John N. Luff
Encyclopedia
John Nicholas Luff of New York City
was one of the important philatelists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, notable as an early user of scientific methods in the study of postage stamp
s. The Luff Award
of the American Philatelic Society
is named after him.
. He moved to New York City
in 1893 with the intention of becoming a full-time stamp dealer, and the following year joined the Scott Stamp & Coin Company, at the time one of the largest dealers in the world. At Scott he headed the approval department, edited the American Journal of Philately, and co-edited the Scott catalog.
In 1896, he helped establish the Collectors Club of New York
, and was later its president for a number of years.
He became president of Scott in 1903, but moved to Stanley Gibbons in 1905, shortly after returning to Scott, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Luff had become perhaps the most prolific philatelic writer of the age, with works ranging from the tutorial What Philately Teaches Us (1899) to the classic reference work The Postage Stamps of the United States (1902), and numerous articles in the AJP and Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News.
In addition to building a US collection that won the gold medal at the Paris exhibition of 1900, Luff also collected Great Britain
, Shanghai
, Hawaii
, Japan
, and China
. But his most important collection was a reference collection
that he used as a basis for comparison when expertizing stamps at Scott. He sold the collection to Scott when he left in 1905; the collection was later donated to the Philatelic Foundation
, where it mostly still resides and is in use .
Luff was president of the American Philatelic Society
from 1907 to 1909. He was named to the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame
in 1941.
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was one of the important philatelists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, notable as an early user of scientific methods in the study of postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s. The Luff Award
Luff Award
The Luff Award is awarded by the American Philatelic Society for meritorious contributions to philately by living philatelists.-Established:...
of the American Philatelic Society
American Philatelic Society
The American Philatelic Society is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting and organization of philately in the world, with almost 44,000 members from 110 countries...
is named after him.
Philatelic career
He developed a serious interest in philately in 1890, and joined the Pacific Philatelic Society in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. He moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1893 with the intention of becoming a full-time stamp dealer, and the following year joined the Scott Stamp & Coin Company, at the time one of the largest dealers in the world. At Scott he headed the approval department, edited the American Journal of Philately, and co-edited the Scott catalog.
In 1896, he helped establish the Collectors Club of New York
Collectors Club of New York
The Collectors Club of New York, often referred to as the Collectors Club, is a private club and philatelic society in New York City. Founded in 1896, it is one of the oldest existing philatelic societies in the United States...
, and was later its president for a number of years.
He became president of Scott in 1903, but moved to Stanley Gibbons in 1905, shortly after returning to Scott, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Luff had become perhaps the most prolific philatelic writer of the age, with works ranging from the tutorial What Philately Teaches Us (1899) to the classic reference work The Postage Stamps of the United States (1902), and numerous articles in the AJP and Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News.
In addition to building a US collection that won the gold medal at the Paris exhibition of 1900, Luff also collected Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. But his most important collection was a reference collection
Reference collection
A reference collection is a collection of objects maintained for the purpose of study and authentication. Reference collections are generally large undertakings maintained by institutions; instead of having a single representative of each object, they will typically have multiples, so as to...
that he used as a basis for comparison when expertizing stamps at Scott. He sold the collection to Scott when he left in 1905; the collection was later donated to the Philatelic Foundation
Philatelic Foundation
The Philatelic Foundation is a philatelic organization granted a charter in 1945 by the University of the State of New York as a Nonprofit Educational Institution.-Location:...
, where it mostly still resides and is in use .
Luff was president of the American Philatelic Society
American Philatelic Society
The American Philatelic Society is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting and organization of philately in the world, with almost 44,000 members from 110 countries...
from 1907 to 1909. He was named to the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame
American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame
The American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame award honors deceased philatelists who have contributed significantly to the field of national and/or international philately.-History:...
in 1941.
The Luff reference collection
Mr. Luff's remarkable colleection of postage stamps of the world is described in detail in the Orange volume of The Stamp SpecialistThe Stamp Specialist
The Stamp Specialist is the title of a series of books on philatelic research written and edited for the advanced collector of postage stamps.-Format:Twenty books were issued between 1939 and 1948...
.
Books
- What Philately Teaches Us (1899)
- The Postage Stamps of the United States (1902)
- A Reference List of the Stamps of Panama (1905)