Arthur Hind (1856–1933), of

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

, was an English

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

and

philatelist Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...

Business interests

He lived on Maple Street in

, in the

Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, th ...

. He was owner of Hind-Harrison Plush Co. in

Clark Mills, New York Clark Mills is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,905 at the 2010 census. The community is located at the northeastern corner of the Town of Kirkland, west of the City of Utic ...

, which made

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

s for

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...

s. He emigrated to the United States from

Bradford, England Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 c ...

in 1890.

Philatelic activity

Hind formed an outstanding collection of stamps of the United States. Like

Thomas Tapling Thomas Keay Tapling (30 October 1855 – 11 April 1891) was an English businessman and politician. He played first-class cricket and was also an eminent philatelist who formed one of the greatest stamp collections of his era. Early life Taplin ...

, Hind poured the profits from his business into rare stamps, and soon acquired many of the world's greatest rarities. Among these were the Bordeaux Letter, which Roger Calves considered "le plat de résistance (main course) de toute la philatélie" or "the greatest item in all philately", purchased in 1922 from

Alfred F. Lichtenstein Alfred F. Lichtenstein (August 6, 1876 – February 24, 1947) was one of the most famous American philatelists. Biography Alfred Lichtenstein's classic stamp collections were one of the most complete, with a passion for stamps issued befor ...

. He also owned the two "Post Office" Mauritius stamps, both unused, purchased from Henry Duveen. At the

Ferrary 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 likely to exist. Amongst his extremely rare stamps w ...

sale, Hind purchased the One Cent Magenta British Guiana for a world-record price, as well as all of the best U.S. Postmasters' Provisionals. According to Alexander Séfi, because of his obsession with the "black on magenta," Hind (according to rumor) bought not only one of the stamps, but the other remaining one, and then destroyed one so that he would own the only one in the world. After Hind died, his American stamps were sold at auction for $247,000, in November 1933. The following February his nephew, F.J.M. Hinds, bought all the remaining stamps from the collection, preventing them from going to auction. He immediately transported them to England.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hind, Arthur 1856 births 1933 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople American investors American philatelists British emigrants to the United States