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Herman Herst ’31

Herman Herst Jr. ’31, January 31, 1999, in Boca Raton, Florida, from Parkinson’s Disease. He was an internationally known philatelist whose interest in stamps began at the age of seven. After graduating from Reed, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Oregon in 1932. He was an auctioneer of rare stamps with offices on New York’s Nassau Street and in suburban Shrub Oak, New York, for over 40 years. He was the winner of every philatelic award offered in the United States, and of several in Great Britain. A collector as well as a dealer and auctioneer, he collected early stamps from Great Britain and exhibited his collections internationally. He also served on philatelic juries around the world, and he was the only American on the Board of the Philatelic Traders Society of Great Britain. After retiring, he moved to Boca Raton, Florida, in 1973 and devoted the remainder of his life to writing books and articles, both on philately and on issues of civil rights and separation of church and state. He wrote 18 books on philately and stamp collecting and contributed feature articles to the New York Times and many other publications. His writings earned him an LLD from William Penn College in 1982. He also founded the Herman Herst Jr. Philatelic Library at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. He was a Mason and Shriner in Boca Raton and served on the board of Temple Beth El. In 1994, he was the man of the year of the American Stamp Dealers Association. He is survived by his second wife, two children, two stepchildren, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Appeared in Reed magazine: May 1999