Unpublished Tiffany Manuscripts

by James Negus and Brian J. Birch London-born James William Negus (1927–2008) was awarded a BSc in Chem- istry from the University of London and followed a professional career in technical information and scientific publishing. In 1966 he became Technical Editor with the large general publisher William Heinemann Ltd. of London, responsible for educational subjects, to which he naturally added Philately. Jim began collecting stamps as a schoolboy aged seven, never lost his interest, and took to serious philately in 1948 after completing his National Service in the Royal Air Force. It remained his main hobby until he retired completely from collecting and all other philatelic activities in 2000. His main fame was as a philatelic writer, editor, and bibliographer. In 1975 he was appointed Cata- logue Editor for Stanley Gibbons, leaving the Com- pany in 1981 to become a self-employed editor and writer. Over the years, he joined many societies including the American Philatelic Society and the American Philatelic Research Library, of which he remained a member until his retirement. He was an Associate Editor of the American Philatelic Research Library’s Philatelic Literature Review from 1969 to James Negus 1975, so it is entirely appropriate that this posthu- mous work should be published in that periodical. When Jim retired as a professional philatelist, he passed over to me a number of his files containing bibliographic and biographical material. Among those, I found a document he had written with the above title but had never finished. Since it was an interesting and thorough review of the subject, I decided to bring it up-to-date and complete it, in his memory. Having worked on it in a desultory fashion for the past couple of years or so, I was spurred on to finishing it by Bonny Farmer’s article on the same subject in the 2nd Quarter 2012 Philatelic Literature Review. Negus’ Original Foreword: The present notes were inspired by reading the letter of February 15, 1888 from Tiffany to E. D. Bacon, discovered in the Royal Philatelic Society London Archives by my brother [Ron] in 1995. Tiffany refers at page [6] of his letter to being currently engaged in compiling the “reference list of all Stamp Journals,” also “(the American part is in press).” Thus, he had named it the Library Companion when published the following year; it was titled as a “Part I — US periodicals.” The particular appeal on

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1 Birch.indd 28 2/24/2013 6:28:06 PM pages [5]–[6] of his letter to Bacon for help with English (i.e., British) publications appears to have been answered, as Tiffany produced a list in The Stamp News Annual for 18941, published by Theodor Buhl in London. James Negus 3rd July 1995

The Relevance of ries a copy of what must have been Tiffany Manuscripts Tiffany’s first bookplate, which I have John Kerr Tiffany (1842–1897) was never seen published before. This is a a pioneer stamp collector and seems simple typescript design using print- to have been introduced to the hobby ers’ rules and ornaments, quite unlike while at school in Paris in the early his later, well-known bookplate based 1860s. The library of the Royal Phila- on the St. Louis Bears stamp and pro- telic Society London holds a copy of duced by the same engraver as the a Berger-Levrault catalogue2 in which original stamps. Similarly unpublished Tiffany has written John K. Tiffany, is the fact that Tiffany also had a rub- London, October. 16th ’67, showing ber stamp made to resemble his second that not only was he a stamp collector bookplate, that he could use on non- at that early date, but that he had be- book items in his library such as letters gun to acquire the first volumes of what and the like. Although his Saint Louis would become the finest and most Bears bookplate can be found, however complete philatelic library of its time. rarely, in books discarded from the li- Interestingly, this volume also car- brary when a better copy was obtained,

Left: John Kerr Tiffany. Above: Tiffany’s earliest bookplate (44mm x 72mm).

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1 Birch.indd 29 2/24/2013 6:28:46 PM the rubber stamp is only known on can Philatelic Society). It was said to items retained in the library and can have been Ti any’s rm but fair guid- therefore only be found on items in the ing hand that led the Society through Crawford Library, which now reposes its early, turbulent years during which in the British Library in London. it could well have foundered under a It is interesting to speculate whether lesser leader.5 the number 9 added to the bookplate Ti any died on March 3, 1897 at the by hand indicated that this was the relatively early age of y- ve. It was ninth book he purchased or simply the his wish that his library should grace ninth book to which he had attached some suitable institution in America his bookplate. What is not in doubt is that would undertake to care for it that it does not relate to its entry in Tif- and keep it up-to-date. Unfortunately, fany’s e Philatelical Library3, where no suitable and willing organization this exact book is shown as number could be found, and in 1901 the library 404 on page 56. was purchased by Charles J. Phillips Following his European educa- on behalf of the Earl of Crawford for tion, he returned to the United States $10,000 (then £2,500) and the library and became a prominent lawyer based was moved to London.6 in St. Louis. As a philatelist he is best e Earl of Crawford (1847–1913)7 known not only for his library (on was a latecomer to philately; he never- which he based his rst book3), and for theless built up a magni cent collec- being the author of the rst important tion written up on a scienti c basis. He history of United States Postage Stamps joined the Philatelic Society, London (published in French in 1883 by J.- in 1900 and was largely instrumental B. Moens4 of Brussels), but primarily in securing for it the pre x “Royal.” as the rst President of the American On his accession to the throne in 1910, Philatelic Association (later the Ameri- King George V desired that the Earl be

Left: Ti any’s well-known St. Louis Bears bookplate (83mm x 70mm). Above: Rubber stamp copy of Ti any’s St. Louis Bears bookplate (35mm x 31mm).

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1 Birch.indd 30 2/24/2013 6:29:21 PM The Earl of Crawford working in his library at Haigh Hall.

elected President of the Society, a role bequeathed to the British Museum. he fulfilled until his death three years In 1973 the British Museum Library later. became the British Library, where the Like his father, the Earl was one of Crawford Library remains, kept quite the greatest bibliophiles of his age, hav- separate from the rest of the holdings. ing a major library at his home, Haigh Tiffany Manuscripts Hall, near Wigan with a staff of four It would seem likely that if Tiffany librarians to look after it. However, Tif- had produced any unpublished manu- fany’s library was installed at his Lon- scripts, they would have been sold with don residence at Cavendish Square his library. That such is the case, at least and the Earl set about bringing it up to in part, can be seen in columns 380 and date and filling the gaps. To this end, 381 of the Crawford library catalogue he employed Edward Denny Bacon where all of Tiffany’s works are listed. (1860–1938) as the curator of his li- Among these will be found no fewer brary. Bacon8 was probably the finest than three substantial, unpublished British philatelist ever. He joined the manuscripts: [Royal] Philatelic Society, London in 1880 and by the time of his death, had 1. The Postal Cards of Alsace-Lorraine, held virtually every important office Austria, Austro-Hungary, Baden, in the Society. It was Bacon who was Bavaria, Belgium, Canada, Cey- responsible for producing the monu- lon, Chili, Denmark, Dutch Indies, mental catalogue of the Earl’s philatelic Finland, France, German Confed., library.9 German Empire, Great Britain, Following the Earl’s death in 1913, Guatemala, Heligoland, Helsingfors, the philatelic portion of his library was Holland, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg,

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1 Birch.indd 31 2/24/2013 6:29:44 PM Left: Manuscript of the Postal Cards of Alsace-Lorraine, Austria, etc., ©British Library Board (Crawford 1461). Right: Manuscript of Spirits & Beer [Duty and Licence Stamps of the United States], © British Library Board (Crawford 1462).

