Robert Zoellner
Encyclopedia
Robert Zoellner is a stamp collector who achieved fame as the second person ever to have formed a complete collection of United States
postage stamp
s, after Benjamin K. Miller
who assembled a complete collection pre-1925. As of November 2005, one other person, William H. Gross, has also formed a complete collection of US postage stamps.
Like many, Zoellner collected stamps as a child and had attempted to fill the space of his US stamp album
. However, many US stamps are quite rare, and he eventually put the album aside. His interest was rekindled in 1984, and in 1985 he approached Scott Trepel of Siegel Auctions and asked whether it was possible to assemble a complete collection.
The answer is not straightforward, because for some of the rarest types only a few examples exist, and it is not always known where they are - the stamps may change hands in a private transaction and not be seen in public for decades. The rarest of all is the 1c Z grill
; of the two known examples, one is in the collection of the New York Public Library
, leaving only one for collectors. The availability of several other grills
also depended on the sale of certain collections.
Nevertheless, Zoellner had both the "means and the inclination" (to quote the Weill brothers), and in 1986 he was fortunate in that all of the major grill rarities were coming on the market. The 1c Z grill was bought in November 1986 for US$418,000, setting a new record for a US stamp.
In addition to singles of each type, Zoellner also bought strips, blocks, and covers
. Since the original album had no spaces for these, he moved to a system of computer-generated pages designed for the additional items.
By 1996, only a few spaces remained to be filled, and an invitation to exhibit the collection at Anphilex '96 had already been accepted, and there was a scramble to fill in the holes. The last to be acquired was the 30c gray black stamp of 1873, given as a gift by one of Zoellner's friends. The Anphilex exhibit generated great interest among US collectors; for the first time, one of them had actually realized the dream of a complete collection.
Having achieved his goal, Zoellner apparently lost interest in expanding or maintaining his collection, and on October 8–10, 1998, the entire collection was auctioned off. Siegel's auction catalog was a 391-page work that included extensive description and documentation of the items, many of which were the "finest known" of their type, and sold for prices well above their nominal values. The 1c Z grill went to Donald Sundman of Mystic Stamp Company
for US$935,000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s, after Benjamin K. Miller
Benjamin Miller Collection
The Benjamin K Miller Collection is a unique collection of stamps and other philatelic materials donated to The New York Public Library in 1925 by Milwaukee attorney Benjamin Kurtz Miller . This collection was the first complete collection of U.S. stamps ever assembled. His collection is known as...
who assembled a complete collection pre-1925. As of November 2005, one other person, William H. Gross, has also formed a complete collection of US postage stamps.
Like many, Zoellner collected stamps as a child and had attempted to fill the space of his US stamp album
Stamp album
A stamp album is a book, often loose-leafed , in which a collection of postage stamps may be stored and displayed.- Overview :...
. However, many US stamps are quite rare, and he eventually put the album aside. His interest was rekindled in 1984, and in 1985 he approached Scott Trepel of Siegel Auctions and asked whether it was possible to assemble a complete collection.
The answer is not straightforward, because for some of the rarest types only a few examples exist, and it is not always known where they are - the stamps may change hands in a private transaction and not be seen in public for decades. The rarest of all is the 1c Z grill
Z Grill
The Benjamin Franklin Z Grill, or simply "Z-Grill", is a 1-cent postage stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in February 1868 depicting Benjamin Franklin. While stamps of this design were the common 1-cent stamps of the 1860s, the Z-Grill is distinguished by having the so-called "Z"...
; of the two known examples, one is in the collection of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, leaving only one for collectors. The availability of several other grills
Grill (philately)
A grill on a postage stamp is an embossed pattern of small indentations intended to discourage postage stamp reuse. They were supposed to work by allowing the ink of the cancellation to be absorbed more readily by the fibers of the stamp paper, making it harder to wash off the cancellation.- In the...
also depended on the sale of certain collections.
Nevertheless, Zoellner had both the "means and the inclination" (to quote the Weill brothers), and in 1986 he was fortunate in that all of the major grill rarities were coming on the market. The 1c Z grill was bought in November 1986 for US$418,000, setting a new record for a US stamp.
In addition to singles of each type, Zoellner also bought strips, blocks, and covers
Cover (philately)
In philately, the term cover pertains to the outside of an envelope or package with an address, typically with postage stamps that have been cancelled and is a term generally used among stamp and postal history collectors. The term does not include the contents of the letter or package, although...
. Since the original album had no spaces for these, he moved to a system of computer-generated pages designed for the additional items.
By 1996, only a few spaces remained to be filled, and an invitation to exhibit the collection at Anphilex '96 had already been accepted, and there was a scramble to fill in the holes. The last to be acquired was the 30c gray black stamp of 1873, given as a gift by one of Zoellner's friends. The Anphilex exhibit generated great interest among US collectors; for the first time, one of them had actually realized the dream of a complete collection.
Having achieved his goal, Zoellner apparently lost interest in expanding or maintaining his collection, and on October 8–10, 1998, the entire collection was auctioned off. Siegel's auction catalog was a 391-page work that included extensive description and documentation of the items, many of which were the "finest known" of their type, and sold for prices well above their nominal values. The 1c Z grill went to Donald Sundman of Mystic Stamp Company
Mystic Stamp Company
The Mystic Stamp Company, based in Camden, New York, since 1923, is a mail-order postage stamp dealer, one of the largest in operation and notable for both its promotion of stamp collecting as a hobby and for its acquisition of the Z Grill, the rarest United States stamp...
for US$935,000.