Major James Starr
Encyclopedia
Major James Starr of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, was one of the earliest philatelists
who collected, studied, and wrote on, stamps of China
.
. His collections on exhibit were famous and award winning. Co-authored with Samuel J. Mills, Starr wrote The Chinese Air-Post, 1920-1935, which was based on his own collection of Chinese postal history
. It was published around 1937.
in 1949.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, was one of the earliest philatelists
Philately
Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...
who collected, studied, and wrote on, stamps of China
Postage stamps and postal history of China
The history of the postage stamps and postal history of China is complicated by the gradual decay of Imperial China and the years of civil war and Japanese occupation in the 1930s and 1940s.- Imperial China :...
.
Collecting interests
Starr was particularly interested in studying the large Dragons of 1878-1883 as well as China’s air post issuesAerophilately
Aerophilately is the branch of philately that specializes in the study of airmail. Philatelists have observed the development of mail transport by air from its beginning, and all aspects of airmail service have been extensively studied and documented by specialists.- Scope :The scope of...
. His collections on exhibit were famous and award winning. Co-authored with Samuel J. Mills, Starr wrote The Chinese Air-Post, 1920-1935, which was based on his own collection of Chinese postal history
Postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems...
. It was published around 1937.
Philatelic activity
Starr was a member of the China Stamp Society, and he was serving as its president at the time he died.Honors and awards
He won numerous awards for his exhibits at national and international philatelic exhibitions. He signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1947 and was named to the American Philatelic Society Hall of FameAmerican 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:...
in 1949.