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Burrus, Maurice (1882 - 1959)
- Born
- 1882
St-Croix-aux-Mines, France - Died
- 7 December 1959
- Occupation
- Post Office owner and Stamp collector
- Summary
Maurice Burrus was an earnest collector from the age of seven. His early interest in stamps and his love of stamps on cover were helped along by his family’s ancient business antecedents and the hoards of old correspondence in the family attics. Burrus had a penchant for things small, including miniature books. He also had a fine sense of history, which led him to support archaeological digs in Provence and underpinned his attitude toward philately.
The collector's aim, according to Burrus, was 'to reassemble the whole of the stamps issued in one country, in a certain part of the world, or if possible, of the whole universe, and not to estimate the value of stamps according to their beauty of engraving or design' (The Philatelic Magazine, 21 October 1922). He sought stamps in fine condition but was not averse to stamps which had ‘done duty’ (used stamps) in his efforts to attain this goal.
At the time of his death he owned five Post Office stamps.
Related Subjects
Owner
Bibliography
Books
- Butler, A. Ronald, The History of the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, The British Philatelic Federation Ltd, London, 1990. [ Details... ]
Catalogues
- The Burrus Mauritius, Auction catalogue, Tuesday, 1 October 1963, Robson Lowe, London, 1963. [ Details... ]
Journal Articles
- Bohr, Peter, 'La Vie Mystérieuse du Roi des Philatélistes, Philippe-Arnold von Ferrari de la Renonitière', Balasse Magazine, no. 105, April 1956. [ Details... ]
- Vajda, Imre, 'Maurice Burrus: Tobacco King Turned Prince of Philatelists', Stamps, vol. 103, no. 6, 10 May 1958, pp. pp.218-19. [ Details... ]
Journal Notes
- 'M. Burrus Sees It Through', The Philatelic Magazine, no. 186, 21 October 1922. [ Details... ]
Newspaper Articles
- 'M. Maurice Burrus: A Famous Stamp Collection', The Times, 8 December 1959, p. 15. [ Details... ]
Prepared by: Helen Morgan
Created: 16 March 2006, Last modified: 27 August 2006