Newfoundland, New South Wales, beer duty and licence stamps of the Norway, Roumania, Russia, Serbia, United States, with a chapter on Shanghai, Spain, Sweden, Switzer- cotton marks.” land, United States, Uruguay, Tur- Dated 1880 and consisting of 106 key, Wurtemburg, A Catalog. pages, 10½ inches (26cm) in height, it Dated June 1876, it is described by actually carried the title Spirits & Beer Bacon as a holograph manuscript of and carries the Roman numeral III as if a work never published. At the end to indicate that it was the third part of is an alphabetical list of the various some series. Upon inspection, I found magazine references for each variety of this to be written on a sewn pad of card. The height of the document is not lined paper, the first and last leaves be- given but I measured it as 10¼ inches ing backed with orange paper and the (26cm). Similarly, there is no indica- front cover lettered in pencil. The Brit- tion of the number of pages in the work ish Library’s call number for this work but I counted 68 pages. Anyone wish- is Crawford 1462. ing to consult this work in the British 3. “Type-written manuscript of an un- Library or order a copy online, can do published work on the tobacco and so by using the call number Crawford cigar stamps of the United States.” 1461. Dated 1884 and consisting of 173 2. “Holograph manuscript of an un- leaves typed on one side only, 13 inches published work on the spirit and (34cm) in height, it actually carried the

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1 Birch.indd 32 2/24/2013 6:31:12 PM Left: Manuscript of the Tobacco and Cigar Stamps [of the United States], © British Library Board (Crawford 1049). Right: The typed copy of the manuscript of the Tobacco and Cigar Stamps of the United States. Photograph courtesy of the Social Science & History Department, Free Library of Philadelphia.

title Tobacco and Cigar Stamps. The copy came from the philatelic library British Library’s call number for this of Hiram Edmund Deats. The Free Li- work is Crawford 1049. brary of Philadelphia’s call number for It was surprising to find, during this this work is S383 U5T4421. investigation, that a second copy of In view of Deats’ obvious involve- this manuscript is held by the Free Li- ment in this work — he was stated to brary of Philadelphia. It is shown in its have returned the work to Tiffany’s ex- catalogue as: John Kerr Tiffany: An his- ecutors, implying that he was the origi- torical reference list of the tobacco and nal borrower — and the note that this liquor stamps of the United States issued copy came from Deats’ library being under acts of Congress, 1862–1880. The typed contemporaneously, one won- catalogue also notes that it was typed ders whether two copies were origi- in 1900 from Tiffany’s manuscript and nally made. If this was the case, the was made for Robert C. H. Brock of implication is that Brock’s copy may Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and that still exist. the original manuscript was returned Apart from some ad hoc lists of to Tiffany’s executors. It adds that the German publications he required for

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1 Birch.indd 33 2/24/2013 6:31:44 PM his library, these three are the only un- ly, Bacon would have appreciated such published manuscripts by Tiffany that an index, as he compiled his own card accompanied his library to the United index to the periodical literature for Kingdom. many decades11 and would therefore The Missing Card Index have cherished it. Possibly the family valued it so highly that they retained it Tantalizingly, when Phillips wrote when the library was sold. An enquiry to the Earl of Crawford from Detroit, to Tiffany’s living relatives might an- Michigan on January 20, 19016, re- swer this question. counting his visit to St. Louis to discuss the Tiffany library, he noted that In ad- The Missing Manuscripts dition to the books, there is a Card In- The existence of a further unpub- dex which Mr. Tiffany has spent several lished manuscript by Tiffany was first years upon personally. It is a complete reported by William R. Ricketts in the index under names of countries, stamps, Journal of the Philatelic Literature Soci- etc., etc., of every article in every book ety in 1915.12 Ricketts announced that in the library and is the most complete he and Hiram E. Deats were planning work of its kind in the World — they to publish the manuscript: A Catalogue value this — I think justly — very highly of Philatelic Publications, Arranged by and it would be a grand thing to have the Decimal System, which dated from such a list and library in London in your 1889. They intended to bring the docu- hands. ment up to date and needed only fifty The existence of such an index is subscribers to ensure its publication. certainly surprising since it was only The following year, Ricketts advised in 1888 that Tiffany wrote to Bacon, the Society13 that he had located Tif- as Secretary of the Philatelic Society, fany’s A Reference List of Publications London, on this subject.10 In the let- Relating to Postage-Stamps and their ter, he dealt in depth with the practical Collection, Compiled by Request for the problems inherent in compiling such a Boston Public Library, 1871. He added comprehensive index and concluded that the copy was still in the possession I fear the cost of any really thorough of the latter-named Library. or valuable Index in time, labor and In the same note, he reported a fur- money would make it impractical to un- ther Tiffany manuscript: Philatelical dertake.... Yet by the time of his death Index, Part 1: Giving all Passages in the some nine years later, he had appar- Stamp Journals Referring to the Stamps ently spent several years attempting to of the United States, dated 1880 and produce just such an index. comprising 194 numbered pages. This There is no mention of the Card In- manuscript was in Ricketts’ possession dex in the Crawford library catalogue. at this time. On enquiry, David Beech MBE, Cura- It is interesting to consider what has tor of the British Library Philatelic Col- happened to these manuscripts in the lections, confirmed that it was not in almost one hundred years since they the British Library and that he had no were reported and where they may be knowledge of its whereabouts. Certain- located, if indeed they still exist.

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1 Birch.indd 34 2/24/2013 6:32:30 PM William Reynolds Ricketts in 1913. Ricketts at time of his library sale in 1945.

Who Were Ricketts concentrated on his literary activities. and Deats? In the 1920s and 1930s he worked in William Reynolds Ricketts (1869– the library of the Collectors Club of 1956)14 was born on July 29, 1869 into New York and gave them his foreign an affluent family in Wilkes-Barre, publications, promising the U.S. por- Pennsylvania. A graduate civil engi- tion of his library once he had finished neer, he later joined the family business indexing it. However, after some dis- of lumber, ice, coal, and farming. His paraging comments from some of the 66,000-acre estate (nearly 27,000 hect- Club officers over his bibliographic ac- ares) was sold to the State and is now tivities, he sold the remainder (weigh- Ricketts Glen State Park. He joined ing about 7,937 pounds) through Paul the Philatelic Society, London in 1905, Bluss’ auctions in August 1945 and having been proposed by E. D. Bacon, October 1946.15 Even after the sales, and became a Fellow in 1907. He was the Bluss stock contained much from among the first signatories of the Roll Ricketts’ library. After Bluss’ death, his of Distinguished Philatelists in 1921. stock of literature was acquired by L. Ricketts died on October 14, 1956. R. Stadtmiller and following his death, His interest in philatelic literature by George Albert Atkins, from whom dated from September 1887 and he I purchased many items from Ricketts’ began to collect seriously in 1892. He library in the 1990s when he traded bought complete libraries, including as Edenbridge Phil. Lit., from Eden, those of Leonidas W. Durbin, Eustace North Carolina. B. Power, John W. Scott, and the Leavy Ricketts was the best-known Am & Haines Company. By 1916 he had erican philatelic bibliographer and sold all of his stamp collections and an inveterate indexer. He joined the

