At the American Philatelic Research Library (APRL) the most common resources used or cited by researchers when consulting the library are often either books or journals. The book collection on the first floor of the public space with over 32,000 titles and the journal collection on the second floor of the public space with over 5,000 titles comprises the vast majority of resources in the library collection. But in the over 92,000 individual items in the APRL’s holdings there is a small yet no less resourceful collection of materials that are a subset of the APRL’s vast collection of auctions catalogs, that being name sale catalogs.
Name sale catalogs or just name sales, as the title suggests, are auction catalogs in which a particular or noteworthy collection is up for sale and the auction house has designated the sale by using the collector or the collection’s name. One of the most famous early name sales was the renowned Philipp La Rénotière von Ferrary Collection in the early 1920s.
Philipp La Rénotière von Ferrary and one of the April 1922 Ferrary Name Sale Catalogs
As the popularity of name sales grew some collectors even began collecting all of the catalogs from the sale of a notable collection. The 1960s Maurice Burrus Collection with its over 70 individual catalogs may still be the most extensive and collectible name sale in the history philatelic commerce.
Pages from Burrus Name Sale Catalog for Italian States, December 1964
Regarding their research value, because of the nature of name sales and their specificity to a particular collector or type of collection, many philatelists and researchers find these catalogs to be an excellent resource relating to their specific collecting interests. To that end there are a wealth of name sales in the library’s holdings that touch on seemingly every collecting corner of the hobby including airmail, railroad and maritime mail, Civil War, U.S. Classics, local posts, provisionals and revenues to name a few for U.S. collectors. As collectors know there is no limit to the types of material that people collect and in turn name sale catalogs reflect this diversity as well.
Robert Markovits February 2004 Name Sale of U.S. Officials
Currently in the APRL’s name sales collection there are more than 2,800 specialized catalogs that deal with a distinct collector or collection. Among the more prominent name sales for U.S. collectors in the APRL collection are the Honolulu Advertiser Collection of Hawaiian stamps and postal history (Siegel Auctions, 1995), the Robert Markovits Collections of U.S. Officials and Special Delivery Issues (Matthew Bennett Auctions, 2004 and Schuyler J. Rumsey Auctions, 2016), the Guido Craveri Collection of the 1847 U.S. issue (Matthew Bennett Auctions, 2003) and most recently the extensive series of William H. Gross sales (Robert A. Siegel).
William H. Gross Multiples Name Sale, May 2019 (listings include provenance)
For the library patron names sales are an incredible resource beyond the usual listing and valuing of particular noteworthy items in an auction sale. In many cases name sales, like auction catalogs, are often the best resource for an image of a specific item (often in color with more recent catalogs), a detailed description of that item and its current market value at the time of the auction (many auction catalogs and name sales in the APRL collection include prices realized sheets). Name sales also afford the researcher the ability to track the provenance of a particular item. Probably the greatest research value found with names sales is that often items found in these specialized catalogs represent the only place that these items are publicly noted, described and depicted since many are only found in private collections.
In order to access the names sales in the holdings of the APRL you can contact the library at [email protected] or search for them directly using the David Straight Memorial Philatelic Union Catalog.