Sir William Beilby Avery (1854 – 28 October 1908) was a British philatelist who was entered on the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists

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 as one of the fathers of philately, and was the senior partner in W. & T. Avery

W & T Avery Ltd.

W & T Avery Ltd. is a British manufacturer of weighing machines. The company was founded in the early 18th century and took the name W & T Avery in 1818. Having been taken over by GEC in 1979 the company was later renamed into GEC-Avery. The company became Avery Berkel in 1993 when GEC acquired the...

, weighing machine makers of Birmingham.

Avery was the third son of W.H. Avery and was created a Baronet in 1905. He married twice, firstly to the daughter of Mr. Francis Bell, of London, from which marriage he had a son who succeeded to his title, and secondly to a daughter of M. Pierre Crets, of Paris. He maintained a house in the country at Oakley Court

Oakley Court

Oakley Court is a Victorian Gothic country house set in overlooking the River Thames at Water Oakley in the civil parish of Bray in the English county of Berkshire. It was built in 1859 and is currently a luxury hotel. It has been often used as a film location.-History:The Court was built in 1859...

, Windsor, and a house in town at Portland Place

Portland Place

Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...

, where he died.

Business career

Avery came from a successful business family prominent in Birmingham life. His uncle had been three times Mayor of the city.

Philately

Avery acquired the Bullock collection of Australia, which included many fine Sydney Views, and collections of West Indies and Western Australia from Charles Phillips

Charles James Phillips

Charles James Phillips , of London, England, and New York City, was a philatelist highly regarded in both England where he started his philatelic career and in the United States, where he emigrated to in 1922.-Philatelic activity in England:...

. He also owned a unique large unused block of the Swiss Double Geneva and had fine holdings of Moldavia and Nevis. With extensive buying in England and Europe, Avery built one of the finest collections of his day. The London stamp dealer W.H. Peckitt, bought Avery's collection in 1909 for £24,500.

Avery's most important pieces were unused one penny and two pence Post Office Mauritius stamps which he acquired in 1893.

In organised philately, Avery was President of the Birmingham Philatelic Society.

Further reading

• "Notable Philatelists - Sir William B. Avery" in The Philatelic Record, November 1905, pp. 233-34.
• "The Late Sir W. B. Avery" in The Stamp Lover, Vol. 1, No. 7, December 1908, p. 181.
• "Sir William Beilby Avery, Bart. A Collector of 19th Century Rarities" by Charles J. Phillips in Stamps, Vol. 5, No. 3, 21 October 1933, pp. 97-98.