Stanley J. Richmond
Chairman Emeritus

Stanley J. Richmond’s careful and forthright ownership of the Daniel F. Kelleher firm over two distinct eras places him among the great historical figures of American philately. First as the man most responsible for our company’s renowned longevity, and finally, and most importantly, its distinction, high intellect, and expertise in pure philately…presiding over his substantial portion of our 135-year history.

The story of how Stanley acquired the Kelleher firm when it was then 65 years old is one of philately’s amazing legends. When he was a boy of high school age (and a burgeoning stamp collector living with his family in Boston) he ventured into the Kelleher offices, even then the oldest stamp shop in the city, in the fall of 1945. The address: 5th Floor, Suite 502, 7 Water Street, Boston. Sitting behind a counter there was Daniel F. Kelleher, himself.

Stanley’s enthusiasm for stamps was quite evident and the two became good friends with Stanley an ardent young customer. One day in the early 1950s, Stanley, by then a Boston College law graduate had decided he’d rather be a stamp dealer than a lawyer. There must have been a twinkle in Kelleher’s eyes when, right on the spot, he up and offered to sell his business to Stanley—and for the surprisingly attractive price of $13,000!

Kelleher drew up a bill of sale and the very fair terms using an old pencil and a simple piece of paper. That document still hangs on the wall behind Stanley’s desk even today. Below it, still leaning against a wall, is the elderly stamp dealer’s hand-carved cane which Stanley uses.

Kelleher had put his entire inventory at that time in a huge satchel and handed it to Stanley, “Here is my entire stock,” he said. Later, when Stanley evaluated the inventory, he found the stock to actually be worth far more than $13,000!

Stanley went on to become just as legendary and admired in this hobby as his mentor, good friend, and philatelic expert. He was involved in the 1980s when the huge US revenues collection of the late Morton Dean Joyce was competitively offered to dealers and auction firms to be auctioned. The late John Boker, a dear friend of Mr. Joyce, was handling dealers’ incoming bids. Boker, himself, estimated the market worth of the holding at a little over $1 million. Stanley’s expertise was sought; he urged Boker to up his valuation to $4 million! Eventually, Andrew Levitt’s winning bid on the Joyce property was $4,275,000! And he was quite happy with the end result when it was finally sold at public auction.

Over the span of the 64 years when Stanley Richmond presided over the world’s oldest continually operating philatelic auction house and stamp firm, the greatest philatelists in America passed through the Kelleher doors. There was hardly a major name that did not, at one time or another, become a longstanding customer. He still serves the company he lovingly owned and can be found each day in his Boston office.

Michael Rogers
Owner Emeritus Michael Rogers, Inc.

When, in 2014, the Daniel F. Kelleher firm acquired and then merged with Michael Rogers Inc., it brought with it the 40-year world-respected China/Asia expertise of the firm’s founder and namesake.

Michael Rogers entered the business of dealing in stamps in 1976 with just $600 in his bank account—and in the interim years became a key worldwide influence (and expert) in his specific specialty area. He became such a major authority on the subject of China/Asia stamps and postal history that collectors (and dealers, too) couldn’t possibly avoid beating a path to his door.

In his own words, “It’s all about character and integrity. ‘Integrity’ is doing business on a level playing field. A sense of honor goes a long way. Relationships are fair only if they protect both sides. I believe business runs best according to simple truths and trust. Money tempts; values don’t.”

Michael Rogers, Inc became successful enough for him to open his Winter Park, Florida, stamp shop sideline in 1978—a storefront that he ran in that lovely suburb of Orlando for 29 years, meeting the philatelic public in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Across town were the firm’s continually expanding main offices in its own two-story building

Over that years, Michael’s business grew into a multi-level operation handling every element of stamp dealing from filling want lists to holding major international public auctions and mail sales. During that time, his business handled some of the most important philatelic properties in the (beginning in 1982) China/Asia spectrum and Michael had become a board member of the China Stamp Society.