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Roll of Distinguished Philatelists

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King George V was the first signatory to the Roll.

The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) is a philatelic award of international scale, created by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in 1921. The Roll consists of three pieces of parchment to which the signatories add their names.

Selection of the signatories

Those who have assisted the development of philately through their research, expertise or giving their time can be candidates to sign the Roll if they are sponsored by one of the existing signatories. The following four years, the candidate is examined once a year with the other current ones by a Board of election.[1]

The ceremony of signature of the Roll happens at the annual Philatelic Congress of Great Briain.[1] Under the Congress' rules, the signatories can talk and vote during the Congress.[2]

Forty-two philatelists were honoured posthumously on the first page of the Roll as "Fathers of Philately".[3]

Four other names were added in the 1950s at the bottom of the first page. In 1951, Edward R. Woodward (died 1931) and J. Stanley Telfer (died 1938) were honoured by the Board of election because they were two important philatelists and member of the Board. In 1956, because the Board was sure they would have been called to sign the Roll if they would have lived longer, United States citizen Clarence W. Hennan and A. Tort Nicolau of Spain were added too.[4]

History of the Roll

On 30 October 1919, Percy C. Bishop, a member of the London Stamp Club, proposed the institution of an "Philatelic Order of Merit" to honour philatelic writers. This order would be given more important than existing philatelic prizes and would have an international importance. In late 1919, F. H. Vallencey, President of the Club, presented the idea to the readers of his Stamp Collecting paper. In March 1920, a jury of five[5] published a list of twenty-five names who the jury selected from the ninety-one names sent by the readers and British associations.[6]

However, to gain official recognition, the London Stamp Club let the associative members of the 1920 Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in Newcastle upon Tyne decide the future of Bishop's idea. A sub-committee was constituted to find a new name and write rules of the award.[7]

At the 1921 Congress in Harrogate, the "Roll of Distinguised Philatelists" was created without any discussion.[8] The subcommittee has already got the signature of King and philatelist George V on the printed parchment, the twenty-four of the selected by the first jury and fifteen other philatelists were already invited to sign the Roll on the last day of the Congress.[9]

Starting in 1922, the selection of the signatories was annual but between the Congresses of 1940 and 1946 because of World War II.[10]

The "fathers of philately"

The names of forty-two deceased philatelists are printed on the Roll page that was signed between 1921 and 1935. They were placed in the ribbons that ornates the two columns on each side of the page. They were included as "fathers of philately".[3]

List of signatories

1921

Among the forty first signatories are twenty-four out of the twenty-five proposed by the initial jury[5] in 1920:[17]

Chosen by the 1920 jury, the British A. B. Creeke was forgotten by the Philatelic Congress' subcommittee in 1921.[9]

The subcommittee added fifteen philatelists in 1921[9] with a larger majority of Britons than in the 1920 jury's selection.[24]

  • Percy Cooke Bishop (1875–1959, United Kingdom), philatelic journalist and proposer of the Roll of Distinguished Philatelist.[18]
  • Lionel William Fulcher (1865–1945, United Kingdom), first organizer of the Royal Philatelic Society London's library whom he was the Honorary Librarian from 1903 to 1928.[18]
  • Hugo Griebert (1867–1924, United Kingdom), London stamp dealer and author.[18]
  • Thomas William Hall (1861–1937, United Kingdom), President of the Royal Philatelic Society London from 1923 to 1929.[18]
  • David Howard Hill (1850–1926, Australia), specialist of the stamps of the State of Victoria.[18]
  • John Morris Mardsen (1857–1939, United Kingdom), specialist of Portugal and its colonies.[18]
  • Frederick John Melville (1883-1940,[18] United Kingdom), writer and bibliophile,[16] founder of the Junior Philatelic Society in 1899.[18]
  • Frncis John Hamilton Scott Napier (1850–1929, United Kingdom), author.[18]
  • Charles Lathrop Pack (1857-1937,[18] United States), spécialist, among other topics, of the stamps figuring Queen Victoria.[16]
  • Percival Loines Pemberton (1875–1949, United Kingdom), stamp dealer and editor in chief of The Philatelic Journal of Great Britain.[18]
  • John Walker (1855–1927, United Kingdom), President, Honorary Librarian and Curator of the forged stamp collection of the Scottish Philatelic Society.[18]
  • Arthur John Warren (1845–1929, United Kingdom), specialist of the Netherlands and its colonies.[18]
  • Harold William Wescott (United Kingdom), specialist of Gibraltar and foreign offices in Morocco.[18]
  • Charles Stewart-Wilson (1864–1950, United Kingdom), specialist of India, Director-General of Indian Posts and Telegraphs.[18]
  • Anthony de Worms (1869–1938, United Kingdom), specialist of Ceylon.[18]

Finally, before the day of the first signing ceremony on 6 May 1921, King George V was the first to sign the upper part of the Roll ("George R.I.").[25] He was invited to do so because, when Duke of York, he was President of the Royal Philatelic Society London from 1896 to 1910, and was still a collector and philatelist with the help of the late John Alexander Tilleard and Edward Denny Bacon.

