Harry L. Lindquist

Harry L. Lindquist
1884-1978

The commercial side of philately has been blessed with some utterly stellar leadership over the decades, and many of its greats are fondly remembered by most of us. But it is rare when someone who passed away many years ago is not only well remembered, but whose impact on the hobby is still felt today—and in dramatic fashion

Such is Harry L. Lindquist, the consummate philatelist, writer and editor who entered the commercial realm of stamp collecting in 1932 when he unveiled his amazing STAMPS Magazine. Imagine! The country was in the depths of the Great Depression and this man launches a new stamp magazine. Did it succeed? Yes—and in a huge way. By the middle of the decade, it had vaulted to the Number One position among American stamp magazines—and held that position for years afterward.

Over the nearly four decades after STAMPS was founded, Lindquist published countless major books in philately, including Lester Brookman’s United States Postage Stamps of the 19th Century, and the 20-volume Stamp Specialist series, a set of hardbound books containing major scholarly mongraphs of countless aspects of philately.

Lindquist was born in Wisconsin, moved at a young age to Chicago and edited his own short-lived fl edgling magazine there in the 1910s as well as being very active in the  Chicago Philatelic Society. In the early 1920s he moved to New York City and became the founding editor of The Collectors Club Philatelist. It was in that role that he developed lasting friendships with numerous major philatelists—most of whom helped him fi nancially when he started STAMPS. In its early days, indquist’s STAMPS actually made its readers “partners” or “stockholders” in his publishing venture.

In his decades of philatelic leadership, Lindquist served as chairman or honorary chairman of America’s international stamp shows (like FIPEX in 19 6), founded and headed the National Federation of Stamp Clubs, was an offi cer of the Collectors Club, and personal friend of thousands of dealers and collectors. His devotion to stamp collecting and his infl uence in it in all its forms are still legendary.