History of stamp collecting 35, England in 1866

Inspired by a series of articles by K. Kouwenberg that appeared in the monthly magazine Philatelie in the late 1970s, Rob Smit re-examines the history of stamp collecting in biweekly installments. This is part 35, England in 1866. One of the most important philatelic events in England in 1866 is the appearance of a new publication, 'The Philatelist', on December 1, 1866. From 1862 to 1866, no fewer than 24 philatelic magazines had appeared in England. Yet this new publication was a rarity. The brothers Henry and Alfred Smith from Bath decided to go their separate ways after having worked together on 'Stamp Collector's Magazine' for years. The literature does not mention why. The shop he owned with his brother in Bath was located at 13 George Street. (click here: bath_shop for an image of the current situation). On the right side of the building there is a plaque, an enlarged version of which is shown below. Henry Stafford Smith leaves Bath and settles in Brighton. He begins publishing 'The Philatelist'. Naturally, he has already gained considerable experience and, moreover, manages to attract none other than Dr. Viner as editor.

Charles William Viner

Furthermore, Adelaide Lucy Fenton, who by then had developed into a full-fledged philatelist, was an important contributor. She wrote under the pseudonyms 'Fentonia' and 'Camoëns', among others. This Miss Fenton was the first major female collector and philatelic author. She devoted much study to stamps, for which she possessed an extensive library. Her library was auctioned in 1900 by Ventom, Bull, and Cooper, at which Mr. Hadlow purchased 'The Stamp Collector's Magazine' for the 'London Philatelic Society' for 32 pounds, containing notes by Miss Fenton, letters from Mount Brown and Pemberton, and others. This was a lot of money, but Miss Fenton and Pemberton were already legendary at the time, and all the free stamps were still included with the twelve volumes. The magazine 'Philatelist' also gave away free stamps as well as imitations. The magazine existed until 1876, after which it was transformed into the 'Philatelic Quarterly'. Henry Stafford Smith's business flourished considerably in Brighton, but was eventually overshadowed by Stanley Gibbons. Henry died on February 23, 1903. Another important trend in 1866 was the decline of the craze for collecting essays. Such a flood of essays had flooded the market in recent years that the average collector could no longer distinguish the wood for the trees and gave up. Only a small number persevered, causing the number of published essays to decline sharply in the years that followed. Dutch dealers also appear in the advertisements, including Roodhuyzen from Amsterdam, Dressel from Amsterdam, de Reus from Haarlem, and George Satori in Rotterdam. Apparently, even then, these were places with a good stamp trade!   Besides stamps, they also offered cigars and fatty vanilla, among other things!  

To be continued on August 31.

Published so far:

1. Introduction and start 2. The first collectors 3. The first catalogueOscar Berger Levrault is the first to provide an overview. 4. Alfred Potiquet, The first commercially published catalogue. 5. Booming 1862, The most turbulent year in philatelic history. 6. Edard de Laplante, the first to live exclusively from the stamp trade. 7. Natalis RondotThe first true philatelic literature appeared in a family magazine. 8. Henri Justin Lallier, Publisher of the first stamp album. 9. Frederick W. Booty, The first catalogue in English. 10. Mount Brown, A successful English catalogue. 11. Dr John Edward Gray, Inventor of the postage stamp, the very first collector, or merely a good cataloguer? 12. The first stamp magazineFirst a failed attempt, but then a sheet of stamps after all. 13. Edward Pemberton, Active philatelist with descendants in philately. 14. Dr. C.W. Viner, Father of English philately. 15. Jean Baptiste Moens, The greatest trader of all time. 16. Moens' publishing house, of great importance in the early days of philately. 17. Germany in 1862, The slow start of an important philatelic country. 18. The Netherlands in 1862, The first Dutch catalogue and album. 19. The Netherlands in 1864, PH Witkamp 20. The origins of Schaubek 21. The competition breaks out, free stamps with magazines. 22. Crafting with stamps. 23. The Polka Stamp., postage stamps as a source of inspiration for music 24. Alexander Baillieu., stamps as a gold mine? 25. Cunning, deceit, and abundance., postal administrations discover collectors. 26. The Fat Elbe from Dresden, mistaken identity with a prominent figure. 27. Arthur Maury, a name that lives on to this day. 28. Pierre Mahé, idiosyncratic traders with extensive philatelic knowledge. 29. Swarming mania, Collecting stamps that aren't actually stamps. 30. William P. Brown, The first American stamp dealer 31. Philately instead of Timbology, The origin of the word Philately 32. Collectors' associations, Successful associations increase knowledge. 33. A theft in 1865, Followed by a severe punishment. 33. Mrs. Nicolas, A woman in the man's world of the stamp trade.