Arthur Hind of Utica, New York

Utica, New York

Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....

, was an American textile

Textile

A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

 industrialist and philatelist.

Business interests

He lived on Maple Street in Utica, New York

Utica, New York

Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....

, in the Mohawk Valley

Mohawk Valley

The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....

. He was owner of Hind-Harrison Plush Co. in Clark Mills, New York

Clark Mills, New York

Clark Mills is a hamlet in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,424 at the 2000 census.The community is located at the northeastern corner of the Town of Kirkland, west of the City of Utica.- History :...

, which made upholstery

Upholstery

Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word upholstery comes from the Middle English word upholder, which referred to a tradesman who held up his goods. The term is equally applicable to domestic,...

 fabric

Fabric

A fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...

s for automobile

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 manufacturers. He came to the United States from Bradford, England in 1890.

Philatelic activity

Hind formed an outstanding collection of stamps of the United States. Like Thomas Tapling

Thomas Tapling

Thomas Keay Tapling was an English businessman and politician. He played first class cricket and was also an eminent philatelist who formed one of the greatest stamp collections of his era.- Early life :...

, Hind poured the profits from his business into rare stamps, and soon acquired many of the world's greatest rarities. Among these were the Bordeaux Letter, which Roger Calves considered "la pièce de résistance de toute la philatélie" or "the greatest item in all philately", purchased in 1922 from Alfred F. Lichtenstein

Alfred Lichtenstein (philatelist)

Alfred F. Lichtenstein was one of the most famous American philatelists.- Biography :Alfred Lichtenstein's classic stamp collections were one of the most complete, with a passion for stamps issued before 1870...

. He also owned the two "Post Office" Mauritius stamps, both unused, purchased from Henry Duveen

Duveen Brothers

The Duveen Brothers, Joseph Joel Duveen and Henry J. Duveen , were notable art dealers in London, Paris, and New York from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. They brought to America high quality old master paintings and decorative arts from the great private collections in...

. At the Ferrary sale, Hind purchased the One Cent Magenta British Guiana

British Guiana 1c magenta

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

 for a world-record price, as well as all of the best U.S. Postmasters' Provisionals.

Biography

• Séfi, A. J., "Obituary. A Short Memoir of Mr Arthur Hind", Philatelic Journal of Great Britain, vol. 43, no. 507 (March 1933), pp. 46–47. Because of his obsession with the "black on magenta," Hind (according to rumor) bought not only one of the stamps, but the other remaining one, and then destroyed one so that he would own the only one in the world...