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1 Birch.indd 35 2/24/2013 6:32:59 PM American Philatelic Society in 1908 bookplates, genealogy, mineralogy, and two years later was asked by Henry numismatics, and philately. However, N. Mudge, the then-president, to take by the 1890s these required so much over the Philatelic Index Committee. time and space that he sold the coins In 1911 he began to produce The Amer- and curios at auction to concentrate on ican Philatelic Society Philatelic Index16, stamps and philatelic literature along- an index of all English-language phil- side his historical and genealogical re- atelic periodicals (plus two French search. journals) published between 1863 and Deats joined the American Phila- 1910. It was published as a supplement telic Association, the forerunner of the to The American Philatelist, starting in American Philatelic Society, as a found- 1911. Publication continued until 1926, ing member in 1886.5 President from when it was discontinued owing to dis- 1904 to 1905, he remained a member satisfaction within the membership at until his death some seventy-seven how long it was taking to complete. By years later in 1963. He was a founder- the time publication was discontinued, shareholder and the first librarian of the index had only reached the letter the Collectors Club of New York19, “G” (Glydenloeve) and occupied 670 joined the Philatelic Society, London in pages. The bibliographic references he 1893 and was made an Honorary Life came across while compiling his Index Fellow in 1943. In 1933 he was invited were published separately by Ricketts to sign the Roll of Distinguished Phi- as The Philatelic Literature Bibliography latelists. Index17 from 1912 to 1917, reaching Deats is best known within the the letter L before publication was sus- philatelic community for the mass of pended owing to the wartime shortage philatelic literature he collected and of paper. it is generally acknowledged that his Hiram Edmund Deats (1870– library was second only to that of Tif- 1963)18 was born on May 20, 1870 in fany. He subscribed to almost every Flemington Junction, New Jersey. He known American and many foreign was an only child and at the age of stamp journals published since 1885, twelve moved with his family to a large and his New Jersey farmhouse became farm in nearby Hunterdon County. The the repository of the largest collection family fortune had been established by of philatelic literature ever assembled. his grandfather, who held the patent He began collecting philatelic lit- on the Deats ploughshare. The agricul- erature in 1886 and attempted to ob- tural business ran successfully for sixty tain every philatelic publication on a years, during which time the family’s fi- worldwide basis. In 1892 he traveled nancial base was broadened to include to Chicago and bought all of the lots of real estate and banking. In 1887 his literature offered in Schuyler B. Bradt’s father died and he inherited the family eighth auction sale, purchased Philip business and farm. M. Wolsieffer’s library and the com- Initially his interests were very plete stock of the Western Philatelic widespread including archaeology, Publishing Company, of which Bradt

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1 Birch.indd 36 2/24/2013 6:33:42 PM and Wolsieffer were the principals. This rash of purchases included some 50,000 copies of philatelic magazines and made his holdings the largest in the world, although it naturally contained many duplicates. He also purchased 22,900 philatelic publications from Ephraim B. Jones in 1895 and five years later he purchased J.-B. Moens’ private library, when the latter retired. In 1946, tiring of collecting literature after sixty years and with failing eyesight, Deats began to dispose of his library and huge duplicate stocks seriously, through direct sales, auctions and by simply giving it away. Notwith- standing this, after his death, his son Charles T. Deats gave a further 2,000 Hiram Deats in 1952, the longest-serving volumes of philatelic literature and 150 member of the American Philatelic boxes of old auction catalogues and pe- Society. riodicals to the Free Library of Phila- delphia. Hiram Deats died on March make any required material available to 16, 1963, at the age of ninety-two. the latter. Their Collaboration That they were indeed collaborating on a wider basis at this time is demon- Herbert A. Trenchard has given a strated in the same issue of The Jour- thorough survey of Ricketts’ forty years nal of the Philatelic Literature Society of collecting and indexing philatelic lit- as Ricketts announced the first Tiffany 20 erature. Although several others were manuscript. There, he also advised that named as being involved over the years, he and Deats were issuing an index to Deats is mentioned nowhere in this key The Quaker City Philatelist, of which article. It is therefore not certain why they were intending to provide 100 they had come into this particular col- copies to the Philatelic Literature So- laboration by 1915. ciety for presentation to its members.21 Deats is not specially renowned as an author, which is not surprising con- Manuscript I sidering his diverse business interests A Catalogue of Philatelic as well as his official duties on behalf Publications, Arranged by the of the American Philatelic Society and Decimal System by John K. Tiffany the Collectors Club. Accordingly, it is in 1889, Revised and Brought Up likely that their link would be that he to Date by Hiram E. Deats and William R. Ricketts: was the possessor of a library far su- perior to that of Ricketts, who was the The first manuscript mentioned by renowned indexer, and could therefore Ricketts in the Journal of the Philatelic

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1 Birch.indd 37 2/24/2013 6:34:01 PM Literature Society of 191512 was: A cata- 1890 only recently been introduced logue of philatelic publications, arranged into libraries and it is conceivable that by the decimal system by John K. Tiffany Tiffany was attempting to adapt it for in 1889, revised and brought up to date philatelic use. by Hiram E. Deats and William R. Rick- The final publication, as projected etts. In his note to the Society, Ricketts by Ricketts and Deats, would presum- was appealing for subscribers, requir- ably have incorporated Tiffany’s own ing fifty before the work could be pub- addenda to the Library Companion lished economically. It was intended up to 1892, mentioned in the Note to that the publication be on fine quality reference 23. It would then have been paper with each copy being numbered updated to, probably, 1914 by Ricketts and signed by the editors. With Europe using the material in Deats’ remarkable in the middle of the Great War and the library. This of course begs the question majority of the foreign members of the as to whether the updated manuscript Society being unable to receive their was ever produced and if not, only the copies of the Journal, it is not surpris- original Tiffany manuscript should be ing that the catalogue did not attract sought. the fifty subscribers required and is, as How did the manuscript come a consequence, not known as a pub- into their hands? Tiffany and Deats lished work. would have been well acquainted from This note by Ricketts raises several as early as the founding of the Ameri- interesting speculations: can Philatelic Association in 1886.5 In • What was the manuscript? 1894 Deats became Vice-President of • How did the manuscript come the Association while Tiffany was still into their hands? in office as (founding) President, so the • Where could the manuscript two men were evidently closely associ- possibly be now? ated. However, on Tiffany’s unexpected What was the manuscript? The death in March 1897, Deats did not date 1889 in the title seems significant. purchase his library, thinking it worth Tiffany published The Philatelical Li- only $8,000 or $9,000, so that it was brary3 in 1874 and updated it with The still available in 1901 to pass to the Earl Stamp Collector’s Library Companion22 of Crawford and thence to the British in 1889 and an Addenda23 in 1890. Museum. Thus, the date 1889 would seem to in- The question once again is, what dicate that this catalogue was probably was happening between Tiffany and an extension of his Library Companion Deats in 1889, the date on the title of or the same data in a different (decimal the manuscript? As mentioned, that system?) format, since the sub-title of was the year when Tiffany was hav- the Library Companion specifically re- ing his Library Companion published fers to a chronological listing. by the Western Philatelic Publishing Devised in 1876 by Melvil Dewey, Company of Chicago. Interestingly, the Dewey Decimal Classification this publishing company was formed (or Dewey Decimal System24) had by by a consortium of dealers that includ-

