Philipp von Ferrary
Philipp von Ferrary | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | May 20, 1917 | (aged 67)
Nationality | French, Austrian |
Occupation | Stamp collector |
Philip Ferrari de La Renotière (January 11, 1850 – May 20, 1917) was a noted French-born stamp collector, assembling probably the most complete worldwide collection that ever existed, or is considered likely to exist. Among his extremely rare stamps were the unique Treskilling Yellow of Sweden and the 1856 one-cent "Black on Magenta" of British Guiana.
Of Italian family background, Ferrary took French nationality in 1871,[1] but later became an Austrian national, a fact that ultimately led to the French government seizing, and subsequently auctioning, his stamp collection after his death in 1917. Because France and Austria were enemies during the First World War, Ferrary was himself considered an enemy of France.[2] His adopted nationality also prevented him from returning to France when the war began.[2]
Ferrary's mother allowed the Hôtel Matignon to be used as the embassy of Austria-Hungary, with the "proviso that her son could keep an extensive apartment there for the remainder of his life."[2] Ferrary's collection was kept at the Matignon; this building later became the residence of the Prime Minister of France.[2] He died in Lausanne in May 1917, and was buried in Steinbach am Attersee in Upper Austria.[3][2] His stamp collection is still considered to have been perhaps the greatest "ever formed."[3]
Background
Ferrary was born in the sumptuous
Ferrary was the son of the Duke and Duchess of Galliera. His father,
Ferrary's mother, the Duchess of Galliera, born
Ferrary adopted a new nationality more than once in his life. He was born an Italian in France, and took French nationality in 1871.
Records show he may have returned to Paris in 1916, which would have been the last time he saw his collection.[2] France seized his stamp collection as war reparations, because as an Austrian citizen he was "technically an enemy of France."[2] Ferrary had also "clearly expressed pro-German views," and called Germany "his dear country."[1] His visits to France were becoming more rare.[1] His collection was seized "under provisions of the Treaty of Versailles that came into effect in January 1920," and auctioned off after his death, from 1921 to 1926.[2][3] The French government decided that proceeds from the auction would be "deducted from the war reparations owed by Germany to France."[2] The one-cent magenta was sold in 1922, to British-born American collector Arthur Hind.[2][8]
Philately
Ferrary started collecting in his youth, and then he inherited a great fortune of approximately 120,000,000 French francs (£5 million), which he dedicated to the purchase of rare stamps and coins. His collection is believed to have been the greatest ever assembled, and it may never be equalled. Amongst his extremely rare stamps were the unique
He purchased many important old collections, including those of Judge
According to F. J. Peplow of Great Britain, in his book The Postage Stamps of Buenos Aires, the first clue that an inverted cliché existed on the Buenos Aires “In Ps” plate of the “barquitos” (steamships) was the report of a single stamp with part of the adjoining stamp rotated 180 degrees and it had been acquired by Ferrary for his collection.
He employed
Although he lived in Paris, Ferrary travelled frequently, meeting with dealers along the way, and often paying them in gold on the spot.[11] He was impulsive in his buying and seemed to be indifferent to price, so dealers and counterfeiters took advantage of him. Exceptionally dangerous forgeries gained the nickname "Ferrarities".[12]
Numismatics
Ferrary also assembled a large collection of rare coins. His British numismatic collection was sold by Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge in London over five days from 27–31 March 1922. The title of the sale did not mention Ferrary by name, but read as follows: “Catalogue of the Famous and Remarkable Collection of British and Colonial Coins, Patterns & Proofs from George III to the Present Day, Formed by a Nobleman, Recently Deceased.” The catalogue had 710 lots and 15 plates. Other sales of his French and ancient coins were held in Paris.[13]
The "Nobleman" Sales
Wishing to make his unequalled collection accessible to the public, in his will dated 30 January 1915 he bequeathed it to "the German nation" for display in the
These sales enabled several famous collectors at the time to acquire the rarest philatelic items known, which, arguably, contributed to the development of the hobby in the first part of the 20th century. The
Lieut. Colonel G.S.F. Napier compiled an index of the fourteen catalogues from the sales which was sold in aid of funds for the Royal Philatelic Society London.[15]
After the dismantling of Ferarry's collection, these stamps have never again been (and are unlikely to ever be) part of the same philatelic collection. In that respect, Ferrary's collection remains unique in the history of philately. Today, many of the rarest stamps extant on the philatelic market proudly bear an "ex-Ferrary" in their provenance, which tends to raise considerably their desirability and value.
