Robert A. Siegel (January 1, 1913 – December 3, 1993), of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, was an auctioneer of

philatelic 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 ...

material, particularly rare

postage stamp 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 ...

s and covers. The company he founded still exists and still bears his name.

Philatelic auctions

Siegel held his first philatelic auction in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. In 1934 he moved his philatelic auction business to New York City and eventually conducted 756 philatelic auctions during his lifetime. In 1964 he conducted his first Rarity Sale. Siegel's subsequent auctions included world-famous classic postage stamps. In 1970 and 1980, he sold the unique

British Guiana 1c magenta The British Guiana 1c magenta is regarded by many philatelists as the world's most famous rare stamp. It was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1856, and only one specimen is now known to exist. It is the only major po ...

, for record prices.

Philatelic activity

Siegel remained active in the

American Stamp Dealers Association The American Stamp Dealers Association (ASDA) is an international philatelic organization of stamp dealers. History ASDA was founded in 1914 as an association “dedicated to promoting integrity, honesty and reliability, and we are the hobby build ...

and served on its board for twelve years. As an expert on rarities, Siegel supported the

Philatelic Foundation The Philatelic Foundation is a philatelic organization granted a charter in 1945 by the University of the State of New York as a Nonprofit Educational Institution. Location The Philatelic Foundation is located at 341 West 38th Street, 5th Floor, ...

with his advice and support.

Honors and awards

Siegel received the Mortimer

Neinken Medal Mortimer L. Neinken (May 16, 1896 – November 14, 1984) of New York City, was a collector and student of classic United States postage stamps. He studied with Stanley Bryan Ashbrook, and extended some of the philatelic literature work of Ashbroo ...

in 1987 and was named Man of the Year by the

in 1990. He was named to the

American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame The American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame award honors deceased philatelists who have contributed significantly to the field of national and/or international philately. History The APS ''Hall of Fame'' award was founded at the 1940 American P ...

in 1994.

References

Robert A. Siegel

External links

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegel, Robert A. 1913 births 1993 deaths American stamp dealers American philatelists Businesspeople from New York City Philatelic auctioneers 20th-century American businesspeople American Philatelic Society

Philatelic auctions

Philatelic activity

Honors and awards

See also

References

External links