Who's who in stamp collecting? 

The following are famous stamp collectors and enthusiasts who have made stamp collecting their living breathing and walking life. 

Carl Pelander

He was a man from New York City who lived from the years 1893 to 1966.  His expertise was Scandinavian stamps as he has collected such items when he was still young.  It was in the year 1937 when he began to deal and auction stamps.  Since then he has held 130 auctions from the year 1940 up to the year 1963.  The stamps he usually dealt with were from Scandinavia, of which the collection from Agathon Faberge' was included as well as from Caroline Cromwell. 

Believe it or not, he was also the one responsible for selling the famous US collection of Ferrars H Tows.

Thanks to his expertise, a book was published entitled The Postal Issues of Finland.  He was also able to produce a check list of stamps that included those that come from Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Finland, and West Indies, Sweden. 

Pelander was also able to form the Stamp Club of those who are Finnish and American during 1935.  The club is now known as the Scandinavian Collectors Club. 

Pelander edited the journal the club produced, The Posthorn from 1943 to 1949 and even financially helped the club out during trying times.

Philip Ward Jr

He was a man from Philadelphia who was most known to buy and sell great and rare stamps.  A lot of auctions were conducted by him wherein amazing materials were available from a series of valuable collections. 

His most famous collections were stamps from US that were unused, letters from presidents, autographs from presidents, the history of Philadelphia post, etc.

Another of his most famous collection was the US Revenues wherein it contained a set of complete centers that are inverted. Unbelievably, he also had a collection of stamps called Match and Medicine. 

William W Hicks

Hicks was from Pennsylvania, and specialized in three-cent US stamps issued in the years 1851 up to 1857.  He founded the three cent unit.  William Hicks built the largest as well as complete collection of railroad cancels from the US during his time. 

George Ward Linn

He was a man from Ohio who was most famous for his weekly stamp news issued on November 5 1928.  Since when he was young, he was able to edit and publish journals on philately including monographs until his retirement in the year 1965.

Linn was the son of a publisher and a printer.  During his active stamp collecting life, he also auctioned off some stamps.  He was also interested in the literature of philately that in 1902 he also came out with the Philatelic Literature. 

George Linn supported a lot of stamp clubs and societies beginning with the Club of the Columbus Philatelic.  He was also the one responsible for making Ohio the one location where the American Philatelic Association holds its convention. 

Harry Weiss

He was a man from Illinois and was considered the most read columnist in philately during his time.

He regularly wrote a column which provided tips, stories on the hobby of stamp collecting. 
During 1946, he organized the Laboratory of the Midwest Philately wherein it offered a lot of services to stamp collectors as well as estates on stamp appraisals, mounting, and other expert information.

Louise Boyd Dale

She is considered by America as its most distinguished stamp collector.  Her love for philately began early on in her life thanks to the influence of her father, whom she also considered as her mentor.

There were many collections that she built, specifically those from Asia and British Africa.  Most of her collections were put under the foundation of her daughter, Anne Boyd Lichtenstein.  Now, these are available to stamp collectors and students to further support research on philately.

It was in 1956 wherein she was the first ever woman appointed to be a judge in the exhibition of international philately, also called as FIPEX.

In the same year, she also became the first woman from America to provide her signature in the list of distinguished philatelists.  Four years later, she was included and appointed to the International Stamp Exhibition in London. 

All in all, stamp collecting requires no special skill or talent just a passionate love if not a healthy obsession for stamps.