Herbert Charles Vassall Adams (16 December 1873 – 1 July 1955) was a British
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 ...
who was added to the
Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) is a Philately, philatelic award of international scale, created by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in 1921. The Roll consists of five pieces of parchment to which the signatories add their n ...
Association of British Philatelic Societies
The Association of British Philatelic Societies, commonly known as the ''ABPS'', is the British national association of philatelic societies, regional philatelic federations, and specialist philatelic societies.Archived here. /ref>
Adams was an expert on the early postage stamps of Great Britain and a Vice-President of the
Royal Philatelic Society London
The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as ''The Philatelic Society, London''. The society runs a postal museum, the Spear Museum of Philatelic History, at its he ...
.
He died in a motor accident. In addition to paying tribute to his philatelic abilities, Adams was described by his long-time collaborator K.M. Beaumont in ''
The London Philatelist
''The London Philatelist'' was first published in January 1892 by
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
might have been thinking when he wrote ''si fractus illabatur orbis, impavidum ferient ruinae''. He was a great little man whose place in the councils and hearts of the Members of the Society it will not be possible to fill.""Mr. H.C.V. Adams", K.M. Beaumont, ''The London Philatelist'', Vol. 64, No. 753-4, Aug.-Sept. 1955, p. 157.