New signatories named to the ‘roll’

At the March 7 meeting of the board of election of the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, the following philatelists will be the new signatories to the roll: Walter Britz, Uruguay; Yu-An Chen, Chinese Taipei; John Davies, United Kingdom; Bernard Jimenez, France; and, Ivar Sundsbø, Norway.

The invitation to sign the roll is the highest and most prestigious honours in philately. The world’s oldest philatelic honour recognizes achievement, research, publication and service in many areas of philately. The roll was instituted in Harrogate, England, in May 1921, and the signature of King George V appears at its head as the first signatory. The total number of signatories up to and including those selected this year (but excluding King George V) is 412 from 42 countries. In its design, the roll contains the names of 46 so-called “Fathers of Philately,” names of great philatelists who would have been invited to sign had they been alive at the time. At the first ceremony in Harrogate, the signatures of the initial 39 names were added to the roll.

Toronto philatelist Charles Verge was named to the roll in 2020.

This year’s signing ceremony, on the occasion of the 103rd anniversary of the first signatories to the roll, will take place this July 12 in Southampton, England, during the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain. In addition to the 2024 signatories, one existing distinguished philatelist, Patricia Kaufmann of the U.S., who was elected in 2023, will also sign, as she could not do so last year. The new signatories join 88 other living distinguished philatelists from 28 countries across six continents.