Current Auction

The March United States Postal History Sale

Featuring The Leonard Piszkiewicz Collection of Chicago Postal History, The Van Koppersmith Collection of Philadelphia Postal History and The Tony Dewey Collection of Hartford Postal History

March 28-29, 2023 New York City

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Collections

Discover Past Offerings

Throughout H.R. Harmer’s history we have had the privilege of offering a large number of significant stamp collections at auction. From highly-specialized holdings of a single country to collections encompassing all corners of the globe, our “name sales” have long been the pride of our firm. An auction catalogue is much more than an advertisement for an upcoming sale—it is a means of preserving a collection for future generations, ensuring that one’s philatelic legacy will live on long past the dispersal of their material.

As excited as we are for future auctions, we feel it is equally important to highlight significant sales from our past—as well as the men and women behind them.

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About

Us

ABOUT H.R. HARMER

Since 1940, H.R. Harmer has served as one of America’s premier philatelic auction houses. First rising to widespread prominence with the sale of the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s collection in 1946, our firm would go on to sell some of the most significant collections of the 20th century, including those of Alfred H. Caspary and Alfred F. Lichtenstein. Now in our ninth decade, we are more committed than ever to providing our customers with the professional service and philatelic expertise that have long been synonymous with the Harmer name.

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Our History

1940 1940: After over two decades in London, H.R. Harmer branches out across the Atlantic Ocean and opens their New York City office. Our first sale in America, the “Cox” Collections of British Colonials, was held December 9.
1946 1946: The year after the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, H.R. Harmer is selected to sell the late president’s collection in a series of four auctions. The sales are major news, even appearing in the non-philatelic press of the day.
1955 1955: On November 15, H.R. Harmer holds the first sale of the collection of Alfred H. Caspary. It will take over 16 sales and two years to sell his entire collection, widely considered to be one of the greatest ever assembled.
1963 1963: The unique unused 2c Hawaiian Missionary, owned by the late Maurice Burrus, sells for a record-breaking $41,000. At the time this was the highest price ever paid for a postage stamp, and the sale was profiled in Life magazine.
1968 1968: The sale of the collection of Alfred F. Lichtenstein and his daughter Louise Boyd Dale begins with a catalogue of Mauritius. The Dale-Lichtenstein collection is so extensive it will be sold for the next 36 years until concluding in 2004.
1976 1976: H.R. Harmer is selected to sell a block of four of the Inverted Jenny on behalf of Princeton University. The block sells to noted dealer Raymond H. Weill for $170,000, then the highest price paid for a United States philatelic item.
2005 2005: The sale of the Richard Baron Cohen Collection represents the first major auction consisting entirely of third-party graded stamps, a practice which has become much more common in the years since.
2019 2019: H.R. Harmer relocates to Midtown Manhattan and commences the sale of the “Erivan” Collection of United and Confederate States Postal History. At the first “Erivan” auction the famed Alexandria Blue Boy sells for $1,000,000 hammer price.

Beyond

The Auctions

January 24 2023

H.R. Harmer in the Chicago Sun Times

Extra! Extra! We're very proud to have our auction house and Leonard Piszkiewicz collection of Chicago Postal History featured in Chicago Sun Times.

January 24 2023

Exploring Stamps with Graham Beck

We're thrilled to have been able to collaborate with Graham Beck on his latest episode of Exploring Stamps. Join Charles Epting and Graham Beck as they explore some of the postal rarities in the H.R. Harmer office and investigate whether they are genuine or not.

January 24 2023

The History of Boyd's City Express Post

President/CEO, Charles Epting gives a walking tour of the history of Boyd's City Express Post in Manhattan.

January 23 2023

Most Important Building For Stamp Collectors? The Waterbury Post Office

Join Charles Epting as he sets out to find the location of the Waterbury Post Office, where Postmaster John W. Hill created some of the most famous fancy cancels of all time.

October 20 2022

H.R. Harmer Featured in WiscNews

H.R. Harmer's sale of the William B. Robinson Collection of Wisconsin Postal History was featured in WiscNews:

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