August Dietz
August Dietz was a philatelist, editor and publisher, who specialized in the study of mail and postal history of the Confederate States of America.
Early life
Dietz was born in Prussia on October 19, 1869. He moved to Richmond, Virginia, in the United States in 1871, and began his collecting of postage stamps in 1888.He died September 26, 1963, in Richmond, Virginia.
Philatelic career
Because he was a trained lithographer and typographer, and because he had access to some of the postal sources of the Confederate States of America, he became interested in the postage and philatelic history of the Confederate States.Today he is regarded as the Father of Confederate Philately.
He established himself in Richmond at 900 West Clay Street, Station A, Richmond, Virginia.
Editor and publisher
In 1896, Dietz became the editor of The Virginia Philatelist, a monthly philatelic magazine published in Richmond. He formed his own printing company, called the Dietz Printing Company, in 1901. In 1924, he began writing articles on Confederate philately and eventually became the editor of the journals The Southern Philatelist and The New Southern Philatelist.Writings
Dietz was considered an expert in Confederate philately and wrote widely on the subject. Some of his studies included:- The engraver of the Five Cents De La Rue
- The South's "Way of Life" - Random Notes for the Student of Confederates
- The Confederate States Post-Office Department, its stamps & stationery
- Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Handbook,
- Stamp and Cover Collecting
- Stamp and Cover Collectors Review
- ''The Postal Service of the Confederate States of America''
Honors
Dietz received numerous honors including:- 1938 – awarded the Lindenberg Medal by the Berlin Philatelic Club
- 1940 – awarded the first Luff Award by the American Philatelic Society for Exceptional Contributions to Philately
- 1948 – awarded the honorary title of “General” by Confederate Stamp Alliance
- 1955 – awarded the Lichtenstein Medal by the Collectors Club of New York
- 1964 - inducted into the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame