CHAPTER V

THE SCOPE OF A MODERN COLLECTION 151

The historical collection: literary and philatelic--The quest for _rariora_--The "grangerising" of philatelic monographs: its advantages and possibilities--Historic documents--Proposals and essays--Original drawings--Sources of stamp-engravings--Proofs and trials--Comparative rarity of some stamps in pairs, &c., or on original envelopes--Coloured postmarks--Portraits, maps, and contemporary records--A lost opportunity.