it , .w' /I .' JiaSll Collector Hunts, Fishes For Rare Licenses GAIL STROCK Mifflin Co. Correspondent BELLEVILLE (Mifflin Co.) “It’s weird to some people what others collect,” Forrest Kauff man of Belleville, Mifflin Coun ty, says with a grin. He pulls out a boxed display tray of tourist fishing license but tons, items normally thought of as hobby collectibles, not as ex pensive antiques. He points to one issued in 1936 and said, “I bought this one sev eral years ago for $900.” Forrest was not misled by a bad deal. This very knowledge able and veteran antique collec tor knew precisely its worth. He keeps his collection of fishing and hunting licenses in a huge antique floor-to-ceiling safe that once held jewelry at Royal Jewel ers in Lewistown. “I started collecting hunting and fishing licenses 25 years ago when I started running out of room for antiques. I thought they wouldn’t take up much room, again,” he laughs. 1 He has attended a license col lector’s show in Milesburg sever al times where only licenses are offered for sale hunting, fish ing, car, and even dog licenses. 41 started collecting hunting and fishing li censes 25 years ago when I started running out of room for antiques. 1 thought they wouldn’t take up much room. Guess again. 9 Forrest Kauffman Mifflin County Collector “There are even people who Each license was numbered as to collect dog license tap. Issuing how many were allotted. dog licenses started in 1907, but I don’t collect them. The first Pennsylvania hunting can collect only the county you license was allocated in 1913. live in or the county' you hunt in. From 1913 to 1923, they were I’ve been collecting the metal li made of cloth; from 1924 to censes for all 67 counties from Regimental flags of the Civil War rarely appear for sale. This one has been preserved by members of the Newhall family for more than 135 years and will be auc tioned March 8. See story at right. ' ’V. Lancaster Fap^ftig Forrest Kauffman’s complete set of fishing license buttons includes years 1936 through 1959. After 1959, they issued paper licenses. 1926, they were made of alumi num; from 1927 to 1941, they were made of tin. Then during the war, metal was scarce, and they changed to heavy paper.” Even today, each county is numbered alphabetically, and, for identification, hunters and fishers could only purchase a li cense in the county they lived in, even though they could hunt or fish anywhere in Pennsylvania. “There are so many ways to collect,” Forrest continues. “You 1924 to 1937, the last year they put county numbers on them that’s 938 hunting licenses. I only need eight more.” As for doe licenses, Forrest has been collecting every year in every county starting with the year 1951. “They didn’t issue 1954 or 1956 because there were no doe seasons then, too contro versial.” Delaware County is the hard est to get. It’s a small county and not many deer were there. They only allocated 30 for the first three years. Also, some county people bought them and burned or destroyed them to save a doe. They did that for a lot of coun ties. It’s hard to get licenses for the early years for Allegheny, Washington, Beaver, Greene, Delaware, and Montour counties. More than 3,200 doe licenses were allocated I need less than 100.” Forrest’s collection is obvi ously an ongoing collection be cause he needs 67 new licenses each year. He contacts dealers and goes to trade shows to com plete each year and to trade and sell for lower numbers. He also collects Pennsylvania special issue, non-resident, visitor, com plimentary, and experimental li censes, those made just before the change to another type of material such as aluminum, tin, and paper. “Very little is known about the complimentary fishing licenses. If a fishing warden had a friend out of state or an official who wanted to fish, they’d give them one of these. There’s no number higher than $0 and only eight different years are known 1936, “37, ’3B, ’39, ’4l, ’42, ’45, and ‘46. We’ve never seen any for 1940, “42, or ’44.” Because collecting hunting and fishing licenses is an ongoing process, Forrest keeps a keen hunter’s eye out for the licenses he needs to complete his collec tions including his extensive col lection of out-of-state fishing but tons, many from Hawaii, but that’s another story. Cloth hunting licenses were issued from 1913 through 1923. These are part of Forrest Kauffman’s complete set. Forrest Kauffman has collected several #44 hunting li censes issued in Mifflin County. Civil War Flag Featured In Cataloged Auction HATFIELD (Montgomery Co.) In the final days of the Ameri can Civil War, at the surrender of Robert E. Lee and his Confederate Army, the spring breezes of Virginia gently lifted the silk folds of the regimental battleflags of the third Pennsylvania Cavalry. One flag was special to the unit and represented one of their tragic losses. This special flag had been carried side by side with the rest of the regimental flags since December 1863 and bears the words “In Memory of Capt. Walter S. Newhall To The Third PA Cavalry Dec. 1863.” Sixteen months prior to Appomatox, on Dec. 18, 1863, Captain Walter Symonds Newhall was traveling on horseback to join his brother, Captain Frederick C. Newhall. On this cold December day tragedy struck Walter far from the battlefield. In Virginia, while crossing a stream that flowed into the Rappahannock River, New hall’s horse lost it’s footing and fell into the frigid water. Walter was pinned under the horse and unable to extricate himself, he eventually drowned. In Dec. 1863, the third Pennsylvania Cavalry was to be given a pre sentation flag from the grateful citizens of Philadelphia. Because of (Turnto-Pageß3o) **V * ” • Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 3,2001-827 \. >• C .
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers