Phila-Trivia: The Guano Trade and the Clipperton Island Stamps

   While the California and Alaska Gold Rushes are well known and have been immortalized in films and literature, the Guano Trade of the mid- and late 19th Century is less so, though it  played a pivotal role in the development of modern intensive farming practices and inspired the colonization of remote islands in many parts of the world. Guano, the accumulated droppings of birds or bats, is an extremely effective fertilizer and a rich source of phosphorous and nitrogen, key ingredients of gunpowder.

   Among the historic relics of the Guano Trade are the stamps of Clipperton Island, a guano-rich coral atoll which was mined by the Oceanic Phosphate Company.

   

   Clipperton Island was named after the English mutineer and pirate John Clipperton, who made it his hideout in 1705. The French claimed Clipperton in 1855, but Mexican forces invaded in 1897 and stationed troops there until 1917. In 1930, the island again came under French rule. The island is the only atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and it lies about 670 miles southwest of Mancanilla Bay, Mexico, the nearest mainland. It comprises a ring of dead coral surrounding a lagoon, measuring less than four square miles. Numerous birds use the deserted and uninhabited island as a nesting place and therefore it is rich in guano deposits.

   In 1892, the Oceanic Phosphate Company, an American firm, began to exploit these guano deposits. It was  estimated that there were about 1,000,000 tons of fertilizing material on the island, and valued at between $18 and $20 a ton.

   In 1895, 200 sets of ten stamps, denominated in American currency, were issued by W. Frese and Company, acting as agents of Oceanic Phosphate. The set's six similar designs  pictured the atoll surrounding the year "1895", as well as crawfish and birds - the Masked Boobies which abound there.

   Initial responses to these stamps published in the philatelic press were quite skeptical, as many viewed their issuance as yet another attempt to bilk collectors. However, W. Frese and Company responded:

"...There are but a few men on the island, but we will have between one hundred and two hundred at work there later. There is no communication with any nearer point than San Francisco, and this only by means of our vessels, which sail at irregular periods, as circumstances require. Heretofore we have carried the mail for our employees, and have taken the chance of collecting for this service. On this basis we have at times carried as much as $15.00 worth of mail matter on a single voyage of one of our vessels. We found it difficult, in most cases, to make them pay this charge, and to obviate this trouble in the future we

decided to issue stamps, which must be used to prepay postage by those sending mail to or from

Clipperton Island." 

Mexican stamps overprinted
for mailings from Clipperton Island

   Presumably use of the set was discontinued following the Mexican invasion of 1897. Thereafter, Mexican stamps were overprinted for mailings from the island. 

   Whether issued for philatelic purposes or not, the set is quite scarce and is occasionally offered at stamp auctions, at which it usually sells for around $ 500.- to $ 750.-. 

    Those interested in becoming part of an international community of stamp collectors, dealers, and investors are encouraged to join the "Stampselectors" group at Facebook. The group hosts lively discussions concerning stamp investment and practical aspects of collecting, and provides a useful venue for those who wish to buy, sell, or trade stamps.      

Phila-Trivia: S. A. Taylor and the Mormon Stamp Hoax

   By the 1860s, stamp collecting had already become a very popular hobby, and many countries issued their first stamps during this period, fueling  interest further.  John Walter Scott published his first stamp catalog in 1868, a 21-page pamphlet with the long-winded title "Descriptive Catalogue of American and Foreign Postage Stamps, Issued from 1840 to Date, Splendidly Illustrated with Colored Engravings and Containing the Current Value of each Variety." 

S.A. Taylor

      One of the more colorful individuals who gravitated toward the absurd new fad of collecting bits of colored paper, and even paying good money for them, was Samuel Allan Taylor (1838-1913). Taylor was one of the pioneers of stamp collecting in the U.S. and published the first North American stamp journal, "The Stamp Collector's Record." He was also a notorious producer of bogus stamps, known as 'the Master Grafter', and was the leader of the 'Boston Gang' of philatelic forgers.

    He was at the height of his fraudulent career between 1863 and '79, and for one of his productions, a fictitious U.S. local, used his own portrait in the design. Many of Taylor's creations were obvious fakes. He had a keen sense of humor, evident in many stamps he produced, and he was partly an artist and partly a cynical faker who thrived in his profession. Taylor once said that he was "a man of flexible conscience and  speculative disposition." He contended that his output was for use as "space-fillers," the genuine stamps being too expensive for the average collector. He circulated his stamps widely and his patrons paid little for most of them, but he could work up a a very deceptive job when in the mood.

