AnIntroductiontoAdvancedPhilately-AlexanderJosephSefi

While going through Vol. 30 No. 3 (3rdQuarter 1981) of Philatelic LiteratureReview I came across the notedbibliophile William Hagan’s regularcolumnPhilatelicLiteraturePriceTrends;thisparticular issue’s columndealswith,amongst other things, A.J. Sefi’smasterpieceAn Introduction toAdvancedPhilately. 1 Hagan describes the firstedition aswell as the “Ordinary” secondedition;but sincehedidnothaveaccessto the ‘De Luxe’ version of the secondeditionhedoesnot cover it.Heendshispiece saying, “If someonewill lendor sellmethiseditionI’lldescribeit.”Being fortunate in possessing a copy ofthe‘DeLuxe’edition,Iwill,inthisarticle,describe it. However before doing so, Iwould like to give a brief background ofthis book especially to readers who donothaveaccesstoSefi’sbook.

The title of the book can be a bitmisleading especially if one expects thebook to erudite on stamp collecting andits processes, famous stamps etc. Ratherthe author adopts the method of“…explaining and illustrating thecharacteristics of stamps produced bydifferent processes”. He takes one singledesignandshowshowitisreproducedbydifferent processes (line engraving,1The full title of the book is An Introduction toAdvanced Philately: With Special Reference toTypicalMethodsofStampProduction.

lithography, and surface pricing in thefirst edition and additionallyphotogravure in the second) and howthese processes affects its appearanceand what abnormalities could occurduring the manufacture of the printingsurface, or during the actual printing ofthestamp.The first edition of Sefi’s book waspublished in 1926; it was printed onhandmade paper and was a limitededitionof twohundred and fifty copies2.HaganmentionsthathehasnotseenthedustjacketforthiseditionandnorhaveI;it is possible that itwas not issuedwithone.Thesecondedition,published1932,wasprintedinbothanordinaryeditionofthreehundredand fiftycopiesaswellasadeluxeeditionoffiftycopies,theformerprinted on machine and the latter onhandmade paper. Both editions areaccompaniedbyadustjacket.

2Brian J. Birch mentions in his Bibliography ofGeneralLiteratureinthePhilatelicLibraryofBrianJ. Birch that of the 250 copies, 240 werenumbered.

DescriptionoftheDeluxeEditionIfIhavetosticktoHagan’soriginalstyle,I would describe the deluxe edition asfollows:SEFI (A.J.). An Introduction to Advanced

Philately. Rowley & Rowley Limited.MCMXXXII. London.Quarto, 10¼ in.3,XX + 130 pp. (4). Twenty-one platescoveredwithbound-inricepaper,sixpaper samples. Gilt top and decklefore-edge and bottom. Half leatherbrowncoverwithbrowncloth.4Spinehastitle,author,and“SecondEdition”gold stamped. Brown dust jacketprintedinblackandredwiththetitleitself,thecity,andpublicationdateinred; the subtitle, the author and hiscredential 5 , “Second Edition”, thepublisher’s ornament, and thepublisher printed in black. Spine ofthe dust jacket has the title, authorand his credential, “Price 50/- Nett(De Luxe Edition)”, and publisherprintedinblack6.Titlepageissimilarto the front of the dust jacket. Eachchapter has the first letter printed inred aswell. A limited edition of fourhundred copies so stated and thenhand numbered below.7Autographedby the author signing as “A.J. Sefi”belowthenumbering.

A more modern bibliography (using theChicago Manual of Style 16th edition,3Haganmeasurestheordinaryeditionat9¾in.4Thecloth is inaslightly lightershadeofbrownthantheleather.Thecoversareplain.5“EditorofthePhilatelicJournalofGreatBritain”6The dust jackets of the two editions are quitesimilar to each other excepting that the spine ofthedust jacketof theordinaryeditionhas“18/-”(shillings)printed.7Theexactwording is“ThisistheSecondEdition,limited to four hundred copies, of which threehundred and fifty (numbered 1 to 350) constitutethe ordinary edition and fifty (printed on“Millbourn” Hand-Made paper and numbered 351to 400) the “de luxe” edition”. My copy isnumbered364.

annotated bibliography) would be asfollows:Sefi, Alexander J. An Introduction to

Advanced Philately: With SpecialReferencetoTypicalMethodsofStampProduction.2nded.London:Rowley&RowleyLimited,1932

(2)+xvi+(4)+130+(1)pp+(3)p,(21)plates and (6) paper samples boundin.Erratumslipboundinafterpage4.266 x 200 mm. Hard Bound in HalfBrownLeatherandBrownClothwithgilt lettering on spine. Gilt top edgeand deckle fore-edge and bottom.DJ.Deluxeeditionof50copiesnumbered351 to 400 this being 364/400.Printed on ‘Millbourn’ Hand-Madepaper. Signed by author on the pagefacing the title page. Price 50/-(shillings)onDJspine.

ValuationBefore estimating the valuation of thedifferenteditions,Iwouldliketomentionthat my estimates are based on recentauctionestimatesaswellaspricesquotedby various philatelic literature dealersfromtimetotime.Thefirstedition(withoutthedustjacket)istypicallyavailableforbetweenUS$150and US$250. For example, in the 352ndHeinrichKöhlersaleheldon3Nov2012,lot #9304 (numbered 203/250) bought€150 (approx. US$190) + buyerspremium.ThesecondordinaryeditionwouldlikelycostUS$150 toUS$250.However, in the364thHeinrichKöhlerauctionheldon21Mar 2017, lot #10021 (numbered101/350)(whichalsocontained the firstedition of Stanley Phillips’ StampCollecting) bought a surprisingly high€620 (approximately US$680) plusbuyer’spremium.Isaysurprisinglysince,asIwritethis,IknowatleasttwodealersofferingthisbookforUS$180andUS$250respectively.Finally, the second deluxe edition isrelativelyrareandIamunabletoreadilyfinditinrecentliteratureauctions.Giventhe limited printing a copy can come upfor sale only once in a fewyears andonsuch occasions it would be the desirousbuyer who would set its true worth.Nevertheless Iwould take it tobeworthatleastbetweenUS$350toUS$500,ifnotmore.