Private Collectors. Blessing or bane?

The following paper was submitted by David Miller to the 4th Australasian Tri-Territorial Heritage Conference May 2004, Melbourne, Australia. 

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Well, I have to admit that in my 55 years I've probably been called a bane a lot more often than I have been referred to as a blessing. What I don't quite understand is why should being a private collector of Salvation Army memorabilia make me a bane to anyone? What is it about my hobby that anyone should seek to label me as a bane? All of the material in my collection is honestly obtained from legitimate sources and I collect for pleasure not profit. So why should I be referred to as a bane?
 
I have had it said to me that private collectors prevent official Salvation Army Heritage Centres and museums from obtaining items for their exhibitions. This I find a very hard pill to swallow. Firstly most of the items that are in the hands of private collectors would not be wanted by a Heritage Centre as they would not be of sufficient historical importance. Secondly many of the items started off as being either the property of The Salvation Army or of a Salvation Army Soldier. Before anyone starts criticising private collectors maybe it would be wise to consider where dealers who sell to private collectors obtain the items.
 
For example, our local corps was moving premises and hired a skip to clear the old hall. Knowing from past experience what was likely to happen, I contacted the CO and asked if I might have a look through the so called rubbish before it was consigned to the tip. Captain readily agreed, after all it was going to the tip that afternoon. What a sight greeted me when I arrived. Old S.A. instruments, song books, a print of the founder, just to name a few of the items that were headed for the dump to be seen no more! Even the black garbage sacks yielded many items of interest to collectors. Despite the fact that Captain was prepared to give me the items, I did a quick calculation and told her that they were worth over £1,000 on the open market and that I was prepared to sell them with all proceeds going to the corps. In fact we raised over £1,500, a more than useful addition to corps funds and certainly a good result for a skip full of rubbish!
 
At one time I was approached by a Salvation Army Charity shop and asked if I was interested in S.A. items as they had no market for them. Records, books, china etc. were being dumped as worthless. Even records of the Founder's voice had been consigned to oblivion! A steady supply of items ensued. Nothing that special, but collectors would certainly be interested. Another successful 'rescue' operation and another nice addition to corps funds.
 
Why are these two examples so relevant? All the items in question were once in the possession of members of the Salvation Army. Were they offered to a Heritage Centre? Or archived within the corps? No! they were on their way to a land fill site to be seen no more! Who prevented this happening? A private collector! At least now these pieces are in the possession of people who will preserve, research and care for them. These are not isolated instances, I know many private collectors who could relate similar stories. What is it about some Salvationists that they seem to show so little interest in the heritage of the great Army to which they belong?
 
As some will know I own a web site, http://www.sacollectables.com/, which seeks to bring together collectors of Salvation Army memorabilia. What you may be surprised to learn is that I have a mailing list of over 300 collectors throughout the world. I know of many more who do not have access to the internet so are not included in this figure. Private collectors exist and are not going to go away. The question surely must be do official Heritage Centres and museums work with them, or merely complain about their existence? The official collections cannot hope to archive every single piece of Salvation Army memorabilia, although I'm sure that there a few pieces in private hands that they would like to have. The answer is very simple. Work with private collectors. Ask them for pieces from their collection to be made available on loan to the official exhibitions. I would certainly co-operate, and I know that most if not all of my fellow collectors would do the same. If this idea appeals I would be prepared to make my web site available as a place where Heritage Centres can track down specific items they would like to add to their displays.
 
I often hear that the official Heritage Centres and museums are short of money. If this is the case let's get together and set about raising some funds for this important work. My web site will certainly help, and I'm sure my friends at the Salvation Army Philatelic Circle, the Christian Mission Historical Association and the Salvation Army Regal 78 Association would also lend their support. Maybe private collectors would be prepared to donate a piece or two to be sold to raise some funds. There must be a wealth of items of interest to collectors languishing in Corps throughout the world that hasn't seen the light of day for decades. What a cash injection that could provide if it could be harnessed. The way forward must be through working together. If we allow an 'us' and 'them' attitude to develop then not only do we all lose, but so do future generations who are yet to be inspired by what the Salvation Army has achieved. Our aims and objectives are certainly not dissimilar, co-operation is the only sensible way forward.
 
The International Heritage Centre in London is a veritable mine of information for Salvation Army collectors and historians. All queries and information requests are dealt with promptly and in great detail. In my humble opinion it is the way it should work. The more people that become interested the better chance we all have of preserving artefacts and memorabilia to inspire future generations to continue the wonderful work of the Army we all love. In the past I have been criticised for the ever increasing interest in Salvation Army memorabilia and for the increased prices of items. As far as prices are concerned that's down to what the individual is prepared to pay. The market obviously decides its' own level. Personally I think some of the prices paid are scandalous, but who am I to criticise others? What I do know is that with the wealth of new collectors there is more Salvation Army memorabilia being preserved and cared for than ever before, and if I stand accused of being a part of that then I plead guilty as charged and await my sentence!
 
Are private collectors a blessing or a bane? I believe that it is, to a large extent, down to the way the official Heritage Centres wish to view them. We stand ready to work with you, but unless you allow us that privilege then I fear that it will never be. I pray that out of your discussions and deliberations will come a desire that we can all continue to be inspired by our collections, and that in a spirit of co-operation and mutual respect we can work together to attain our objectives.

The Eastbourne Riots

An Historic Victory For The Salvation Army

Trouble for The Salvation Army in Eastbourne was foreshadowed by town mayor elect, William Epps Morrison who declared that the council should do everything possible to put down The Salvation Army which was opposed altogether to the spirit of true religion. He even added that the council must resort to the support of the Skeleton Army to bring about the suppression of the Army.
  
 Furthermore, the mayor actually went as far as asking the home secretary for permission to leave the Salvationists to the fury of the mob. Permission was very properly denied. The Salvation Army opened fire in Eastbourne on 9th January 1890. Conflict with the town council was not long in coming. On September 8th Captain Emily Goss, together with other Salvationists, appeared before the magistrates charged with singing in the street.

The first attempt by the council to attack the Army ended in defeat when the case was dismissed. The Bandmaster of the Household Troops Band, Staff Captain Appleby, was charged on 24th August with being associated with a procession and a band of music. He was not brought before the court until October when he was found guilty and fined £1 on each count with 15/- costs, or seven days imprisonment. By May 1891 a corps band had been formed and the mayor was informed and a compromise suggested. The band would agree to play on Sundays in procession only in certain streets. On 11th May the council passed a resolution uncompromisingly rejecting the proposal. The conflict continued to escalate and in June 1891 local magistrates fined Captain Bob Bell and four soldiers £5 or a month in prison. They chose to serve the prison sentence. Just one week later thirty Salvationists appeared in court. As they all refused to agree to abide by the draconian regulations being enforced on them, the maximum penalty was imposed and they were jailed.

Commissioner Eva Booth visited Eastbourne from 25th to 28th June and conducted three meetings on the Sunday. In an effort to bring about a peaceful settlement to the conflict, she visited the mayor and councillor chambers. Her efforts sadly failed and every effort at compromise was soundly rejected.

 Upon his release from jail, Captain Bell and his comrades were welcomed by some 2000 Salvationists from London and the south of England. They marched through the town led by Commandant H. H. Booth, Commissioner Eva Booth and Commissioner Howard. The day ended with the Salvationists being attacked by a large violent mob.

From that day on a steady stream of Salvationists flowed to and from Lewes prison. The ill treatment of the Salvationists by the 'Skeleton Army' continued to escalate. Incited by the mayor, the mob, often numbering over 7000, were only to willing to attack at every available opportunity. The Sunday following Captain Bell's release from jail, nine bandsmen from Camberwell, London, visited Eastbourne in support of their comrades.

On the order of the mayor they were soon arrested and were committed for trial by local magistrates charged with conspiracy and unlawful assembly. Appearing at the Sussex Assizes at Lewes on 8th August, they were defended by Mr. H. H. Asquith, Q.C., M.P., who was later to become Prime Minister. The case was sent to the Central Criminal Court for trial on 2nd December where he jury found the bandsmen guilty of the charge of unlawful assembly. The judge, Mr. Justice Hawkins, refused to accept the verdict, stating that walking carrying musical instruments could in no way be considered unlawful. December 4th saw a proclamation posted in Eastbourne signed by the mayor and town clerk in another attempt to quell the Army's activities. It was withdrawn when local Methodists announced that they too would contest the contents of the proclamation to the bitter end. Despite this, both the Skeleton Army and indeed the police continued to hand out brutal treatment to the local Salvationists.

Reviewing the case of the Camberwell Bandsmen on January 27th 1892, the High Court of the Queen's Bench Division, all five judges decided that there was no evidence on which a reasonable jury could have acted in finding the defendants guilty of an unlawful assembly. They also pointed out that any violent action by the mob was not only unwarranted, but was itself punishable.

On March 10th 1892 Parliament voted by 269 votes to 122 to repeal the clause in the law that had in a large part been responsible for the riots not only in Eastbourne but in a number of other towns and cities. It was not until 1st September that the Repeal Bill became law, and rightly the Salvationists claimed a great victory. At Eastbourne Corps, by the end of November, a period of 5 months, there had been 80 seekers, 35 recruits and 28 new soldiers had been enrolled.

The council tried to introduce by-laws to prevent the Salvation Army from holding open air meetings and processions in the town. Thankfully the Home Secretary refused to approve them. At not a little cost, particularly to the Eastbourne Salvationists, The Army had won the right to proclaim the Word Of God on the streets.

“Post Office Missed” Private Presentation Packs by David Miller

I have always wondered about the Salvation Army Private Presentation Pack, pictured above, so I decided to dig around and see what I could find out.

They were produced for commemorative and definitive issues when Royal Mail did not produce an official presentation pack. They seem to fetch quite a high price on Ebay, and are sold by dealers at around the £12.50 mark. Not a bad price for a set that costs but a few pence!

It may be reasonable to assume that, in the case of the Salvation Army issue, these were issued along with the stamps in 1965, but this is most definitely not the case. None of the 16 different packs that were produced were released at the same time as the stamps. A full list of these “private” packs is below. The set of 16 is available on the internet at the incredible price of £95.00!

1937 Coronation
1951 Festival of Britain 
1965 Salvation Army
1965 Arts
1965 Lister 
1965 United Nations 
1965 ITU
1966 Landscapes
1966 Football World Cup - England Winners 
1967 Chichester 
1967 Christmas 
1969 Ghandi 
1975 Charity
1976 10p Booklet Pane (January)
1976 10p Booklet Pane (March)
1977 Silver Jubilee 9p Value

My research shows that all these presentation packs were produced in the late 1970’s in issues of 2,000 for each stamp issue by a company in Eastbourne. A nice little earner indeed given that a total of 32,000 packs were produced!

As most of you will know, I wholeheartedly disapprove of this sort of thing. All that has been done is to greatly increase the “value” of the stamps by the addition of a piece of printed card!!!!! Is this a fake? If sold honestly with full information then no, but most of these that I have seen for sale make no mention of the fact that they were produced up to 40 years after the issue of the stamps.

Fred Collins Salvation Army FDC by David Miller

Well known cachet artist Fred Collins produced a superb hand painted FDC showing a Salvation Army collecting kettle for the USA Caring & Sharing issue of October 7th. 1998, Collins number R2901.

Collins has a unique numbering system for his covers. His first cover the Quilt Making cover was number A101 with a second variety numbered A102. His second issue the Statue of Liberty was numbered B101, B102, and B103. Generally the covers with the 02 03 numbers were made in small qualities and have a higher retail price. The exception to this is when there are several stamps in an issue. For example the Greeting from American series is numbered L3501 – L3550. Also about twice a year he has a subscriber only cover. His first “year” numbering ending with Z101, with the “second” year numbering starting at A201.

Collins Hand Painted FDCs have been produced since 1978 and their reputation for superb quality has continued to grow. Each and every Collins cachet is individually hand painted in beautiful watercolors. Brush stroke after careful brush stroke brings each cover to life, and they truly are miniature works of art. His first cachet was the American Quilt making issue (1748-51) issued in March 1978 and he is still producing First Day Covers.

Fred Collins is a co-founder and charter member of the National Cachetmakers Association, a life member of the American First Day Cover Society, a member of the American Philatelic Society, a member of the National Stamp Dealers Association, an elected member of Earl Planty's First Day Cover Hall of Fame,and an honorary lifetime member of the Molly Pitcher Stamp Club of New Jersey.  Fred Collins was awarded the Cachetmaker of the Half-Century (1951-2000) as voted by the membership of the American First Day Cover Society.