Hofmeyr Champion of Champions collection of U.S. reuse prevention essays in Nov. 18 Siegel auction

By Charles Snee

Jan Hofmeyr was named the Benjamin and Naomi Wishnietsky World Series Champion of Champions award winner at the 2025 Great American Stamp Show Aug. 14-17 in Schaumburg, Ill.

The prestigious award hailed Hofmeyr’s exhibit “Philatelic Invention in the United States: 1861-1881” as the top national exhibit of the past year.

On Nov. 18, Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries will offer Hofmeyr’s Champion of Champions collection of U.S. reuse prevention essays, which includes the material from his exhibit.

Linn’s editor-in-chief Jay Bigalke wrote about Hofmeyr’s Champion of Champions win in the Sept. 15 issue:

“Hofmeyr’s exhibit, as explained in its introduction, explores a critical two-decade period when the United States Post Office Department sought to solve the problem of postage stamp reuse. The exhibit’s purpose is to tell the story of the various experiments, patents, and essays designed to create a stamp that could only be used once. Opening with the Civil War–era context of stamps being treated as money, it follows a clear path through the many inventive attempts at preventing fraudulent reuse, from Leeds’s early envelopes in 1861 to Charles Steel’s successful ‘grill’ patent. An epilogue concludes with the Bureau definitives of 1890, the first series no longer subject to experimental trials.

“The exhibit is organized into seven chapters, each devoted to a distinct line of experimentation. These range from destructive cancellations and double printing to chemical paper treatments, special inks, and layered or broken papers. The centerpiece is Steel’s embossed ‘grill’ design, the only experiment widely adopted, which left impressions in the stamp paper to break fibers and ensure that ink could not be washed out for reuse.”

The detailed sale catalog includes an engaging introduction to Hofmeyr and his collection by essays and proofs dealer and specialist James E. Lee. He focuses on key events that allowed Hofmeyr to assemble his collection during the past two decades.

“Such an achievement requires three absolutes and a certain amount of luck to reach this level of success,” Lee said. “First, you have to acquire the material necessary to tell your story. Second, you have to find all the documents and archival records that will prove your story. Third, you have to have the ability to interpret and incorporate all of this information into a visual exhibit.”

Lee recommends that bidders in the sale refer to Hofmeyr’s seminal book, Philatelic Invention to Prevent Stamp Reuse in the United States 1861-1881. Numerous items in the auction are pictured in that important philatelic work.

A key item from Hofmeyr’s collection that will cross the auction block early in the sale is the earliest recorded example of a Leeds patent envelope. The envelope, shown above, is also illustrated on page 9 of Hofmeyr’s book.

The envelope was used by Lewis Leed’s wife to send him a letter. Attached to the envelope is a 3¢ rose George Washington stamp (Scott 65) that was affixed with a Maltese Cross pattern lattice, according to Siegel.

The letter is visible behind and attached to the stamp, which is tied by a “PHILADELPHIA Pa. OCT. 19, 1861” circular datestamp. A second strike of that postmark can be seen at left. The letter is addressed to Lewis at 110 Broadway in New York City.

Siegel notes that the envelope is missing part of the backflap (not shown) and a piece to the right of the stamp. Nonetheless, the “condition is very choice for such a fragile item,” Siegel said.

Siegel presents additional important details about the Leeds patent envelope in the catalog lot description:

“Lewis Leeds tried to patent his envelope with lattice-pattern openings in 1861. The intention was likely two-fold: 1) to damage the stamp by having it stick to the letter when it was removed from the envelope, and 2) to preserve the date on which the letter was posted. The patent was rejected because, according to the U.S. Patent Office, it was not different enough from Benjamin Morison’s 1860 envelope (which was designed to preserve the date of the letter rather than prevent reuse, see cover in following lot). The Leeds brothers responded by buying Morison’s patent in 1862 for $1,000 (about $32,000 in 2025 money). This envelope used by Leeds’s wife to him in October 1861 is the earliest recorded example of a Leeds reuse prevention envelope.”

Siegel is offering the earliest recorded example of a Leeds reuse prevention envelope with an estimate of $2,000 to $3,000.

Full details of the auction of the Jan Hofmeyr Champion of Champions collection of U.S. reuse prevention essays, including the 61-page catalog and online bidding options, are available on the Siegel website at www.siegelauctions.com.

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