A. B. Kay

Alexander Berridge Kay (1879[1] – 4 December 1944[2]) was the founder, with E.J. Bridger, of the stamp dealers Bridger and Kay in 1897 or 1898[3] and a leading figure in the Fiscal Philatelic Society. In 1910, Kay identified used copies of the Italian forgery of the British grey-green Victorian 10 shilling stamp watermarked anchor and perforated 14. His letter to The London Philatelist, published in November 1910, warned the philatelic community of its existence.[4]

The cover of a 1908 work by Kay.

Bridger & Kay

The firm of Bridger & Kay was formed in 1897 or 1898. Bridger and Kay had both been civil servants previously.[5] Later, Bernard Leverton joined, and his son Allan Leverton in 1942. The firm was first located at 71 Fleet Street, London E.C., then Aldwych, moving to The Strand in 1938 and to Pall Mall in 1978 under Allan Leverton's stewardship.[6] The firm continued until it went out of business in 1995. It was then purchased by the Bristol stamp dealer Steve Ellis.[7]

Organised philately

Kay was the founder Secretary, Treasurer and Exchange Superintendent of the Fiscal Philatelic Society in 1902[8] continuing in those roles until the FPS amalgamated with the International Philatelic Union in 1920. The FPS proceedings record the numerous displays of stamps that he gave at FPS meetings. Kay also served on the British Philatelic Association expert committee.[9]

Legacy

In 1949, Kay's collection of British Colonial Revenue stamps to about 1940 was donated to the British Museum by his children Miss Nora Kay and Mr Frank Kay. The collection is now part of the British Library Philatelic Collections as the Kay Collection.[10]

Publications
  • Priced Catalogue of British Colonial Adhesive Revenue, Telegraph, and Railway Stamps 1908, Bridger & Kay, London, 1908.
  • "Canadian Bill Stamps" in The Bulletin Of The Fiscal Philatelic Society, Vol.II, No.7, pp. 63–70.
  • "The Revenue Stamps of British Guiana" in The Bulletin Of The Fiscal Philatelic Society, Vol.II, No.9, pp. 84–92.

References
  1. Who Was Who in British Philately Association of British Philatelic Societies 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  2. "Deaths", The Times, Friday 8 December 1944, p.1.
  3. Our Company Archived 24 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine Bridger & Kay, 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  4. "Correspondence" in The London Philatelist, Vol. XIX, No. 227, November 1910, p.278.
  5. Kay's appointment as a "Temporary Boy Copyist" in the Civil Service is recorded in The London Gazette, 20 March 1894, p.1663. Link here.
  6. "Madame Joseph - The Origin?" by Brian Cartwright in The London Philatelist, No.1344, Vol.116, April 2007, pp.102-104.
  7. Birch, Brian. Biographies of Philatelists and Dealers. 9th edition. Standish, Wigan: 2008, p.259.
  8. Bulletin of the Fiscal Philatelic Society: Vol.I-II, 1908-28. London: The Cinderella Stamp Club, 1980, p.iii. (Reprint of 1906 edition)
  9. "Obituary Mr. A.B. Kay" by Henry Robert Holmes in The London Philatelist, Vol. LIV, No. 635, February 1945, p.15.
  10. The Kay Collection Archived 30 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, British Library Philatelic Collections. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
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