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1 Birch.indd 38 2/24/2013 6:34:39 PM ed Schuyler B. Bradt, one of the found- papers, the significance of the item had ers and first secretary of the American clearly escaped all who had handled it Philatelic Association and therefore from Deats onward. It is defective, a well-known to Tiffany. back cover being absent, and this prob- Not long afterwards, the Western ably also contributed to its being over- Philatelic Publishing Company was looked. But it shows how easily things bought out by Deats, who was never can be missed. an active dealer himself but was the Where could the manuscript pos- financial backer of a number of deal- sibly be now? It is evident that Tiffa- ers (notably E. B. Sterling) and other ny’s manuscript was in existence when philatelic concerns. It may well be that Ricketts communicated with the Jour- this manuscript also had been submit- nal of the Philatelic Literature Society ted by Tiffany at about the same time in 1915. It is unlikely that the updated as his Library Companion and was be- version was ever produced, since it ing held by the publishing company seems likely that Ricketts would have awaiting publication. It could well done something with it if he had com- have come into Deats’ hands at that pleted the revised manuscript. After all, time. Given the extravagant purchases a duplicated typescript would have cost he made in Chicago at the same time next to nothing to produce and would as he acquired the Western Philatelic have served to distribute the docu- Publishing Company and its stock, the ment, a format he had already used for sheer bulk would have probably taken his Philatelic Literature Bibliography years to examine and sort into required Index.17 library items and duplicates. It would What is of interest today is to try to not be surprising therefore, that it was deduce its present whereabouts. How- some twenty years after its acquisition ever, the answer to that would depend that Deats, realizing the manuscript’s upon who owned the manuscript in importance, found an appropriate col- 1915. If we consider the three manu- laborator to do something with it. scripts in the Crawford Library, those Although it may seem strange to of 1876 and 1880 are holographic, those of us whose libraries are num- whereas that of 1884 is typed. The first bered only in the hundreds of books, commercial typewriters were produced it must have been only too easy for in the late 1860s25, and it would seem items to be overlooked in Deats’ ac- likely that Tiffany acquired one for his cumulation, numbering several hun- business a decade or two later and used dred thousand items. For example, in it to produce his typewritten manu- 1992 Victor Short told Jim Negus that script of 1884. The present manuscript, he had acquired a particularly impor- being dated five years later, would tant publication from the earliest days probably also have been typed. If it was of philately. Its provenance was an typewritten, it is possible that a dupli- American collector who had bought it cate also was made (a carbon copy25) in the 1970s from a private sale of some although this would almost certainly of the Deats stock. Bundled with other have been retained by Tiffany if he sent

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1 Birch.indd 39 2/24/2013 6:35:01 PM the original to a publisher. However, in nor Apfelbaum were the source of any all likelihood it would have been kept manuscripts. in his working files rather than his li- Owing to this widespread dispersal, brary and would not, therefore, have perhaps the most likely place where a been included in the library sale. manuscript would be found is the Free If Deats owned and retained the Library of Philadelphia. However, Bon- manuscript, its present whereabouts ny Farmer of the APS Editorial depart- would be very hard to trace. The dis- ment, reviewed the philatelic holdings posal of his vast library and its huge of the Free Library in 200127, noting quantity of duplicates has been clari- its treasures but not mentioning the 26 fied in the Philatelic Literature Review missing manuscript. Fortunately, the as: Free Library’s catalogue is accessible • Sales and presentations to the Free online28 and a search brought forth Library of Philadelphia (1949– a list all of Tiffany’s published works 1965). and the copy of the Tobacco and Cigar • Seven auctions by Sol Salkind, a New Stamps manuscripts held by the British York dealer (1969–1972). Library, mentioned earlier, but not the • Donation by Salkind to the Ameri- missing manuscript sought. can Philatelic Research Library to However, there also seemed a re- join Deats’ prior gift of American mote chance that it could have been Philatelic Association (later Ameri- among the donations made to the can Philatelic Society) historical American Philatelic Research Library. records. An enquiry placed with the American • Earl P. L. Apfelbaum, a Philadelphia Philatelic Research Library’s Neil Cok- dealer (1974), sale by auction of er in 2011 was referred by him to Ken Free Library of Philadelphia dupli- P. Martin, the Executive Director of the cates — described as Deats’ library. American Philatelic Society, the cur- • Purchase from Salkind by Hal Turin, rent APRL librarian Tara Murray and a California dealer (1973), offered former librarian Gini Horn, with none for sale through advertisements of them having any knowledge of the in the Philatelic Literature Review. missing manuscript. However, huge holdings from the Another possibility is that the un- latter source remained unsold when published manuscript remained with seen by Dr. Stanley Bierman in Ricketts after the abortive attempt to 18 1983. find subscribers. Trenchard14, in re- Inspection of Salkind’s auction porting on the disposal of Ricketts’ li- catalogues revealed that he only sold brary noted that large portions of his periodicals, and therefore the material library were donated to the Collectors he sold to Hal Turin also was likely to Club of New York in his lifetime and be periodicals, a fact demonstrated by the remainder promised later, so it Turin’s price lists and Stan Bierman’s might have found its way there. How- report of his viewing of the remain- ever, the Club’s library catalogue was ders. Evidently, neither these dealers published in 197429 and the missing

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1 Birch.indd 40 2/24/2013 6:35:30 PM Philatelic Society, eventually serving in various Board positions for well over a decade. He was a keen supporter of the Philatelic Literature Association (which later formed the basis of the American Philatelic Research Library) and was President from 1952 to 1963. He signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1978. The greatest philatelic bibliophile of his day, he collected literature on a massive scale, attempting to obtain every English-language philatelic publication in existence and all important foreign-language literature. His first major acquisition was the library of William Carlos Stone in 1939, which George Townsend Turner Jr. weighed about two tons and was rich in early publications. Thereafter, he manuscript is not to be found among purchased many complete libraries, the Tiffany entries. selling the large numbers of duplicates As mentioned earlier, Ricketts’ disil- through Sylvester Colby auctions un- lusionment with the leadership of the der the names of the former owners. Collectors Club caused him to renege He also sold duplicates privately and on his promise and he sold the remain- circulated lists of the items he had for der of his library by auction through sale. On his death on August 14, 1979, Paul Bluss, starting in 1945. At this he bequeathed to the National Philatel- time, George Turner, one of the great- ic Collection at the Smithsonian Insti- est American philatelic bibliophiles, tution all of the items from his library was becoming the major force in lit- that it did not have.30 erature collecting and was the leading According to Trenchard30, who purchaser at the sale.30 was a close friend of Turner, the lat- George Townsend Turner Jr. (1906– ter acquired all of the unpublished 1979) was born in River Forrest, Illi- cards from Ricketts’ Index covering nois. He was a chemist by profession, the United States, from the Bluss Sale. earning both a Batchelor’s and a Mas- Turner then visited Ricketts to acquire ter’s degree from Cornell University. any other parts of the index that ex- From 1931 he worked as a research isted. Although he got the cards relat- chemist at a number of industrial com- ing to the United States Locals16 that panies until he was appointed Cura- had already been published, no other tor of the Division of Philately at the unpublished indexes were recovered. Smithsonian Institution in 1958. Although manuscripts were not spe- In 1933 he joined the American cifically mentioned by Trenchard in

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1 Birch.indd 41 2/24/2013 6:35:55 PM Request for the Boston Public Library, 1871: In 1916 Ricketts publicized two more manuscripts in The Journal of the Philatelic Literature Society.13 The first manuscript was Tiffany’s earliest known entry into philatelic bibliography: A Reference List of Publications relating to Postage-Stamps and their Collection, Compiled by request for the Boston Public Library, 1871. He also provided the then location of the manuscript — in the Boston Public Library at whose request it had originally been compiled. As a bibliophile, he could Tiffany’s first manuscript bibliography have obtained this information as early of 1871. Courtesy of Boston Public Library. as 1903, when the Boston Philatelic So- ciety published a list of all of the phila- his overview of Turner’s library, such telic works held by the Boston Public 32 was the importance of Tiffany that it Library , a work that would undoubt- is likely that had he known that one or edly have been in Ricketts’ own library. more had come into Turner’s hands, he On page 22 of the list, this early bibliog- would have mentioned it. raphy is listed as a 38-page quarto-size Since it is known that the lion’s share manuscript. When displayed on my of the Turner library was bequeathed computer, the digitized document did to the Smithsonian, this is an obvious indeed have thirty-eight unnumbered place to look, just in case! Fortunately, pages but was shown as 9.9 inches by the Smithsonian Library’s catalogue is 12.5 inches. also accessible online31 and a search Exactly a hundred years after receiv- brought forth a list all of Tiffany’s pub- ing it, this manuscript was still held by lished works — but not this missing the Boston Public Library and was in- manuscript. However, the Smithson- cluded in the December 1971 Exhibi- ian does hold a different Tiffany manu- tion of Postal History, Postage Stamps script, of which more later. and Philatelic Literature in their collections.33 That the Library recognized the In summary. The missing manu- importance of the document was made script is not to be found in any of the clear in the first paragraph of the in- logical repositories and remains at troduction to the exhibition catalogue, large — or so we hope. where it is mentioned that the Librar- Manuscript II ian in 1871, Justin Winsor, called upon A Reference List of Publications Tiffany as the leading authority of the Relating to Postage-Stamps and day for guidance and counsel regarding Their Collection, Compiled by the available philatelic literature. This

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1 Birch.indd 42 2/24/2013 6:36:28 PM query, as we know, resulted in Tiffany [sic.] Tiffany: A Reference List of Publi- producing the manuscript in question. cations Relating to Postage Stamps and In the exhibition catalogue, the their Collection Compiled by Request manuscript is listed as item 23 on page of the Boston Public Library by John H. vi under the heading, America’s first [sic.] Tiffany, Typescript, 1871, 25pp.” philatelic bibliography: 1871. The entry Owing to the kindness of the Collec- also records that Tiffany has elegantly tors Club, I now have a photocopy of written out the text in red and black. this document. Although my copy has It follows that this is a holographic 25 pages, as shown in the Catalogue, it manuscript, which is what one would is evidently missing at least one page — expect, considering its early date and that containing the French periodicals. the formats of the manuscripts in the Upon examination, it is evident that Crawford Library mentioned earlier. this can be nothing less than a type- To accompany the manuscript, the Li- written copy of the Boston Public Li- brary also displayed as item 24, copy brary manuscript. However, apart from number 1 of the 150 copies of the lit- the rubber stamp at the foot of the page erature rarity Tiffany’s The Philatelical proclaiming that it was the Property of Library of 1874, with the comment that The Collectors Club of New York, there it was a vastly expanded version of the was no other indication of its origin nor earlier list of references in manuscript for (or by) whom it was copied. It is, form. There is no doubt that this first however, interesting to speculate that, effort on behalf of the Boston Public having discovered the original manu- Library was the spur that led Tiffany to produce and publish his Philatelical Library three years later. Coincidentally, just a month or so before I finished this article in October 2012, the Boston Public Library decided to digitize its manuscript and make it publically available in a number of useful formats at: http://archive.org/ details/referencelistofp00tiff. Although we have confirmed that this manuscript is still housed in the library for which it was compiled, that is not the end of the story. There is another copy in existence! When search- ing under John K. Tiffany in the Author Catalog of the published catalogue of the Collectors Club library29, I came

across a card for John H. Tiffany — Typescript copy of Tiffany’s Boston Public obviously an error, made when typing Library bibliography. Courtesy of the up a manuscript entry. It read “John H. Collectors Club of New York.

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1 Birch.indd 43 2/24/2013 6:36:51 PM telic Society, London, that he was about to embark on a comprehensive index to philatelic literature. While refuting the suggestion, he provided a detailed account of the background to his United States index using the difficulties en- countered in the compilation of this relatively small index to explain why he thought that the projected comprehensive index was utterly impossible. The full text of the letter was published by Bonny Farmer in the Philatelic Litera- ture Review in 2012.10 By the time Tiffany had been sys- The front page of Tiffany’s index tematically collecting the periodical of 1880. Courtesy of the National literature for about ten years, he was Philatelic Collection, National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution. asked by Moens to put together the information he had on the stamps of script some time before 1916, Ricketts the United States, to be published as had a copy made that he donated to a handbook. It was in preparation for the Collectors Club when he worked this publication that Tiffany compiled in the library. Perhaps someone who the above index, which he completed in has access to Ricketts’ handwriting can 1880. The French edition of the United compare it with the words “By John K States handbook was subsequently 4 Tiffany,” added to the title by hand. published in Brussels in 1883 , to be followed by an edition in English, pub- Manuscript III lished by Charles H. Mekeel in 1887.34 Philatelic Index, Part 1: Giving All Owned by Ricketts in 1916, the Passages in the Stamp Journals whereabouts of this index has not been Referring to the Stamps of the in question since 1990 for it was given United States: as one of the highlights of the National The second unpublished Tiffany Philatelic Collection in its Newslet- manuscript referred to by Ricketts in ter.35 According to the Smithsonian the Journal of the Philatelic Literature Library’s catalogue31, the manuscript Society of 191613 was Philatelical Index, has been “Mechanically reproduced compiled by John K. Tiffany. Part I: Giv- (lithographed or mimeographed?) ing all Passages in the Stamp Journals from a handwritten draft, with ad- Referring to the Stamps of the United denda and corrections (apparently by States, St. Louis, January 1880. J. K. Tiffany) added in pencil.” It also This Index was, in fact, referred to by notes that it has a stamp on its cover Tiffany in his letter to Bacon of 188810, and front free endpaper: “Library of in which he responded to a suggestion W. R. Ricketts, Forty-Fort, Pa.” Fortu- raised at a meeting of the [Royal] Phila- nately, the article in their Newsletter

