The Prince of Wales is known to be an enthusiastic and keen stamp collector.  He is the acting President of the Philatelic Society of London.  During his recent tour round the world he displayed his great interest in the postal issues of the colonies which he visited, and brought home much valuable philatelic information and a number of proofs of sheets of old colonial stamps which will help to clear up many doubtful points.  H.R.H. collects only the stamps of Great Britain and her colonies, and he possesses many specimens that are absolutely unique.

The collection which was made by the late Mr. T. K. Tapling, M.P., is now in the keeping of the British Museum, having been bequeathed to the nation by its possessor, who was one of the most cultured and shrewdest collectors of his day.  His collection was his life-work—­from boyhood till his early death in 1891.  It was largely made up of the amalgamation of great collections.  In his day Tapling had the first pick in every direction, and, as a result, his collection is to-day one of the grandest and richest and most scientific general collections extant.  Great rarities may be said to be conspicuous by their prominence and by their matchless condition.

But the greatest collection of all is that of M. Philipp la Renotiere, of Paris, known to most collectors as Herr von Ferrary.  In the course of the last thirty years he has purchased many well-known old collections, amongst which may be mentioned that of Judge Philbrick for L7,000, Sir Daniel Cooper’s for L3,000, W. B. Thornhill’s Australians, etc.  M. la Renotiere has been a large buyer in the leading capitals of Europe for a great many years.  His expenditure with our own publishers is said to average from L3,000 to L4,000 a year.  He employs two secretaries who are paid large salaries, one to look after the postage stamps and the other the post cards, envelopes, and wrappers.

Mr. F. Breitfuss, of St. Petersburg, who has been collecting since 1860, is credited with the third finest collection in the world.  He is an omnivorous, but scientific general collector.

Mr. H. J. Duveen, the well-known art connoisseur of London and New York, although he did not take to stamp collecting till 1892, has already got together the finest collection, outside the British Museum, in this country.  It is celebrated not only for the beauty of its specimens, but also for its completeness, neatness, and scientific arrangement.  The value of the collection is probably close on L80,000.  It is enclosed in seventy handsome Oriel albums.

Mr. W. B. Avery, head of the well-known firm of scale-makers of Birmingham, has one of the finest general collections.  It is justly celebrated for the large number of great rarities that it contains, amongst which are the two rare “Post Office” Mauritius in superb unused condition.  The collection cannot be worth at present far short of L50,000.