John Easton (philatelist)
Encyclopedia
John Easton was a printer and distinguished philatelic author who signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
in 1960.
from the Royal Philatelic Society London in 1958, and with Arnold M. Strange he edited Perkins Bacon
Records based on the work of Percy de Worms
.
The London printing works of De La Rue
were destroyed on the night of 29 December 1940 during a World War II
air raid
. The Day Books and Correspondence Books of the firm survived however and after the war the Royal Philatelic Society London was granted access to the records in order to compile a philatelic history of the first fifty years of De La Rue. John Easton, with assistance from the firm, converted those records into The De la Rue History of British and Foreign Postage Stamps 1855 to 1901 with each transaction at the firm described in the order in which it was entered in the company's books. His work has become an essential reference for philatelists interested in stamps of the nineteenth century.
His re-working of Melville's Postage Stamps in the Making, however, has been criticised for containing serious errors in describing processes.
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 1960.
Works
Easton wrote The De La Rue History of British and Foreign Postage Stamps 1855-1901 for which he received the Crawford MedalCrawford Medal
The Crawford Medal is a vermeil medal awarded by the Royal Philatelic Society London for the most valuable and original contribution to the study and knowledge of philately published in book form during the relevant period....
from the Royal Philatelic Society London in 1958, and with Arnold M. Strange he edited Perkins Bacon
Perkins Bacon
Messrs. Perkins, Bacon & Co was a printer of books, bank notes and postage stamps, most notable for printing the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamps, in 1840.- Origins :...
Records based on the work of Percy de Worms
Percy de Worms
Percy George de Worms was an eminent British philatelist who was admitted to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1928.- Philatelic life :...
.
The London printing works of De La Rue
De La Rue
De La Rue plc is a British security printing, papermaking and cash handling systems company headquartered in Basingstoke, Hampshire. It also has a factory on the Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, and other facilities at Loughton, Essex and Bathford, Somerset...
were destroyed on the night of 29 December 1940 during a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
air raid
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
. The Day Books and Correspondence Books of the firm survived however and after the war the Royal Philatelic Society London was granted access to the records in order to compile a philatelic history of the first fifty years of De La Rue. John Easton, with assistance from the firm, converted those records into The De la Rue History of British and Foreign Postage Stamps 1855 to 1901 with each transaction at the firm described in the order in which it was entered in the company's books. His work has become an essential reference for philatelists interested in stamps of the nineteenth century.
His re-working of Melville's Postage Stamps in the Making, however, has been criticised for containing serious errors in describing processes.
Selected publications
- British Postage Stamp Design, Faber & Faber Ltd., London, 1943.
- Postage Stamps in the Making: rewritten and completed by John Easton, Faber & Faber Ltd., London, 1949. (A revision of Fred MelvilleFred MelvilleFrederick John Melville was a British philatelist, prolific philatelic author and founder of The Junior Philatelic Society. He was also a founder in 1907 of the Philatelic Literature Society...
's book of the same name) - Perkins Bacon Records, 1953. (Editor with Arnold M. Strange).
- The De La Rue History of British and Foreign Postage Stamps 1855-1901, Faber & Faber, 1958.
- The Postage Stamps of Great Britain, Part III, revised edition, 1964. (Editor with K.M. Beaumont)
- "The Perkins Bacon Engraving Books 1899 to 1935: Newfoundland." in The London PhilatelistThe London PhilatelistThe 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...
, Vol.73, No.855, pp.44-48. (and many similar articles) - The Postage Stamps of Great Britain Part I, J.B. SeymourJames Benjamin SeymourJames Benjamin Seymour , of Great Britain, was a philatelist who created an award winning collection, and who wrote some of the key works in British philately.-Collecting interests:...
and Clive Gardiner-Hill, third edition, Royal Philatelic Society London, 1967. (Editor with K.M. Beaumont)