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1 Birch.indd 44 2/24/2013 6:37:19 PM goes further than this, noting that “The Index was obtained by E. B. Power after Tiffany’s death, and then found its way to the W. R. Ricketts, and ultimately to the George Turner library before being donated to the National Philatelic Col- lection.” Eustace Bertram Lepoer Power (1872–1939) was born in England and emigrated to the United States in 1890. Three years later, he entered the stamp business with Julius C. Morgenthau as the Chicago Stamp & Coin Company and eventually branched out on his own. Realizing that he needed more capital than he could raise, he sold his stock to Stanley Gibbons Ltd. and then Eustace Bertram Lepoer Power. worked for them in their New York Branch. He eventually purchased the session was largely confirmed when he Branch, continuing it under the name published an article on the great phila- of Stanley Gibbons Inc.36 Power built telic bibliophiles and their bookplates up a major library of works in the Eng- in 1954.37 In his brief biography of lish language, which he sold in 1910 to Tiffany that accompanies his St. Louis Ricketts. Since Turner was the main Bears bookplate, Turner records the purchaser at the auction of Ricketts’ li- existence of the manuscript Index, al- brary, it appeared easy to piece together though he dates it 1881, and does not the trail to the Smithsonian. mention that it is in his possession. Unfortunately, having been through Notwithstanding the grey area re- every lot in the Ricketts sale catalogue garding how the Tiffany Index actu- twice, I have been unable to find any ally came into Turner’s hands, it must lots that included either the American have done so to have been part of his Philatelic Society card index, said to bequest to the Smithsonian. Though have been purchased by Turner from unpublished manuscripts are not spe- the sale30, or any other manuscript cifically mentioned by Trenchard in his items. It may well have been that Turn- er purchased the card index directly article on the dispersal of the Turner 30 from Bluss or perhaps all of the cards library , it seems certain that this In- came from Ricketts as a result of Turn- dex would have been among the entire er’s visit and were never consigned to collection of philatelic bibliography ac- Bluss. In all probability, the Tiffany quired by the National Philatelic Col- Index must have been acquired from lection at the Smithsonian Institution Ricketts at this time. under Turner’s Will. That it was indeed in Turner’s pos- *****

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1 Birch.indd 45 2/24/2013 6:37:38 PM Conclusion 3. John K. Tiffany, The Philatelical Library (St. Louis, MO: John Kerr Tiffany, 1874), 110 This work started out looking for pp. + Addenda 2pp. three manuscripts written by John Notes: Only 150 numbered copies were K. Tiffany but never published. Their printed, which he seem to have existence had been brought to the at- distributed freely to his friends and correspondents over many years. This tention of the philatelic public by Wil- is now one of the great bibliographic liam R. Ricketts by means of notes in rarities in philately. 1915 and 1916 in a very specialized Bacon provides a critique of The Philatelical Library at co1umn 921 of the and small-circulation periodical, The Crawford Catalogue.9 Journal of the Philatelic Literature Soci- Percy de Worms, in his 50th Anniversary ety. During the search, three additional history of the Royal Philatelic Society manuscripts have been identified and London, recorded that a copy of this book, presented to the Philatelic Society, evidence was found that Tiffany may London in 1886*, formed part of the well have left a Card Index to posterity. nucleus of the Society’s nascent Library. Today, the whereabouts of no less Baron Percy de Worms, The Royal Philatelic Society, London: 1869–April than five of the six Tiffany manuscripts 10th–1919 (Bath: Royal Philatelic Society is known, although the final manu- London, 1919), p. 50. script and the Card Index still elude us. *Tiffany had been elected an Honorary In addition, more or less contempora- Member on November 28,1885. He enclosed a copy of the book with his neous, copies of two of the five manu- acceptance letter of January 7, 1886. The scripts also have been located. book he presented is number 98 and is still among the Library’s treasures. Endnotes The Smithsonian’s copy (number 37) 1. J. K. Tiffany, “English Stamp Publications,” of this book has been digitized and The Stamp News Annual (1894): 40–48. can be downloaded in a variety of Notes: This is an attempt to list all of formats from: http://archive.org/details/ the monthly periodicals published in philatelicallibr00tiff, October 15, 2012. England to date, as well as those for 4. John K. Tiffany, Les Timbres des E’tats which a prospectus or advertisement was Unis d’Amérique depuis leur origine jusqu’ produced but which seem never to have á nos jours, 3 Volumes, Bibliothéque appeared. Timbrophiles No 16 (Brussels, Belgium: This list is essentially the hitherto J.-B. Moens, 1883). unpublished English Part of his Stamp 5. Oliver Crinkle, “A History of the American Collector’s Library Companion22, brought Philatelic Association,” The Stamp-Lovers up to 1894. Weekly and Morrison’s Weekly Stamp A similar compilation of Canadian philatelic Collector, Vol. 2, No. 13 June 10, 1905: 1 & publications was made available as: John 3–4; No. 14 (June 17): 1–2; No. 15 (June K. Tiffany, “The Stamp Publications of 24): 1–2; No. 17 (July 8): 1–2; No. 20 (July Canada,” The American Philatelist, Vol. 1, 29): 1–3; No. 21 (August 5): 1 & 3. No. 1 (January 1893): 1–2. Note: Although the notation “To be 2. François George Oscar Berger-Levrault, continued” appears at the end of the last Les Timbres-Poste. Catalogue Méthodique part listed above, a search through all of et Descriptif de Tous les Timbres-Poste the subsequent issues of the magazine Connus. Première Partie: Timbres-Poste by the American Philatelic Research Proprement Dits (Paris: Ve. Berger- Library’s Neil Coker, failed to turn up any Levrault et Fils, 1867). additional parts. Note: The book is signed and dated October 6. Some of the original correspondence from 1867 by Tiffany and the number 9 has Charles J. Phillips (1863–1940) to the been added to the attached bookplate Earl of Crawford relating to the purchase by hand. of Tiffany’s Library is still in existence

