People from all walks of life can enjoy stamp collecting. Whether you are a president, a prince, a rock star, or someone insignificant, philately gives you an option to appreciate the little things in life.
Through the years, the history of philately has been shaped by ardent stamp collectors who find joy in gathering postage stamps and studying the types of philately.
Famous philatelists from around the world
Prince Rainer III of Monaco believes that postage stamps are “the best ambassadors of a country,” that is why he takes time and great effort to collect Monegasque stamps. Prince Rainier’s philatelic collection also holds the most valuable postage stamp from the Principality of Monaco, the 5fr stamp of Charles III.
Ad Indusophon, this lady is a well-known philatelist from Siam. She built a foundation in Thailand to promote youth philately. Her Cape of Good Hope Triangular stamp collection won the International Grand Prix in Toronto in 1996.
Anatoly Karpov
The former world chess champion is also a popular stamp collector specializing in chess and Olympics-themed stamps. His famous stamp collection ranges from the commemorative stamps of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens up to the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.
Cyril Harmer
He was the chairman and managing director of the Harmers Auction House from 1967 to 1976. As a famous stamp collector, he assembled the finest collection of Newfoundland airmail stamps containing the notorious Newfoundland overprinted stamps. His well-known stamp collection sold for £803,000 on February 2002.
Dr. Arthur Woo
This prominent philatelist is reputed for his unique topical stamp collection about classic birds. Woo’s famous stamp collection featured the Western Australia Swan, the Guatemalan quetzal, the Colombia Andean condor, and the American eagle.
Hiroyuki Kanai
He is a notable postage stamp collector famed for possessing six of the 27 Mauritius error stamps. This is the greatest number ever to be owned by one person. Kanai received numerous awards for being a famous philatelist, like the 1988 National Grand Prix award for his Finland stamp collection.
Pichai Buranasombati
He is one of Britain’s top postage stamp collectors. His famous philatelic collection of the Malayan Straits Settlement stamps won the Singapore National Grand Prix in 1995. His notable Burmese stamps collection was hailed in the Indepex National Grand Prix in 1997.
Some of the famous American philatelists
Franklin Roosevelt
He became deeply involved in philately when he was stricken with polio. While serving his term as the president of the United States from 1882 to 1945, the renowned philatelist designed many USPS stamps. Roosevelt was enlisted in the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 1945.
Carl Einar Pelander
A notable stamp collector specializing on Scandinavian stamps. Pelander received the Fieandt Memorial medal in 1960 from the Finnish Philatelic Society for doing an intensive research on the stamps of Finland and for promoting Finnish philately.
Philip Ward Jr.
He was a world-famous philatelist celebrated for buying stamps that were rare and classic specimens. Ward was also highly acclaimed for his collection of US revenue stamps, matchbox labels, and medicine stamps with inverted centers. Ward was also the key person who advocated the importance of first day covers. This achievement highlighted Ward as one of the world’s popular philatelists.
William Woodbury Hicks
Hicks was a renowned American philatelist. He founded the Three cent 1851-1857 Unit of the American Philatelic Society. He held the largest and most complete collection of U.S railroad stamp cancels from the 1830s to 1861.
Harry Weiss
He was an editor of the Weekly Philatelic Gossip in the 1930s and the most prominent philatelic columnist of his time. Weiss’ column tackles tips on how to collect postage stamps. He organized the Midwest Philatelic Laboratory in 1946 which caters to stamp appraisals and authentication of philatelic items.
George Ward Linn
A famous stamp collector, journalist, and stamp dealer who owns the George W. Linn Company and is famous for his Linn’s Weekly Stamp News. Some of his stamp rare specimens have exceedingly high postage stamp value.
Louise Boyd Dale
He is considered to be the most distinguished stamp collector in America. She was the first woman to be appointed as judge for an international philatelic exhibition. She became the first American woman to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelist and was also appointed to the jury of the London International Stamp exhibition.
Celebrity stamp collectors
John Lennon
A famous musician from the rock band The Beatles collected 550 specimens of used stamps during his youth. Lennon’s stamp album was bought by the Smithsonian Postal Museum for a sum of $ 53, 000.00 in 2005.
Freddie Mercury
The lead vocals of the band Queen started stamp collecting since he was 12 years old. When Mercury died of AIDS complication in 1991, his father sold his philatelic collection. In the winter of 1993, the Freddie Mercury stamp collection was purchased by the Royal Mail and the proceeds of the sale went to an AIDS charity.
Ronnie Wood
He is the lead guitarist of The Rolling Stones, became a renowned stamp collector after his alcohol rehabilitation therapy. Wood collects rare stamps and often makes them his subjects in painting.
Maria Sharapova
Though she is more a tennis sensation than a well-known stamp collector, Sharapova has been collecting stamps since she was a little girl.
Traveling around during tournaments and endorsement deals gave her a chance to gather stamps from other countries.