Category: Recognition

Elizabeth Pope

Posted on by Pat Morgan

Rebecca Elizabeth (Callis) Pope

November 21, 1925 – October 11, 2007
Saint Louis, Missouri

Rebecca Elizabeth Callis was born on November 21st, 1925 in Germantown, Tennessee to Jack and Bettie (Owen) Callis.

Elizabeth “Liz” Pope was a remarkable figure in American philately. Liz evolved from a serious stamp collector in her teens to one of the truly great figures in American commercial philately. In her youth, she married John D. Pope III, a St. Louis lawyer and lifelong serious specialist in U.S. classic stamps and covers. For decades before his death, she and John traveled extensively to attend scores of major stamp shows and to give expert presentations at large and small stamp clubs. This vigorous activity helped Liz become an astute philatelic expert in her own right. And when John passed away in 1983, Liz hardly paused in her national-level activities. Not only did she oversee the auction of his vast U.S. collections at Siegel’s in 1984, she became determined to learn the stamp auction business. Her contributions spanned several areas, and her impact on the hobby was profound.

The late Hans Stoltz, Liz’s dear lifelong friend, was employed as an executive of Robert A. Siegel Auctions Galleries when, in the 1980s, she learned from Hans that he had a dream to one day own and operate his own business. Liz was always looking to help people in the world of professional philately. She “engineered” Hans’ move to her hometown of Webster Groves where he opened a stamp shop, with Liz as co-owner, in a commercial office building Liz owned just down the street from where she lived. It quickly became a formidable “hangout” for locals as well as visiting philatelists from around the country.

Her knowledge of world philately, and in particular 19th century U.S. and Confederate States issues, was legendary—but more than that, her circle of friends includes the owners of most of the important stamp collections assembled in this country over the past 60 years.

Highlights about her fascinating life:

  1. Philatelic Expertise and Publications:
    • In the 1980s, Elizabeth Pope assembled, wrote, and published the six-volume series titled “OPINIONS: Philatelic Expertising: An Inside View” for The Philatelic Foundation.
    • Her expertise in expertizing and authentication was highly regarded within the philatelic community.
  2. St. Louis Stamp Expo and Webster Groves Stamp Club:
    • In 1992, she worked closely with David Kols to found the annual St. Louis Stamp Expo, a World Series of Philately national exhibition.
    • For over 50 years, she actively served as an officer, board member, and program director for the Webster Groves Stamp Club, one of the American Philatelic Society’s largest and oldest chapters.
  3. Christie’s Auctions and Tutelage:
    • Elizabeth Pope commuted weekly between her home in Webster Groves and her apartment in New York City, where she oversaw Christie’s auction firm’s philatelic division.
    • During her time at Christie’s, she handled significant philatelic holdings, including the renowned Honolulu Advertiser collection of Hawaiian classic stamps and postal history.
    • She also mentored Charles Shreve and Scott Trepel. Trepel later became President of Siegel Auction Galleries.
  4. Legacy and Recognition:
    • Elizabeth Pope’s achievements led to her induction into the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 2021.
    • Elizabeth Pope was inducted into the American Stamp Dealers Association (ASDS) Hall of Fame
    • In recognition of her lifetime contributions to philately, the Elizabeth Pope Award (named after her) was presented to her at the St. Louis Stamp Expo in 2001
    • Her personal collection of philatelic history and memorabilia found a new home with fellow Missourian and longtime friend Randy Neil who passed in 2024.
    • Her impact on the hobby continues to inspire collectors and dealers alike. 

Source: APS

Charles H. Mekeel

Posted on by Pat Morgan

Charles Haviland Mekeel

December 1, 1861 – October 13, 1921
Saint Louis, Missouri

Mekeel was one of America’s greatest stamp dealers and editors. He became a dealer in 1877 and continued for the rest of his life. His editing began in 1881 with The Stamp Collectors’ Bureau (later called The Collectors’ Bureau).

In 1885 Mekeel published Philatelic Journal of America, which became one of the country’s leading philatelic journals. It continued for 25 volumes, through 1917, except for volumes 15 to 19 (1901-1905) when it was called Mekeel’s Stamp Collector. At the same time, Mekeel published Mekeel’s Drummer (1900-1901), Mekeel’s News and Trade Journal (1905-1912) and other shorter journals. In 1896, he issued philately’s first “daily,” The Daily Stamp News, publishing 285 issues between January and December 1896.

His most famous publication was his Mekeel’s Weekly Stamp News, which he began in January 1891 and continued to edit through 1897 (Volume 9). It was the weekly journal of record. He then sold it to his brother Isaac who added Charles Severn and Willard Wylie to the editorship, keeping it as the country’s leading weekly into the 1940s.

Mekeel collected and wrote on the stamps of Mexico. He wrote The Mexican Postal Stamp Catalog (1890) and The Postage Stamps of Mexico (1911). For three years (1892-1895) he published a St. Louis-based Spanish language journal, La Revista Filatelica.

Mekeel figured prominently in a famous find of St. Louis Postmaster Provisionals — the St. Louis Bears — that took place in Louisville, Kentucky in 1895. The find, also called the Tyler and Rutherford find, settled any lingering doubts about the plating of the stamps and authenticity of the 20-cent value. It also verified the findings of his colleague, John K. Tiffany, published in 1894. Mekeel wrote The History of the Postage Stamps of the St. Louis Postmaster, 1845-1847 in 1895.

Source: APS

John Kerr Tiffany

Posted on by Pat Morgan

John Kerr Tiffany

February 9, 1842 – March 3, 1897
Saint Louis, Missouri

Tiffany was America’s most prominent philatelist of the 19th century. He began collecting as a student in France in the late 1850s, continuing for the rest of his life. In the 1860s he decided to begin collecting “every printed matter connected to the hobby of philately,” and by the 1870s he had built an incomparable philatelic library.

In 1874 Tiffany published The Philatelical Library: A Catalogue of Stamp Publications, a listing of the known philatelic works, nearly all of which were in his library. He wrote other articles on, and catalogs of, his philatelic library during the next two decades. In 1889 he wrote Part 1 of The Stamp Collector’s Library Companion, and in 1890, an Addenda.

At his death, Tiffany’s library was the largest and most complete ever formed. James L. Lindsay, the Earl of Crawford, acquired it intact. On his death, Lindsay’s library went to the British Museum (now located in the Philatelic Section of the British Library).

When the American Philatelic Association (now the APS) was organized in 1886, Tiffany was elected president and re-elected for the next ten years until he decided not to run again. He was an ardent collector, building important collections of U.S., British North America and Afghanistan, among others. In 1894 he wrote a seminal monograph, “A St. Louis Symposium,” setting out the correct plating of the St. Louis Postmaster Provisionals (the “Bears”) based on the limited material available. His analysis was verified by subsequent finds of the Bear stamps.

Tiffany wrote the first comprehensive book on the stamps of the United States. It was first published in French by the Belgian dealer, J.-B. Moens: Les Timbres des Etats-Unis d’Amerique (in three parts, 1883). He subsequently revised and expanded it, and it was published in 1887 as History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America.

In an 1890 poll taken by The Philatelist (NY) (Vol. 2, No. 4, June 16, 1890), Tiffany was named the second “most prominent philatelist” – second only to the “Great and only Scott” (J.W. Scott). In 1921, when the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists was begun, Tiffany was named as one of the “Fathers of Philately.”