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1 Birch.indd 46 2/24/2013 6:38:04 PM and is held in the Archives of the Royal public libraries. Philatelic Society London. Phillips had TheCatalogue is rather unusual in being by this date been the owner of Stanley numbered by columns rather than by Gibbons Limited for just over a decade page, there being two columns on each and would have been an important page. supplier of stamps to the Earl. His Reprinted as: Edward Denny Bacon, company was subsequently tasked with Catalogue of the Philatelic Library of the bringing the Earl’s library up to date and Earl of Crawford, K.T. (U.K.: The Philatelic acquiring items it lacked. Literature Society London, 1911), 924 The file comprises the following letters: columns. Manuscript letter from Detroit (January 20, Notes: A supplement was published as: E. D. 1901) providing details of Phillips’ visit to Bacon, Supplement to the Catalogue of the see Tiffany’s brother Dexter in St. Louis Philatelic Library of the Earl of Crawford, and open the negotiations regarding K.T. (U.K.: Philatelic Literature Society library. London, 1926), 136 columns. Letter from the U.K. (date obscured) An addendum to the Supplement was acknowledging the Earl’s cheque to cover published as: Sir Edward D. Bacon, carriage of the library to the U.K., with Addenda to the “Supplement to the the American Express Way Bill covering Catalogue of the Philatelic Library of the library attached. the Earl of Crawford, K.T.” (U.K.: Royal Letter from Stanley Gibbons Ltd. (June 29, Philatelic Society, London, 1938), 8pp. 1901) advising the Earl of the arrival [Issued as a supplement to The London of the library at his London home and Philatelist, March 1938.] debiting his account with the cost of Bacon’s working copy of Volume VII, now carriage. owned by the British Library, together Letter from American Express advising with the Supplement and Addenda, were Phillips of a refund on the carriage, owing reprinted as: Edward Denny Bacon, to an error in the rate charged. Catalogue of the Crawford Library of 7. Ronald Negus, The Earl of Crawford K.T. Philatelic Literature at the British Library A Short Biographical Sketch (U.K.: Royal (Fishkill, NY: The Printer’s Stone, 1991), Philatelic Society London, 2002), 24 pp. paginated in sections as indicated above. [Issued as a supplement to The London 10. John K. Tiffany, Holographic letter to E. Philatelist, December 2002.] D. Bacon, Secretary, Philatelic Society, Note: Following the Earl’s death, Haigh Hall London, St. Louis, Missouri, February and its extensive grounds were sold to 15, 1888. the Corporation of Wigan to be used as a Notes: The original letter is held in the country park. The photograph of the Earl archives of the Royal Philatelic Society in his library is taken from a postcard on London and a copy is held by the sale at the Hall to this day. American Philatelic Research Library. It 8. Ron Negus, Our National Philatelist Sir was the finding of this letter by the late Edward Denny Bacon, KCVO (1860–1838) archivist, Ron Negus and bringing it to (U.K.: Royal Philatelic Society London, the attention of his brother James that 1999), 24 pp. [Issued as a supplement to caused this article to be prepared — see The London Philatelist, December 1999.] Negus’ Original Foreword. 9. Bibliotheca Lindesiana Vol. VII: A This letter also provoked a search for Bibliography of the Writings General Tiffany manuscripts by the American Special and Periodical Forming the Philatelic Research Library, the results of Literature of Philately (Aberdeen, which were published as: Bonny Farmer, Scotland: Aberdeen University Press, “The Tiffany Index Mystery,” Philatelic 1911), 924 columns. Literature Review, Vol. 61, No. 2 (2nd Notes: This was the seventh part of the Earl’s Quarter 2012): 132–137. A photograph massive project of producing a definitive of its first page and a full transcript of the catalogue of his library, which was called above letter were included in this work. Bibliotheca Lindesiana after his family 11. Brian J. Birch, “The Bacon Index,” The name Lindsay. The printed volumes London Philatelist, Vol. 119 (November were donated to important private and 2010): 326–330.

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1 Birch.indd 47 2/24/2013 6:38:24 PM Notes: This recounts how the Bacon index The United States Locals section of the came into the hands of the Royal Index was published by the United Stamp Philatelic Society London and details its Company “Herald” in 1912 as pages “loss” and subsequent reappearance. 106–175 of its reprint of Charles H. This Index has recently been digitized by Coster’s nineteenth-century work on the present author and is accessible both U.S. Locals. This section of the Index in hard copy in the Royal’s Library and was reprinted in the Philatelic Literature through the RPSL Catalogue. Although Review in 1990 (Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 90–116 the RPSL Catalogue was originally and No. 3, pp. 172–214). intended for members only, a reciprocal The United States entries were located agreement with the American Philatelic in the National Postal Museum of the Research Library means that it is also Smithsonian Institution, by the American accessible through any computer in the Philatelic Research Library and published latter’s Library. in the Philatelic Literature Review from 12. [William R. Ricketts], “Unpublished 1995–1997. Gini Horn, “The Ricketts manuscript by Tiffany,” Journal of the Index of United States and Possessions.,” Philatelic Literature Society, Vol. 8, No. 2 Philatelic Literature Review (1995): Vol. (April 1915): 24. 44, No. 1, pp. 13–63; No. 2, pp. 126–175; 13. [W. R. Ricketts], “Some more No. 3, pp. 216–264; No. 4, pp. 308–360; unpublished manuscripts by Tiffany,” (1996): Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 20–59; No. 2, Journal of the Philatelic Literature Society, pp. 108–146; No. 3, pp. 192–246; No. 4, Vol. 9, No. 1 (January 1916): 15. pp. 294–335; (1997): Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 14. [Dr. Herbert A. Trenchard], “William 16–65; No. 2, pp. 128–154; No. 3, pp. Reynolds Ricketts, APS Hall of Fame, 192–202; No. 4, pp. 260–314. 1988.” Available on the American In 2008 Gini Horn of the American Philatelic Society website: http://stamps. Philatelic Research Library reported org/Hall-of-Fame, 20th July 2012. that in spite of her diligent efforts, even Note: The photograph of Ricketts in 1913 going so far as to contact one of Ricketts’ comes from: Fred. J. Melville, “America daughters, no further parts of the Index Revisited: A Somewhat Personal had been located. Gini Horn, “A Look Narrative,” The Stamp Lover, Vol. 6, No. 8 Back at the Ricketts Index,” Philatelic (January 1914): 147–152. Pages 150–151 Literature Review, Vol. 56, No. 4 (4th record a personal visit Melville made quarter 2008): 316–319. However, Stan to Ricketts’ home and provides brief Bierman reported having obtained firsthand details of his library. photocopies of the pages covering the 15. The Ricketts Collection of Philatelic letters H through J from the Smithsonian Literature, Paul Bluss, 427th Auction Institution. Stanley M. Bierman, “A List Sale, August 1945, 1013 lots and Sale of of Handbooks, Periodicals and Auction Postage Stamps and Philatelic Literature, Catalogues in the Bierman Philatelic Paul Bluss, 450th Auction Sale, October 5, Library, Second revised edition (Los 1946, lots 600–720. Angeles, CA: Stanley M. Bierman, 1993), Note: A brief biography of Ricketts, complete p. 20, Item number 198. Notwithstanding with the photograph shown, is to be the letter to Stan from the late Nancy found in the first, named sale catalogue. Pope who was at the time (June 4, 1995) Although the second sale does not name Librarian of the National Philatelic Ricketts in the title, the literature it collection, which had accompanied the contained was comprised mainly of items copy of the pages and advised him of the from his library. above, on examination the pages turned 16. William R. Ricketts, The American out to be from Ricketts’ Bibliography Philatelic Society Philatelic Index, Index — See reference 17. Supplement to The American Philatelist, 17. William R. Ricketts, The Philatelic February 1911 to December 1926, 670 pp. Literature Bibliography Index (Forty Fort, Notes: Following its discontinuance, the PA: W. R. Ricketts, March 1912 to March Society compiled the published pages of 1917), 401 pp. the Index and issued them as a bound Note: It was published in forty parts of ten Volume. pages each. Page 401 appears to have been

