe his is caused not so much by the severity of our climate As by the irregularities of Spring weather. This indicates importance of Winter cover. The common names Christmas and easter cacti which Are natives of Jungles rather than of deserts gives an indication of their Blooming season. How Ever because of numerous hybrids developed from these two species the Blooming times May vary Over several months. The time of Blooming and the profusion of Bloom May depend to a Large degree on How the plants Are handled during the resting period and while they Are setting Flower buds. Late summer and Early autumn is the Normal resting period for these cacti. During this time fertilizer applications should be discontinued and the plants should be kept As dry and Cool As possible. Like chrysanthemums they Are Short Day plants so they produce blooms As the Days shorten. My method of growing Christmas cacti and other close relatives so that they set an abundance of Bloom is to put the potted plants out in the Garden in Early summer in an open shaded area and leave them there until Frost threatens then bring them Back into the House. In the House these should be watered sparingly and kept in the coolest possible spot where they will get Little if any night illumination. When Flower Bud growth is evident i bring them into the living room to watch the buds develop and enjoy the Beauty of the blooms. During this period Don t oven Vater or move the plants around in the room and keep hem away from draughts. Any of these factors can cause Bud drop. The Winnipeg horticultural society will hold its annual meeting at . Wednesday in the auditorium of the Norquay building. John Serger will talk on House plants and Charles Fleming will give a slide presentation on his recent trip to Tuni Sia. Or. Ray draft invites readers inquiries Fly letter. However he cannot accept Telephone inquiries or enter into personal correspond ence with individuals. Any questions of Gen eral interest will be answered in his column. Letters May he addressed to g. S. Reycraft news room. Winnipeg free press 369 Carl ton Street Winnipeg man., r3c 3cl. ;