Charles Viner
Encyclopedia
Charles William Viner A.M., Ph.D., (1812 – 1906) was a British philatelist who was a founding member of the Philatelic Society, London, later to become the Royal Philatelic Society London, and who was present at the initial meeting of the society on 10 April 1869. His obituary in The London Philatelist referred to him as the "Father of Philately" and elsewhere he was described as the vieille garde (old guard) of philately having been actively collecting and writing about stamps since 1860. In 1921 he was entered on the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
as one of the founding Fathers of philately.
, Viner first became interested in stamp collecting in about 1855 when a lady friend asked him to help her compile a chart representative of the stamps of the world, but Viner did not start his own collection until 1860. Viner was quoted as saying in 1889: "I remember counting my stamps with much glee when they reached a hundred." and "I saw some collections with two or three hundred and heard of one with five hundred. Cancelled specimens were principally seen; but I can recall one collection rich in unused Naples, Sicily, Tuscany and other Italian States purchased at their several post-offices by a young traveller."
in compiling his catalogue and edited Stamp Collector's Magazine for four years from 1863 where supplements to Brown's catalogue were published and which included numerous contributions by Viner. The pages of the managazine contain a number of spirited but good-humoured exchanges between Viner and Adelaide Lucy Fenton
, another early philatelist.
Viner translated and published J.B. Moen
's Postage Stamps Illustrated - A General Nomenclature of Every Postage Stamp and Facsimiles of All Types issued up to the present time in the Different Countries of the World 1840-1864. In 1865 Viner became compiler of Edward Oppen's
Postage Stamp Album and Catalogue and produced 24 editions up to 1891. He was also the Editor of The Philatelist between 1866 and 1876.
Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists is a philatelic award of international scale, created by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in 1921...
as one of the founding Fathers of philately.
Early days
According to Fred MelvilleFred Melville
Frederick John Melville was a British philatelist, prolific philatelic author and founder of The Junior Philatelic Society. He was also a founder in 1907 of the Philatelic Literature Society...
, Viner first became interested in stamp collecting in about 1855 when a lady friend asked him to help her compile a chart representative of the stamps of the world, but Viner did not start his own collection until 1860. Viner was quoted as saying in 1889: "I remember counting my stamps with much glee when they reached a hundred." and "I saw some collections with two or three hundred and heard of one with five hundred. Cancelled specimens were principally seen; but I can recall one collection rich in unused Naples, Sicily, Tuscany and other Italian States purchased at their several post-offices by a young traveller."
Philatelic literature
Viner assisted Mount BrownMount Brown (philatelist)
Mount Brown was an early British philatelist and the compiler of only the second published stamp catalogue in the English language...
in compiling his catalogue and edited Stamp Collector's Magazine for four years from 1863 where supplements to Brown's catalogue were published and which included numerous contributions by Viner. The pages of the managazine contain a number of spirited but good-humoured exchanges between Viner and Adelaide Lucy Fenton
Adelaide Lucy Fenton
Adelaide Lucy Fenton was an early female philatelist and philatelic journalist who was among the first to adopt a scientific approach to philately...
, another early philatelist.
Viner translated and published J.B. Moen
Jean-Baptiste Moëns
Jean-Baptiste Philippe Constant Moens was a Belgian philatelist recognized as the first dealer in stamps for collectors. He was one of the original philatelic journalists.- Youth :...
's Postage Stamps Illustrated - A General Nomenclature of Every Postage Stamp and Facsimiles of All Types issued up to the present time in the Different Countries of the World 1840-1864. In 1865 Viner became compiler of Edward Oppen's
Edward A. Oppen
Edward A. Oppen was the creator of one of the first stamp catalogues in English as well as the author of a number of foreign language textbooks. In a stamp collecting journal, he was described as a "...classical teacher".-The Postage Stamp Album and Catalogue:...
Postage Stamp Album and Catalogue and produced 24 editions up to 1891. He was also the Editor of The Philatelist between 1866 and 1876.