Philip Mathias Wolsieffer
Philip Mathias Wolsieffer, of Chicago and Philadelphia, was a stamp dealer and auctioneer who sold stamps and philatelic items during the early years of stamp collecting.
Selling stamps
From 1872 until he died in 1934, Wolsieffer remained active in selling stamps, first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then in Chicago, Illinois. In 1914, he moved back to Philadelphia and purchased the Philadelphia Stamp Company which he renamed as P.M. Wolsieffer. From 1897 to 1933 Wolsieffer conducted 341 major auctions. Wolsieffer was known for his invention of philatelic storage materials, such as the stock page and the approval card,, both of which he claimed to have invented.Philatelic activity
Wolsieffer was a founding member of the Chicago Philatelic Society, which was formed in 1886. He served the society in various ways, including as president and as vice president, and, because of his thirty years of dedicated work with the society, was named by the club as Life Member No. 1.Wolsieffer also was a tireless worker at the national level of organized philately, becoming a charter member of the American Philatelic Association and served, among other positions, as its president from 1924 to 1925.