Walter Dorning Beckton
Encyclopedia
Walter Dorning Beckton was a British philatelist who signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
in 1921. He was a Manchester Solicitor by profession in the firm of Hockin, Beckton & Hockin.
in 1931.
, watermark
, printing and perforation
. He was President of the Manchester Philatelic Society for thirty-five years consecutively. He joined The Royal Philatelic Society London in February 1892, eventually becoming President of that society from 1929 until his death in 1931. He was also Vice-President of the International Philatelic Union
. He wrote extensively on philately and was a regular contributor to the Philatelic Journal of Great Britain and other philatelic periodicals.
of over 900 volumes was donated to the Manchester public library in 1934 where it is still available as the Beckton Philatelic Library. His collection of Greece was auctioned by H.R. Harmer in two sales of 1935 and 1936.
Selected papers and articles reprinted from The London Philatelist
:
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...
in 1921. He was a Manchester Solicitor by profession in the firm of Hockin, Beckton & Hockin.
Collecting
Beckton began to collect stamps as a boy in 1879. Greece and Italy were two of his particular interests and in competitive philately he won medals for his Greece, Straits Settlements, Japan, British West Indies, and Romania. He won the Lindenberg MedalLindenberg Medal
The Lindenberg Medal is an award given to those who provide “conspicuous service to philately” because of their investigations and contributions to philatelic literature.It is considered by some as the Nobel Prize of Philately.- Origin :...
in 1931.
Organised philately
Beckton was one of the Manchester School of philately which advocated the scientific study of all aspects of stamp production including paperPostage stamp paper
Postage stamp paper is the foundation or substrate of the postage stamp to which the ink for the stamp's design is applied to one side and the adhesive is applied to the other...
, watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
, printing and perforation
Postage stamp separation
For postage stamps, separation is the means by which individual stamps are made easily detachable from each other.Methods of separation include:# perforation: cutting rows and columns of small holes...
. He was President of the Manchester Philatelic Society for thirty-five years consecutively. He joined The Royal Philatelic Society London in February 1892, eventually becoming President of that society from 1929 until his death in 1931. He was also Vice-President of the International Philatelic Union
International Philatelic Union
The International Philatelic Union, formed 1881, was an early international philatelic organisation formed for the study of stamps and the promotion of philately generally...
. He wrote extensively on philately and was a regular contributor to the Philatelic Journal of Great Britain and other philatelic periodicals.
Legacy
Beckton's death was unexpected, reportedly from "angina pectoris", over the night of 17-18th March 1931 while he was still President of The Royal. He did not marry and was survived by a sister and brother. His collection of philatelic literaturePhilatelic literature
Philatelic literature is written material relating to philately, primarily information about postage stamps and postal history- Background to philatelic literature :...
of over 900 volumes was donated to the Manchester public library in 1934 where it is still available as the Beckton Philatelic Library. His collection of Greece was auctioned by H.R. Harmer in two sales of 1935 and 1936.
Selected publications
- The Stamps of Greece. Plymouth: W. Brendon and Son, 1897. (with G. Duerst)
- Philatelic Nomenclature as Applicable to Lithographed Postage Stamps, 1928. (Paper given at the Philatelic Congress of Great BritainPhilatelic Congress of Great BritainEach year the Association of British Philatelic Societies holds a national congress, the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain.- History :The first Congress was held in 1909 in conjunction with a stamp exhibition at Hulme Town Hall in Manchester...
).
Selected papers and articles reprinted from The London Philatelist
The London Philatelist
The London Philatelist was first published in January 1892 and is the journal of the Royal Philatelic Society London.It is published ten times annually and includes coverage of worldwide philatelic and postal history topics...
:
- British Honduras: The Local Surcharges of January 1888. Plymouth: Mayflower Press, 1925.
- The Carlist Stamps of Spain & Further note on the reprints. c.1927.
- Italy - The 15 Centesimi of May 1863. 1928.
Further reading
- "In Memoriam. W. Dorning Beckton." in Gibbons Stamp MonthlyGibbons Stamp MonthlyGibbons Stamp Monthly is a leading British philatelic magazine which can trace its roots back to 1890. GSM is published by the famous stamps and collectables firm of Stanley Gibbons and each issue includes updates to their various catalogues....
, 1931. - Obituary by A.J.S in The Philatelic Journal of Great Britain, No. 483, March 1931, pp. 45-46.
