How Many

Tenpences in 1/11?

i STAMP collector we know who x sent off to Rarotonga in April >r a couple of first day covers from le special post office on Manuae 1011, the solar eclipse island, came > us in some consternation towards le end of June, more or less emanding his money back.

He said he had sent 2/9 New ealand currency to get two first ay covers—one with a 1/9 stamp nd one with a 6d stamp.

But all he had obtained was one rst day cover with a sixpenny and penny stamp on it.

“That means I’m 1/11 down the rain,” he said, “as the cost of each rst day cover was advertised as ireepence.”

We consoled our friend somewhat y pointing out that the Cook Islands Ldministrat'ion had not gone ahead ith its plan to issue a 1/9 stamp P/M, April, p. 13), and that the emand for the 6d stamps that were sued had been so great that all rders could not be filled, and more amps had had to be printed.

“No doubt you’ll get covers to :>ver the rest of your order when le new stamps arrive,” we said.

“But,” put in our friend, whose rithmetic is much faster than ours, if the cover I’ve received so far 9st a total of lOd, how many covers ill they send me for the 1/11 I still ave on account?”

Chastened, we assured our friend lat his guess was as good as ours, le then wanted to know whether le covers still due to him would e postmarked from Manuae, and

whether they would bear the date of the eclipse (May 31), like the one he already had.

“If they do bear the date, May 31, and the Manuae postmark,” he went on, “I will suspect that all is not fair and above board. And if they don’t, then I won’t be getting my money’s worth, as the covers I ordered were to be first day covers from Manuae.”

To which we answered that some people were never satisfied and that we were glad we were not stamp collectors ourselves.