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1950

Eight prominent philatelists were invited to sign at the 32nd Congress

  • R W T Lees-Jones (United Kingdom), student and writer on Canadian stamps.[30]
  • H W Bessemer (United Kingdom), outstanding research on the stamps of France.[30]
  • Walter H C Bronzfield (Australia), President of the Philatelic Society of Western Australia for twenty-one years, intensive research on Western Australian stamps.[30]
  • J Schmidt-Andersen (Denmark), Father of Danish philately, wrote extensively on the stamps of Denmark, published the plating of all four plates of Denmark No 1.[30]
  • Ibrahim Chaftar Bey (Egypt), President of the Club Philatélique d'Egypte, student of early Egyptian stamps.[30]
  • Pierre Morel d'Arleux (France), Honorary Secretary of the Académie de Philatélie, chief organizer of the Citex (Paris) Exhibition, writer on the stamps of France.[30]
  • Stanley B Ashbrook (United States), writer of standard books and many articles on early U.S.A. issues.[30]
  • Lester G. Brookman (United States), editor for many years of the American Philatelist, writer of books on the 19th-century issues of the U.S.A.[30]

1952

The 34th Philatelic Congress was held in Southampton from 20 May to 24 May 1952. Three people were added to the roll of distinguished philatelist.[31]

  • Gilbert William Collett, F.R.P.S.L., Honorary Treasurer of the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain from 1933 to 1952, played a considerable part in the preparation of the Jamaica Philatelic Society’s Handbook.[31]
  • A S Mackenzie-Low, F.R.P.S.L., leading specialist of the stamps of Egypt, formed a very fine collection which was sold eventually to H.M. King Fuad of Egypt.[31]
  • Adrian Albert Jurgens, F.R.P.S.L., leading specialist of the stamps and postal history of South Africa, founder of the Philatelic Congress of South Africa.[31]

1953

The 1953 Philatelic Congress was held at Whitley Bay from 9 to 12 June 1953 and the following names were added to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists.[32]

  • Alfred H. Caspary F.R.P.S.L. (USA), one of the greatest philatelists in the world, owner of magnificent collections of classic stamps.[32]
  • George Fulpius F.R.P.S.L. (Switzerland), particularly interested in the stamps of Switzerland and Greece, served on juries at international philatelic exhibitions.[32]
  • H. R. Holmes F.R.P.S.L. (UK), Editor of the London Philatelist, member of the Royal Philatelic Society Expert Committee, wrote many articles.[32]
  • Carlos Trincao (Portugal), formed a very fine collections of Portugal and Colonies, won gold medals at international exhibitions, Chairman of the Lisbon Centenary Philatelic Exhibition.[32]
  • Gordon Ward F.R.P.S.L. (UK), wrote frequently in the philatelic press.[32]

1954

  • Harry Osborne MD (UK), author of several important philatelic books. Awarded Grand Gold Medal for his Great Britain at London International Exhibition 1950.

1955

  • Maurice Burrus, known for his world-wide collection, considered one of the greatest ever formed.[33]

