COINS AND STAMPS 0 Many thanks for putting my article on coins and stamps in the October Journal. One small point is that we gave the prices as at September, 1972, whereas they were September 1971. As forecast, the common varieties have dropped considerably in value: 2 p and 3p stamps are now 5p per 1,000 and many of the others are less than half the figure quoted.

As a matter of interest I now have well over 1 cwt of coppers and nearly 8.000 ship halfpennies.

I expect you know about my ideas of selling the latter to the Golden Hind Ltd., of California, as souvenirs.

Barrie Smale and I have made nearly £250 from stamps in 1972 alone, his share being £120.45 which should increase tremendously now that his appeal, sponsored by you, is going out.—C. C. Lowry, Captain, R.N., Buckleigh House, Westward Ho!, North Devon.

• I read with interest the article in the October edition of THE LIFE-BOAT by Captain Lowry regarding the collecting of used postage stamps to raise funds for the R.N.L.I. I feel I must remark on a couple of points in the article.

One is that stamps have to be off paper. I sell all my stamps, however, on paper, thus obtaining more money because the paper itself is included. Another point is the 2-Jp and 3p ordinary stamps. Captain Lowry implies that they are not really worth collecting. Well, in fact, 99 per cent, of the stamps I sell are of this type on paper.

I am not criticising the efforts made by Captain Lowry in raising funds. I feel he is doing a wonderful job, which must be very time consuming, but I feel that readers of THE LIFE-BOAT may get the wrong idea about what stamps to collect and send to those people who sort them and sell on behalf of the R.N.L.I.

Perhaps you would point out that I would be pleased to receive any type of stamps on behalf of the R.N.L.I. funds.— R. H. Smart, Flat 18, 81 Oak Hill, Woodford Green, Essex.

ARTIST IN IRELAND % You may be interested in my drawing of a Watson type life-boat. I live near the Howth, Co. Dublin, life-boat station and the model for the drawing was the Howth life-boat. The background in the drawing is, however, an improvisation as the actual location was unsuitable. It was drawn in 1969.

Other work which I've done on life-boat subjects includes a black and white portrait of Coxswain Richard Walsh, Rosslare Harbour, Co. Wexford, who is a friend of mine. HUGH O'B. GREENAN, Avondah Par, Raheny, Dublin 5, Republic of Ireland.

Mr. Hugh O'B. Greenan's pen and ink drawing of the Howth, Co. Dublin, life-boat A.M.T. Built in 1962, the life-boat was bought with legacies provided by Mr. E. A. Auston, Miss J. Muhlhauser and Mr. A. Toon.MR. AITKEN'S OAKLEY 0 In 1971, for our local civic weekend display, we were able to borrow a one-third scale model life-boat from the Depot. The model provided something of a challenge to our head launcher, Mr. 1'cmvick Aitken, who is himself a keen model maker, but when the crew told him he wouldn't be able to make a model like that, it was decided there and then! Obtaining plans of our 37-foot Oakley, he set to work, and using only odd moments of his time has produced the one-quarter scale (9 feet 3 inches long) model of Seaham life-boat (see photograph), correct to the last detail. Mr. Aitken is on the right of the picture, and Mr. G. Henderson, our branch chairman, is on the left.

Some of the crew gave a hand with the painting so that it could be finished and on display for our ladies' guild flag day on 1st July, 1971. Mounted on a trailer and skirted with a canvas sea-scape, it was a centre of interest; the souvenir stall near it had quite a busy time, and the collecting tins on the model were well filled.

Mr. Aitken has made a number of smaller Horse Brasses The R.N.L.I. would like to know if the teams of horses once used to launch life-boats (the last such launch was at Wells, Norfolk, in 1934) had their own harness brasses depicting lifeboats or some other aspect of lifeboat work. Opinion at present is that, as the teams were mostly provided by local farmers, they were adorned with whatever brasses the horseman used about the farm.

models of the boat and has given some of them to local social clubs who support the work of the Institution.—LESLIE HOOD, hon. secretary, Seaham branch, Seaham, Co. Durham.

UP OR DOWN RIVER? 9 In connection with the picture of The Royal British Legion Jubilee life-boat on page 358 of your October issue, I suggest that, as the life-boat is sailing from Big Ben towards St. George's Tower, she is, in fact, on her way to the naming ceremony and not leaving the Thames after the ceremony.

Otherwise, a great magazine.—R. BULLERS, Beamish Drive, Bushey Heath, Watford, Hertfordshire.

No, the life-boat was not on her way to the naming ceremony when she was photographed. A last-minute contraction to the caption deleted 'manoeurredfor photographs'. She was, in fact, on her way down river. We are grateful to other readers who wrote in about the picture.—EDITOR.PRICE PER HEAD % Your section 'Some Ways of Raising Money' in the April issue caused our branch some amusement. Perhaps you might like to tell Mr.

Morris to look across on his starboard side and he will see, only a quarter of a mile or so away, Aberdovy. In sending a cheque for 1,000 guineas (£1,050), this works out at £1.25 per head of population. And all from your friends and neighbours, Mr. Morris!—GORDON RICHARDS, hon. secretary Aberdovy ILB and chairman of Aberdovy appeals committee, Aberdovy, Merionethshire.

% Mr. Morris wondered if an average of over £1 per head of population was raised anywhere else. Our island of Egilsay raised £100 last year and £78.87 this year at the annual auction sale and dance in aid of the R.N.L.I. The population is 27 adults and nine children—MRS. M. MOAR, Egilsay, Orkney, Scotland.

Mr. T. A. Morris, of Berth, Cardiganshire, in sending a cheque for jT 1.000, had asked if the £] plus per head of population was a record.—EDITOR..