James Richard William Purves

James Richard William Purves (5 March 1903 – 13 May 1979) – generally denoted in publications as J. R. W. Purves -- was an Australian lawyer and philatelist. His half century of work in Australian philately earned him the title “The personification of Australia in International Philately.”

James R.W. Purves
Born(1903-03-05)5 March 1903
Died13 May 1979(1979-05-13) (aged 76)
NationalityAustralia
OccupationEngineer
Engineering career
Projectsresearcher, expert of Australian stamps, and author of philatelic literature of the Australian region
AwardsCrawford Medal
APS Hall of Fame
Lichtenstein Medal
J. R.W. Purves Medal

Philatelic literature

Purves authored philatelic literature based on his detailed studies of postage stamps. These included numerous books and articles:

  • Art and the postage stamp : the present Australian outlook
  • The Half Lengths of Victoria (1953)
  • North-West Pacific Islands : The Nature And Make-Up Of The Different Overprinting Formes (1953)
  • South Australia - The Long Stamps of 1902-1912 (1978)
  • Victoria: the Postage Dues
  • Numerous articles on aspects of the stamps and postal history of Victoria

Collecting interests

The most significant of Purves’ collections of postage material included collections of philatelic material on:

Philatelic activity

Purves was active in all fields of Australian philatelic interest. He helped establish the Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria in 1957. For his work with the society, and because of his extensive work in Australian philately, the society established the J.R.W. Purves Medal in 1970 is his honor and named him as the first recipient.

Honors and awards

For his work in the field of philately, Purves was provided numerous awards and honors, including:

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See also

References and sources
References
  1. Background notes on The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists September 2011, Roll of Distinguished Philatelists Trust, London, 2011. Archived here.
Sources
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