Randy Neil (#11142) has been invited to Sign Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. The roll was instituted in 1921, and the signature of King George V appears at its head as the first signatory. Its design contains the names of 42 “fathers of philately,” great philatelists who would have been invited to sign had they been alive at the time. The initial 39 signatures were added at the first ceremony in Harrogate, England, in May 1921.
This year’s signing ceremony, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first signatories to the roll, is scheduled to take place Sept. 24 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Harrogate during the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain. Attendance at the ceremony is open to all.
Neil will be one of five new signatories joining 85 other living signers of the roll from 25 countries spread over six continents. A total of 356 philatelists from 40 countries have signed the roll, according to the Association of British Philatelic Societies.
Neil is one of the best-known names in American philately. As editor and publisher of numerous philatelic magazines, he has been a prolific writer on subjects ranging from classics to modern. Always an enthusiastic exhibitor, he was the author and publisher of the Philatelic Exhibitors Handbook, first published in 1987 and now in its third edition.
He has been webmaster and graphic designer for several societies and exhibitions. In 2006 he was editor and founder of American Stamp Collector and Dealer magazine. Since 2015 he has served as managing editor of Stamp Collector’s Quarterly.
Neil’s collections are equally varied, covering many areas of U.S. stamps and postal history. His interests include the 1883 2¢ Washington, the Presidential series of 1938, and postal history of World War II in the Pacific.
Neil was president of the American Philatelic Society from 1993 to 1997 and received the 2000 John N. Luff award for distinguished service to the APS. He was a co-founder of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors and served as its first president. He has received numerous awards for contributions to philately in the United States.