Eugene Klein (philatelist)
Eugene Klein | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Hungary |
| Died | April 30, 1944 (aged 65) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Philatelist, stamp dealer, auctioneer |
| Years active | 1911–1944 |
| Known for | President of the American Philatelic Society (1935–1937), acquiring the Inverted Jenny sheet |
Eugene Klein (June 26, 1878 – April 30, 1944), based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a distinguished stamp collector, dealer, and auctioneer who held the presidency of the American Philatelic Society between 1935 and 1937.
Formative years
Originally from Hungary, Klein received his education in both Budapest and Vienna, where he cultivated a passion for philately at a young age.
Philatelic activity
From 1911 until 1931, Klein acted as the official expert for the American Philatelic Society. He also fulfilled the role of international secretary from 1928 to 1935 and resumed this position from 1937 until his passing. His tenure as president spanned from 1935 to 1937. In 1940, he published United States Waterway Packetmarks: Handstamped and Printed Names of Mail-Carrying Steamboats on the United States of America Inland and Coastal Waters, 1832-1899, a foundational text focusing on a niche segment of philately.
Among his clients were notable figures such as King George V of Great Britain and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Honors and awards
In recognition of his contributions, Eugene Klein was posthumously inducted into the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 1944.
Inverted Jenny
Klein is recognized for acquiring the sheet of 24-cent Inverted Jenny U.S. airmail stamps issued in 1918 from William T. Robey, who discovered it.
Illness and death
During his final months, Klein experienced declining health and passed away at the age of sixty-five on April 30, 1944, at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia.