Unbounded enthusiasm
One of the finest collections of Isle of Wight postal history in existence will be auctioned in London today, Tuesday 29 October.
The collection was formed by John Minns, of Cowes, who died earlier this year, and is expected to raise a considerable sum.
The collection’s earliest item is a letter sent to London in 1689 by Admiral Sir Robert Holmes, who had fought under Prince Rupert in the Civil War and served as Governor of the Island from 1667 to 1692. Despite its age, the letter is estimated at just £150 to £200.
A rarer item is the letter sent from Ryde to British Guiana in 1816, showing the only surviving example of the Ryde oval ship letter marking. The letter appears on the front cover of the auction catalogue and is estimated at £1,000 to £1,200.
The collection contains envelopes addressed to the Island in 1870 having escaped from the Siege of Paris by balloon as well as envelopes sent from Osborne House in the 19th century by members of the Royal family, including one addressed in 1892 to the Duke of Argyll by Queen Victoria.
As well as the Isle of Wight interest, Mr Minns' had deep philatelic knowledge of British East Africa, and his forensic skills were second to none. Having been born on the Isle of Wight, he lived there all his life. He worked in the finance department of BHC/Westlands Aerospace and in his younger days played cricket for East Cowes.
His interest in philately started in 1960 and in the 1970s he became a member of an unofficial study group with Stuart Rossiter, Kenneth Pennycuick and Roy Dunstan, the most prominent East African philatelists of their day. This led in due course to the formation of the East Africa Study Circle in 1978.
Fellow collector John Wilks told the County Press: ‘John’s enthusiasm for the stamps and postal history of British East Africa was unbounded and this enthusiasm, honed by a keen and incisive mind, kindled similar interest in many others.
‘He remained until his death able and willing to give advice and help to those whose knowledge was less comprehensive than his own, and his research and meticulous record-keeping will remain a hugely valuable resource to enthusiasts of the future. He was a fine man and an outstanding philatelist and will be greatly missed.’
Michael Torreggiani, of Vectis Philatelic Society, said: ‘John's presentations to the Vectis Philatelic Society were always of the highest quality. He owned many items that were unique, especially some of his Isle of Wight ship mail and India letter postal markings.
‘His knowledge of Isle of Wight postal history was second to none and he was often the first port of call for an opinion by less knowledgeable philatelists.’
