The History of Stamp Collecting 4, Alfred Potiquet

Inspired by a series of articles by K. Kouwenberg that appeared in the monthly magazine Philatelie in the late 1970s, Rob Smit describes the history of stamp collecting anew in biweekly installments. This is part 4, the catalogue of Alfred Potiquet. Alfred Potiquet (1820-1882) worked as a civil and hydraulic engineer for the municipalities of Meaux and Paris. He was a collector of manuscripts and stamps and an acquaintance of Berger-Levrault, from whom he obtained permission to use his lists (see previous installment) in compiling a stamp catalogue. He supplemented Berger-Levrault's data with that of his own collection and others to create an illustrated catalogue that was clearly superior to Berger-Levrault's lists and, as such, suitable for publication. Together with Eugène Lacroix, owner of a technical bookstore, and the Parisian stamp dealer E. de Laplante, publication came about, and the first edition appeared on December 21, 1861. This 'Catalogue des Timbres-Poste Crées dans les divers Etats du Globe' was the very first illustrated stamp catalogue and the very first one that was simply available through bookstores for 2 francs 50. Stamp prices were not yet listed. On the one hand because they were not yet of such importance, and on the other hand because good indications were simply not yet possible. The catalogue was a success, for by March 1862 the book was already sold out and a second edition was published which, as a result of its success, could also be sold at a lower price (1 franc 25). The second edition lists 1080 stamps and 132 postal stationery items. Lacroix had quarreled with de Laplante because he had put his own copy on the market. De Laplante's name was therefore no longer mentioned in the second edition. All this is described in Lacroix's preface to the second edition, in which not only de Laplante but also J.B. Moens of Brussels is accused of plagiarism with his 'Manuel du collectionneur de Timbres-Poste', while it is subtly indicated that the errors (naturally corrected in the second edition) from the first edition were also copied verbatim. Below is page 255 from the bulletin de bouqiniste, 1st semester 1862, listing the philatelic publications available at that time. Included at the bottom is the 2nd edition of the Potiquet publication, and directly above it the Moens publication. To be continued on June 11.