Eugene Klein (philatelist)
{{Short description|American philatelist (1878–1944)}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = Eugene Klein.gif
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = June 26, 1878
| birth_place = Hungary
| death_date = {{death-date and age|April 30, 1944|June 26, 1878}}
| death_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| nationality = American
| other_names =
| occupation = Stamp dealer
Stamp collector
Auctioneer
| years_active = 1911-1944
| known_for = American Philatelic Society president 1935-1937
APS Hall of Fame
Person who bought the "Inverted Jenny" sheet of 24-cent inverted airmail stamps
| notable_works =
}}
Eugene Klein (June 26, 1878 – April 30, 1944) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an internationally known stamp collector, stamp dealer, and auctioneer who was president of the American Philatelic Society from 1935 to 1937.{{cite web |url=http://stamps.org/HOF-1942#Klein |title=American Philatelic Society - Hall of Fame - 1942-1945 |publisher=American Philatelic Society |accessdate=2015-01-17 }}Byrnes, Robert D. "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/370444455/ Philately]." Hartford Connecticut: Hartford Courant, October 11, 1936, p. E2 (subscription required)."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/171441387/ Klein Auction Saturday]." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 7, 1942, p. 20 (subscription required).
Formative years
Born in Hungary on June 26, 1878, Klein was educated in Budapest and Vienna. As a youth, he developed an interest in philately."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/171525459/ Eugene Klein, Philatelist, Dies]." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 1, 1944, p. 7 (subscription required).
Philatelic activity
Klein was the official expert of the American Philatelic Society from 1911 to 1931 and its international secretary from 1928 to 1935 and 1937 to 1944."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/864759296/ Stamps]." Washington, D.C.: Evening Star, August 11, 1935, p. B6 (subscription required). He also served as president (1935–1937) and international secretary again from 1937 until his death. He authored the 1940 book United States Waterway Packetmarks: Handstamped and Printed Names of Mail-Carrying Steamboats on the United States of America Inland and Coastal Waters, 1832-1899, called a seminal work by the American Philatelic Society, (APS), in a highly-collectable area.
His customers included King George V of Great Britain and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/171551468/ Stamp Collector Leaves $50,000]." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 12, 1944, p. 27 (subscription required).
=Honors and awards=
File:US Airmail inverted Jenny 24c 1918 issue.jpg Eugene Klein was inducted into the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 1944.
=Inverted Jenny=
Klein is remembered as the dealer who bought the sheet of the 24-cent Inverted Jenny 1918 United States air mail stamps from its finder, William T. Robey.Panaritis, Maria. "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/201172758/ 'Inverts' Investing]." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 18, 2007, pp. C1, C8 (subscription required).Guarino, Ben. "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/444612340/ Lost 'Jenny' Finally Lands]." Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston Globe, June 4, 2016, p. A6 (subscription required).Healey, Barth. "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/533063499/ Stamps: Jennies sell for $1 million]." Pittsfield, Massachusetts: The Berkshire Eagle, October 29, 1988, p. F4 (subscription required).
Illness and death
In poor health during his final months, Klein died at the age of sixty-five at the Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia on April 30, 1944."Eugene Klein, Philatelist, Dies," The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 1, 1944.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.pbbooks.com/apci.htm Eugene Klein writings]
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Category:American philatelists
Category:American stamp dealers
Category:People from Philadelphia