Alexander Berridge Kay (1879 – 4 December 1944) was the founder, with E.J. Bridger, of the
stamp dealers ''Bridger and Kay'' in 1897 or 1898 and a leading figure in the
Fiscal Philatelic Society
The Fiscal Philatelic Society (11 January 1902 – 1928) was an early twentieth-century British philatelic society that is seen as a predecessor to today's '' The Revenue Society''. The principal object of the society was the study of fiscal stamp ...
. In 1910, Kay identified used copies of the Italian forgery of the British grey-green Victorian 10 shilling stamp watermarked anchor and perforated 14. His letter to
The London Philatelist, published in November 1910, warned the
philatelic community of its existence.
Bridger & Kay
The firm of Bridger & Kay was formed in 1897 or 1898. Bridger and Kay had both been civil servants previously. Later, Bernard Leverton joined, and his son Allan Leverton in 1942. The firm was first located at 71 Fleet Street, London E.C., then Aldwych, moving to The Strand in 1938 and to Pall Mall in 1978 under Allan Leverton's stewardship. The firm continued until it went out of business in 1995. It was then purchased by the Bristol stamp dealer Steve Ellis.
[Birch, Brian. ''Biographies of Philatelists and Dealers''. 9th edition. Standish, Wigan: 2008, p.259.]
Organised philately
Kay was the founder Secretary, Treasurer and Exchange Superintendent of the ''Fiscal Philatelic Society'' in 1902
[''Bulletin of the Fiscal Philatelic Society: Vol.I-II, 1908-28''. London: The ]Cinderella Stamp Club
The Cinderella Stamp Club was founded on 5 June 1959 in London, England, and is an association of philatelists, amateur and professional, whose interests lie in local stamps, telegraph stamps, railway stamps, revenue stamps, fiscals, forgeries, bo ...
, 1980, p.iii. (Reprint of 1906 edition) continuing in those roles until the FPS amalgamated with the
International Philatelic Union The International Philatelic Union, formed 1881, was an early international philatelic organisation formed for the study of stamps and the promotion of philately generally.Rogers-Tillstone, Capt. B. ''The Royal Philatelic Society London 1869-1969''. ...
in 1920. The FPS proceedings record the numerous displays of stamps that he gave at FPS meetings. Kay also served on the
British Philatelic Association
The British Philatelic Association is an association of stamp dealers best known for the work of BPA Expertising Limited, a business that provides opinions on the genuineness or otherwise of philatelic items submitted to them. During the Second W ...
expert committee.
Legacy
In 1949, Kay's collection of British Colonial
Revenue stamps to about 1940 was donated to the British Museum by his children Miss Nora Kay and Mr Frank Kay. The collection is now part of the
British Library Philatelic Collections as the
Kay Collection.
The Kay Collection
, British Library Philatelic Collections. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
Publications
*''Priced Catalogue of British Colonial Adhesive Revenue, Telegraph, and Railway Stamps 1908'', Bridger & Kay, London, 1908.
*"Canadian Bill Stamps" in ''The Bulletin Of The Fiscal Philatelic Society'', Vol.II, No.7, pp. 63–70.
*"The Revenue Stamps of British Guiana" in ''The Bulletin Of The Fiscal Philatelic Society'', Vol.II, No.9, pp. 84–92.
References
External links
*http://www.bridgerkay.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, A.B.
British stamp dealers
British philatelists
1879 births
1944 deaths