Picture and signature of Morris Giwelb c

Morris Giwelb (1853 – March 1937)"Morris Giwelb" by Cyril Permutt in ''Philatelic Paraphernalia'', No. 23/24, April/July 1990, pp. 333-334. was a British stamp dealer, originally from the Province of Warsaw in Russian Poland, who, in his prime, became one of the most important dealers in the great rarities of

philately 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 poss ...

. He emigrated to England in 1882 and became a naturalized British citizen in 1887."The Naturalization Act, 1870."
in ''The London Gazette'', 1 July 1887, p. 3567. Giwelb was noted for his genial and unassuming nature which contrasted with the rarity of the material in which he dealt. He owned a modest shop in

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester ...

and later the Strand, before eventually retiring to Brighton with his wife Natalie. Giwelb was responsible for the unmasking of the forger Dr. Bernhardt Assmus, after he bought forged

Penny Black VR A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

official stamps from Assmus.Birch, Brian. (2012)
Biographies of Philatelists and Dealers
''. 12th edition. Standish, Wigan: Brian Birch, p. 880. He accompanied the police on a visit to Assmus' premises at 12 Church Street, Islington, and assisted them at Vine Street Police Station in sorting the seized material. His wife was Natalie Giwelb.

References

Further reading