| Show rich stamp collection envied by ph philatelists the most freakish and one of 0 the most valuable stamp collections in france is pasted on the walls of the cottage of a priest in the savoy alps collectors who have found the stamps damps have bid fabulous prices for the right to steam the collections from the walls but since church property belongs to the french government ern err ment the stamps must remain pasted up until they are spoiled by time the collection was started half a century ago by a young priest who had no other distraction in the mountain mounta ta in village the community is an hours walk and climb from the nearest road but the priest received a great quantity of mail and friends sent him stamps to add to ills his collection ile he started pasting stamps on the bare walls in place of wall paper and then as the collection grew lie he pasted more on top malting making freak designs out of the issues of various countries there are nearly 2 old postage stamps on the four walls of the salon many of them now rare issues much sought after by collectors T the lie F reach french collection Is particularly rich with copies even of the famous balloon stamps issued dorair for air mall mail by gasbag when paris was being besieged by the germans in the war of 1870 there Is a triangular stamp from the cape of good hope some vatican stamps of the first issue before italy took over the iclal territory war stamps from IS 1870 70 from alsace and lorraine the first issues of norway the famous G greek 1 eck mercury series and countless 0 others |