Death and legacy
Ferrary died in Lausanne, 20 May 1917. He "suffered a fatal heart attack in a taxicab, reportedly returning from a visit with a local stamp dealer."[2] His last resting place, as "Philipp Arnold", is in Steinbach am Attersee, a village on Lake Attersee in the province of Upper Austria.[16] He had been a frequent visitor to the Attersee, where he bought a house in 1890, and had been a generous benefactor to the community in the guise of "a friend of Austria".[17]
Ferrary is featured on a 1968 stamp of Liechtenstein, 30 rp red brown, Scott no. 448, SG no. 496.
See also
- Buenos Aires 1859 1p "In Ps" tete-beche pair
References and sources
- References
- ^ a b c d e "Ferrari". Delcampe Philately. Magazine N°17 (November 2017): 10–17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The British Guiana One-Cent Black on Magenta". sothebys.com. Sotheby's. 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Philip Ferrari de La Renotière (PHD)". www.museumofphilately.com. Museum of Philately. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
- ^ "The Hotel Matignon". Embassy of France in Washington. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ^ fr:Philipp von Ferrary "Philipp la Renotière von Ferrary”, French Wikipedia (in French)
- ^ Dr. Stanley M. Bierman, "Philippe Von Ferrary, a Vast Fortune in Search of Stamps", The American Philatelist, Vol. 101, No. 12, Dec. 1987, p. 1145
- ^ "Ferrari". Delcampe Philately. Magazine N°17 (November 2017): 10–17.
- ^ Stamps: A Weekly Magazine of Philately. H.L. Lindquist. September 1932. p. 261.
Arthur Hind...became an American citizen in July, 1896
- ^ "Missionary Stamps". Mail and Postage Stamps of Nineteenth-Century Hawaii. Post Office in Paradise. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ^ Trussel, Steve. "The Hawaiian 'Missionary' Stamps". Stamps from the Kingdom of Hawaii. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ^ Nankivell, Edward J. (1902). Stamp Collecting as a Pastime – via Project Gutenberg.
- ^ "Ferrarities", Stamp Collecting, vol. 16, no. 14, 9 July 1921, p. 383.
- ^ "More on the Count Ferrari (sic) Collection", The E-Sylum, vol. 9, no. 26 (June 25, 2006).
- ^ David Feldman SA, Mauritius: Classic Postage Stamps and Postal History Switzerland (1993) pp. 10-17.
- ^ "Obituaries" in The London Philatelist, Vol. LI, February 1942, No. 602, p. 32.
- ^ de:Philipp von Ferrary German Wikipedia
- ^ AtterWiki - Philipp von Ferrary (in German)
- Sources
- František Žampach, "Pan Filatelista - Pan Filip de Ferrari", Japhila (in Czech)
- O. Gross, K. Gryżewsky - "Incursiune în lumea timbrelor". (Romanian translation, Ed. Albatros - Bucharest - 1983)
Further reading
- Die Ferrary-Auktionen: Paris 1921-1925, Zurich 1929. Stuttgart: Joachim Erhardt, 1987 c.1000p.
- Bohr, Peter J. Der Briefmarkenkonig: der Lebensroman Philipp Arnold von Ferraris. Vienna: Verlag Ludwig Helwig Prien/Chiemsee, 1982? 79p.
- Maassen, Wolfgang. Philippe de Ferrari, cet inconnu, collectionneur, philatéliste et philanthrope = The mysterious Philippe de Ferrari, collector, philatelist and philanthropist. Monaco: Le Musée des Timbres et des Monnaies de Monaco, 2017 ISBN 978-90-823987-1-7398p.