William Beilby Avery

Post Office Mauritius stamps of the type owned by Avery.

Sir William Beilby Avery, 1st Baronet (26 April 1854 – 28 October 1908^[1]) was a British philatelist who was entered on the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1921 as one of the fathers of philately, and was the senior partner in W. & T. Avery, weighing machine makers of Birmingham.^[2]

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, Windsor, and a house in town at Portland Place, where he died.^[1]

Business career

Avery came from a successful business family prominent in Birmingham life. His uncle had been three times Mayor of the city.^[1][3]

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. 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.^[1] The London stamp dealer W.H. Peckitt, bought Avery's collection in 1909 for £24,500.^[2]

Avery's most important pieces were unused one penny and two pence Post Office Mauritius stamps which he acquired in 1893.^[4]

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

References

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.