Michael Richard Sefi

LVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(born 11 December 1943) is 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 ...

and was the Keeper of the

Royal Philatelic Collection The Royal Philatelic Collection is the postage stamp collection of the British royal family. It is the most comprehensive collection of items related to the philately of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth, with many unique pieces. ...

from 1 January 2003.

Life

Sefi was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. When he was a child, his grandfather introduced him to

stamp collecting Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is an area of philately, which is the study (or combined study and collection) of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth ...

. He began collecting stamps again in his early thirties when his own children received stamps and stamp albums as a giftCourtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps'', page 310. and while he was looking for a hobby to ease the stress from the Mann Judd and Touche Ross merger. He specialized in collecting the first

postage stamps A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

's reign. He worked as a chartered accountant until he partially retired in 1983. He was a partner of Mann Judd, later Touche Ross, ater Deloittein the 1970s.Interview on 15 October 2004
''The Chronicle'', journal of the Great Britain Collectors Club, January 2005

/ref> He became an active member of the Great Britain Philatelic Society of which he was president between 2000/02 and 2012/14. Sefi was a member of Council 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 ...

between 1990 and 2005 where he was a member of many decision-making bodies. In September 1996, he was hired as deputy to the Keeper of the

, who was Charles Goodwyn. He helped him accelerate the mounting of the

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

postage stamp collection. Sefi participated in international philatelic exhibitions of parts of the Royal Philatelic Collection and in welcoming students and researchers. He played a major role in the move of the collection from

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...

in 1999. When Charles Goodwyn announced his retirement in late 2002, Sefi was chosen to succeed him among three other candidates by the

Keeper of the Privy Purse The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingd ...

.Courtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps'', page 312. He retired as Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection in September 2018. He directed the preparations of ''The Queen's Own'', a Royal Collection exhibit at the

National Postal Museum The National Postal Museum, located opposite Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States, covers large portions of the Postal history of the United States and other countries. It was established through joint agreement between the United S ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, which was held in 2004.''The Queen's Own''

, official website. To assist Sefi, he had the help of Surésh Dhargalkar, an architect and conservation specialist, who was Sefi's assistant from 2003.Courtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps'', pages 308–309. To help him for the mounting, he hired George VI specialist, Rod Vousden, as assistant.Courtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps'', page 313.

Honours

* Sefi was appointed

Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(LVO) in the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours List. * In 2016 He received the Queen Elizabeth II Version of the

Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal is a civil decoration awarded by the British monarch to servants of the royal household for long and faithful service. History The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal was establish ...

for 20 years of service to the British Royal Family.

References and sources

;References ;Sources * Courtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps, The Authorised History of the

'', éd. Methuen, 2004, .

External links

* "In the Spotlight", interview of Sefi by Larry Rosenblum on 15 October 2004. Published in ''The Chronicle'', journal of the Great Britain Collectors Club, January 2005
Reedited on the GBCC website
28 May 2005, retrieved 20 December 2007. * Sefi, Michael.
A Collector's Tale
,

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...

website, retrieved 20 December 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sefi, Michael British philatelists Living people 1943 births English accountants Fellows of the Royal Philatelic Society London Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order