Andy Bowden is the latest addition to our 1818 Auctioneers team. Andy joined the team in December 2022 and will be working out of our salerooms on the Cumbria/Lancashire border. He is the new stamp specialist.
Saleroom Manager, Bill Nelson says,
“As a member of the PTS (International Philatelic Traders Society), Andy is well-placed to offer excellent advice on selling stamps at auction. It’s that depth of knowledge that our customers really trust and value so we are thrilled to have Andy on board and working alongside our growing auction house team.”
Andy’s experience in the trade is accompanied by a personal passion for philately – and his knowledge goes right back to where it all started:
“Stamp collectors often refer to themselves as philatelists, but what are the origins of the word?
“Well, its origins go back to the 1860s when the phrase was coined by Frenchman Georges Herpin ‘philatélie’ – from the Greek word ‘Philo’ which means loving, and ‘ateleia’ which means ‘that which is tax-free’.
“This references the original function of stamps. Previously the recipient would pay the cost of the letter being carried, however, a stamp on an envelope indicated that the carriage had been paid for or the envelope was being delivered to the recipient tax- or carriage-free.
“Philately is certainly better than some of the other names bandied around in the 1860s, such as ‘stampomania’!” concludes Andy.
Whether he’s officially a stampomaniac or a philatelist, Andy will be overseeing our six specialist stamp auctions this year. They include a two-part auction that showcases a single-owner collection of Graf Zeppelin Covers. The catalogues for the two-parter will be live online from March 9th and 16th.