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

  • Kees Adema (2010)[46]
  • Gavin Fryer (2011)[47] Expert on Madagascar and mail for the blind.
  • Hugo Goeggel (2010)[46]
  • Wolf Hess (2010)[46]
  • Giancarlo Morolli (2010)[46]
  • Wade E. Saadi (2010)[46]
  • Koichi Sato (2011)[47] Expert on Tasmania and Hyderabad.
  • Raymond Todd (2011)[47] Expert on postal stationery and airmails.
  • Brian Trotter (2010)[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Arthur Ronald Butler, The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, page 33. Cite error: The named reference "Butler, RDP, p33" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ Arthur Ronald Butler, "The Beginning", chapter one of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, page 7.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am Arthur Ronald Butler, "The Roll and the 'Fathers of Philately'", chapter 2 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, pages 9—27.
  4. ^ Arthur Ronald Butler, "The Roll and the 'Fathers of Philately'", chapter 2 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, pages 26—27.
  5. ^ a b The members of the jury were Percy C. Bishop, Derek Ingram, Fred J. Melville, G. L. Tinker and F. Hugh Vallencey ; in Arthur Ronald Butler, The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, 1990, pages 3-4.
  6. ^ Arthur Ronald Butler, "The Beginning", chapter 1 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, pages 1—5.
  7. ^ Arthur Ronald Butler, "The Beginning", chapter 1 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, pages 5—6.
  8. ^ "Not only was the Roll presented as a fait accompli", wrote Arthur Ronald Butler, in « The Beginning », chapter 1 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, page 6.
  9. ^ a b c Arthur Ronald Butler, "The Beginning", chapter 1 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, pages 6—7.
  10. ^ Arthur Ronald Butler, The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, page 89.
  11. ^ "Death of Sir W.B. Avery, Bart." in The London Philatelist, Vol. XVII, No. 203, November 1908, pp. 256-7.
  12. ^ Note biographique dans l'index « Who was Who? » (« qui fut qui ? ») sur le site du British Philatelic Trust, page consultée le 17 août 2007.
  13. ^ "Death of the Rev. J.A. Dunbar-Dunbar" in The London Philatelist, Vol. XV, No. 169, January 1906, pp. 11-12.
  14. ^ As printed in Arthur Ronald Butler, "The Roll and the 'Fathers of Philately'", chapter 2 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Limited, 1990, page 14.
  15. ^ "The Late Mr. Douglas Garth." in The London Philatelist, Vol. IX, No. 97, January 1900, pp. 2-3.
  16. ^ a b c d e Biographic note on the Hall of Fame of the American Philatelic Society, 1931 ; page retrieved 15 April 2009.
  17. ^ Arthur Ronald Butler, "The Beginning", chapter 1 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, 1990, pages 4-5.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak Biographies of the 1921 signatories in Arthur Ronald Butler, The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, 1990, pages 46-64.
  19. ^ Biography on the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame website, years 1970-1974.
  20. ^ a b André Hurtré, "L'Académie de philatélie a 80 ans - son histoire - ses membres", Documents philatéliques #197, Académie de philatélie, 3rd trimester 2008, pages 5–44.
  21. ^ Biographical note, Who was Who?, British Philatelic Trust website ; retrieved 17 August 2007.
  22. ^ Biography on the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame website, years 2005-2009.
  23. ^ A philatelic society in Japan.
  24. ^ "The Committee obviously has fewer qualms in proclaiming the wothiness of home-grown philatelists than had the London Stamp Club Jury", wrote Arthur Ronald Butler, in "The Beginning", chapter 1 of The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, 1990, page 7.
  25. ^ "R.I.", in latin: Rex Imperator, meaning King (in the United Kingdom and colonies) and Emperor (of India).
  26. ^ Gibbons Stamp Monthly, August 1930, p. 209. Stanley Phillips (editor of Gibbons Stamp Monthly) wrote as follows: "As the veteran philatelic auctioneer, now, alas! in poor health, moved to the table to sign the Roll, after an impressive oration by Captain H R Oldfield, I must confess that my eyes were wet, and I do not think I was alone in being thus affected. In honouring Mr Hadlow, the Congress, showed its appreciation of a personality of sterling merit and a lifetime of unselfish service to Philately."
  27. ^ "The Late F. J. Peplow." in The London Philatelist, Vol. XLIV, No. 526, October 1935, pp. 217-218.
  28. ^ Who Was Who in British Philately Association of British Philatelic Societies 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  29. ^ "Dr. J.H. Harvey Pirie" in The London Philatelist, Vol. 74, No. 876, December 1965, p. 223.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h Gibbons Stamp Monthly, June 1950, p. 118
  31. ^ a b c d Gibbons Stamp Monthly, May 1952, p. 97
  32. ^ a b c d e f Gibbons Stamp Monthly, June 1953, p. 115
  33. ^ Stone, Harlan F. (March 1993). "Roll of Distinguished Philatelists Includes Eight from Switzerland" (PDF). Tell. XIX (2). American Helvetia Philatelic Society: 17. ISSN 1042-2072. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  34. ^ Who Was Who in British Philately, Association of British Philatelic Societies, 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012. Archived here.
  35. ^ "Deaths of Two Honorary Fellows" in The London Philatelist, Vol. 101, July–August 1992, No. 1195-96, p. 198.
  36. ^ "A. Ronald (Ron) Butler RDP Hon FRPSL 1916-2003." in The London Philatelist, Vol. 113, No. 1312, January–February 2004, p. 2.
  37. ^ "Sigurd (Sigge) Ringström, RDP, FRPSL, An Appreciation" by Tomas Bjaringer The London Philatelist, Vol. 101, No. 1199, November 1992, p. 342.
  38. ^ "Newsdesk: Harold Fisher - An Appreciation" by Eric Allen in Gibbons Stamp Monthly, September 1986, p. 10.
  39. ^ The London Philatelist, No 1232, p. 2, Jan/Feb 1996
  40. ^ a b c d "Here & There: RDP 1984" in Gibbons Stamp Monthly, May 1984, p. 41.
  41. ^ VOLLMEIERRDP Profile Page. A.I.E.P. 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013. Archived here.
  42. ^ a b c "Winter, Proud, Startup Invited to Sign Roll of Distinguished Philatelists", press release announcing the signatories for 2008, reproduced on the Virtual Stamp Club, 30 April 2008.
  43. ^ Index card on the Académie de philatélie website, updated 2 March 2009 ; retrieved 15 April 2009.
  44. ^ Biography on the Australian Philatelic Federation website, 2006 ; retrieved 15 April 2009.
  45. ^ "Barbara R. Mueller One of Four Invited to Sign Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in July", press release announcing the signatories for 2009, reproduced on the Virtual Stamp Club, 15 April 2009 ; retrieved 15 April 2009.
  46. ^ a b c d e f NEW RDPs TO SIGN ROLL IN LEAMINGTON SPA. The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists Honorary Secretary to the Board of Election 29 March 2010.
  47. ^ a b c "2011 RDP Ceremony" in Gibbons Stamp Monthly, Vol. 42, No. 3, August 2011, pp.52-53.

External links

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