   Among Taylor's least convincing forgeries were imitations of two stamps of the Confederacy: one of the 1862 2c Blue, picturing a simian Jefferson Davis, and another of the 1863 2c Brown Red, with a depressed Andrew Jackson. 

   In 1863, an article appeared in "The Stamp Collector's Magazine" describing a stamp issued in 1852 by Mormon leader Brigham Young for prepaying postage to and from Salt Lake City and the rest of the Utah Territory. According to the article, "This and some other attempts at independent government on the part of Brigham Young and his followers caused the Washington authorities to dispatch a military force to the Great Salt Lake for the purpose of restoring order and allegiance. It met with but ill success, however."

   The stamps were printed in several colors, and bear a crude, block-printed likeness of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints. In 1864, postal authorities confiscated covers franked with these stamps bound for England. In December of that year, Taylor published an article in his journal admitting that they were "facsimiles" and included an illustration of his creations. When Brigham Young was interviewed about the matter,  he responded that he "had never thought of issuing a postage stamp." One can only speculate as to the identity of the source of the 1863 article which attributed some legitimacy and historical significance to the stamps, as to who tried to create canceled covers bearing them, and whether, after the government intervened, Taylor was motivated by fear of being thrown in prison to admit to creating the stamps as "facsimiles." In any case, this brazen attempt to rewrite history failed.

   I've recently read that these fakes, which may be considered "Cinderellas", sell for around $10.- to $15.- each. They'd make interesting additions to a Mormon topical collection. The stamps have potential dual market appeal to collectors of Cinderellas and Religion/Mormonism topicals, as fantasy stamps related to a religion of which there are over 15 million adherents worldwide. Assuming that no more than a few hundred of each remain, they could actually be good investments.

  The Stamp Auction Bidders and Consignors Union (SABACU) is a forum for discussing stamp auctions, and represents the interests of stamp auction bidders and consignors in their dealings with stamp auctioneers. All stamp collectors and dealers are welcome to join.  


 

Phila-Trivia: When "Cinderella" Means More than a Fairy Tale

"Cinderellas" resemble postage stamps, but are not issued for postal purposes by a governmental postal administration. They include many different types of stamps and stamp-like labels, such as: locals, advertising/poster stamps, propaganda labels, stamps issued by non-recognized countries or governments,

charity labels, telegraph stamps, coupon stamps issued by companies, ration stamps, fantasy stamps, counterfeits, and more.

Certain types of cinderella stamps are sometimes listed in stamp catalogs. Locals, for instance, have at times fulfilled a legitimate postal function when stamps issued by the national government were not available. Often, however, locals are issued simply as philatelic products for sale to collectors. Revenues are sometimes considered cinderellas, but because they fulfill a tax function and are issued by governmental agencies, they are sometimes listed in stamp catalogs.

Advertising/poster stamps advertise a product or an event, such as an exhibition or stamp show. Propaganda labels promote a particular cause. Stamps issued by non-recognized countries or governments include those issued by rebel groups, governments in exile, shadow governments, etc., and are sold to raise money for their operations. Charity labels are sold to raise money for various charities, and include Christmas, Easter, and Tuberculosis seals. Coupon stamps are issued by companies and given to customers as a bonus when products are purchased. Fantasy stamps are usually created by artists and appear to have been issued by non-existent countries. Counterfeits include postal counterfeits, produced to defraud the postal system, counterfeits of rare stamps created to defraud collectors, governmental counterfeits of postage stamps of enemy nations produced in time of war, and reprints.

Cinderellas are a very popular collecting area, but individual items are often difficult to evaluate because a comprehensive catalog of cinderella stamps doesn't exist. There are simply too many cinderellas to list, and since anyone may produce a cinderella, compiling and periodically updating a complete catalog would be an impossible task.

Those interested in collecting cinderellas should consider joining the Cinderella Stamp Club.

Those interested in learning about investing in stamps should read the Guide to Philatelic Investing ($5), available on Kindle and easily accessible from any computer.