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1 Birch.indd 48 2/24/2013 6:38:52 PM found among Rickett’s papers and was Company, 1890), 6 pp. included by Edenbridge Phil. Lit. in the Note: This list was extended to December sets they sold. 1891 by John K. Tiffany, “An Addendum 18. Stanley M. Bierman, “Hiram E. Deats,” in: to the Stamp Collector’s Library Stanley M. Bierman: More of the World’s Companion’ [sic],” The American Greatest Stamp Collectors (Sidney, OH: Philatelist, Vol. 6, No. 5 (May 1892): Linn’s Stamp News, 1990): pp. 12–25. 72–75. Notes: The book was reprinted by Fell 24. Dewey Decimal Classification, Wikipedia Publishers, Hollywood, FL, n.d. [ca. website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 1990], 215pp. Dewey_Decimal_Classification, July 20, The picture of Deats as a young man in 2012. his library was originally published in Note: Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey (1851– Mekeel’s Weekly Stamp News, Vol. 2, No. 1931) created his decimal classification 20 (May 18, 1892): 2. system in 1876. It was intended to be By 1952, Deats was the only remaining used by libraries to classify their books Charter Member of the American in place of the existing complicated Philatelic Society, a fact that was alphanumerical systems. It organized all celebrated at the Society’s convention in knowledge into ten main classes. Each September of that year. His portrait in class is subdivided into ten divisions, and later years can be found in Philip H. Ward each division into ten sections, giving Jr., “Hiram E. Deats: Oldest Member of A. ten main classes, 100 divisions, and 1000 P. S.,” National Philatelic Museum, Vol. 4, sections. It is still widely used today. No. 2 (1952): 9–10. Generally known as Melvil Dewey, 19. Wm. W. Wylie, “An Informal History additional biographical data can be found of the Collectors Club,” in: ANPHILEX at Melvil Dewey, Wikipedia website: ’71 Exhibition Catalogue, November 26/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvil_ December 1, 1971, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Dewey, July 20, 2012. New York, NY, pp. 94–116. 25. Typewriter, Wikipedia website: http:// Note: Reprinted by the Collectors Club as en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter, August Wm. W. Wylie, An Informal History of 18, 2012. the Collectors Club (New York: Collectors Note: It is interesting to note that the Club, 1971), 24 pp. invention of carbon paper dates from the 20. Herbert A. Trenchard, “William Reynolds first decade of the nineteenth century and Ricketts and His Indexes,” Philatelic therefore pre-dates the invention of the Literature Review, Vol. 44 (1st Quarter typewriter. See Kevin M. Laurence, The 1995): 4–12. Exciting History of Carbon Paper!, www. 21. [W. R. Ricketts], “Index to Quaker kevinlaurence.net/essays/cc.php, October City Philatelist,” Journal of the Philatelic 12, 2012. Literature Society, Vol. 8, No. 2 (April 26. [Charles J. Peterson (Editor)], “The 1915): 24. Hiram Deats Library,” Philatelic Literature Note: The Index was eventually distributed to Review, Vol. 23 (3rd Quarter 1974): 157. the members with the issue of The Journal Note: This report was a compilation of data of the Philatelic Literature Society for July/ received from George Turner, Sol Salkind, October 1918 (Volume 11, No. 3/4). In and Geoffrey Wilson of the Free Library the event, this turned out to be the last of Philadelphia. ever issue of the Journal. 27. Bonny Farmer, “The Philatelic Collection 22. John K. Tiffany, The Stamp Collector’s of the Free Library of Philadelphia,” Library Companion. A Chronological Philatelic Literature Review, Vol. 50, No. 4 Catalogue of all Publications Published (4th quarter 2001): 268–273. Wholly or Chiefly in the Interests of 28. Catalog, Free Library of Philadelphia Stamp Collecting. Brought up to January website: www.freelibrary.org, July 20, 1889 (Chicago, IL: Western Philatelic 2012. Publishing Company, 1889), 24 pp. 29. Philately: A Catalog of the Collectors Club 23. John K. Tiffany, Addenda to The Stamp Library (Boston, MA: G. K. Hall, 1974), Collector’s Library Companion (Chicago, 682 pp. IL: Western Philatelic Publishing Note: At the end of the listings for John K.

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1 Birch.indd 49 2/24/2013 6:39:12 PM Tiffany on page 159 is the card: John 1893 but with 320pp. H. [sic.] Tiffany, A Reference List of 35. “Collection Highlights — Literature: The Publications Relating to Postage Stamps Tiffany Index,” NPC Newsletter, Vol. 2, and their Collection Compiled by Request No. 3 (July/September 1990), p. 5. of the Boston Public Library by John H. Notes: The article illustrates the Title Page [sic.] Tiffany, Typescript, 1871, 25pp. and one of the handwritten index pages. 30. Herbert A. Trenchard, “The George It also reproduces Tiffany’s Introductory T. Turner Philatelic Library,” Philatelic passage in full. Literature Review, Vol. 30, No. 3 (3rd quarter 1981): 180–188. The National Philatelic Collection of the Note: According to Trenchard, Turner’s Smithsonian Institution was established philatelic executor, the Smithsonian in 1886 and predates the National Postal probably took about 50 percent of the Museum, of which it now forms a part, library by volume and about 80 percent by more than a hundred years. See the by value. In spite of this, the remainder Smithsonian Institution website: www. and duplicates, weighing some twelve si.edu/Exhibitions/Details/Collecting- tons, still constituted the major named History-125-Years-of-the-National- sale held by Roger Koerber (The George T. Philatelic-Collection-909, October 5, Turner Philatelic Library, Roger Koerber, 2012. Southfield, MI, USA, 1st & 2nd May 1981, 36. Charles J. Phillips, “Stanley Gibbons, Inc. 3311 lots). (New York): Its History and Owners,” The photograph shown is from a brief Stamps, Vol. 10, No. 6 (February 9, 1935): biography of Turner in: A. R. Butler, The 189–190 & 214. Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (London: 37. George T. Turner, “Philatelic Bookplates,” British Philatelic Federation, 1990), p. Philatelic Literature Review, Vol. 4, No. 4 171. (3rd quarter 1954): 43–59. 31. Library Catalog, Smithsonian Institution Notes: Of the twenty-seven owners of Libraries website: http://library.si.edu, bookplates and library stamps mentioned August 15, 2012. 32. Catalogue of Books on Philately in the in the article, nearly all of which are Public Library of the City of Boston illustrated, the following are included, all (Boston, MA: Boston Philatelic Society, of whom played a part, however small, in 1903), 31 pp. this story: 33. For the Philatelist: A Catalogue of an Edward Denny Bacon, London, UK Exhibition of Postal History, Postage Boston Philatelic Society, Boston, MA Stamps, and Philatelic Literature, in the Collectors Club, New York, NY Collections of the Boston Public Library, Hiram Edmund Deats, Flemington, NJ December 1971 to February 1972 (Boston, James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of Crawford, MA: Boston Public Library, 1972), 8 pp. London, UK 34. John K. Tiffany, History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America (St. Charles J. Phillips, London, UK Louis, MO: C. H. Mekeel, 1887), 278 pp. [Royal] Philatelic Society, London, UK Note: A second edition under the same title William Reynolds Ricketts, Forty Fort, PA was published by the same publisher in John Kerr Tiffany, St. Louis, MO

About the Cover The APRL book collection includes many books from the libraries of prominent philatelists. Their provenance can be traced, in part, by the bookplates inside the covers.

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1 Birch.indd 50 2/24/2013 6:39:46 PM