Louise Boyd Dale (c. 1913 - 1967)

Many people think of stamp collecting as a "guy thing." And while it's true men out number the women, over the years there have been quite a few distinguished female philatelists.

One of which was Louise Boyd Dale who was inducted into the American Philatelic Society's Hall of Fame in 1968.

According to the APS's Hall of Fame website, one of America's most distinguished philatelists, Dale began collecting early in life, mentored by her famous collector father, Alfred F. Lichtenstein.

She built many important collections, in particular of British Africa and Asia, and after her father's death, she extended some of his collections. Most of these collections were part of the Anne Boyd Lichtenstein Foundation, established after her death by her daughter, and were made available to students and philatelic organizations to further philatelic research.

Dale joined the Collectors Club of New York in 1931 and served in many capacities, including Trustee (1955-1967). She also strongly supported the Philatelic Foundation, and was both Chairman of the Board and of the Expert Committee (1953-1967).

In 1956 she was the first woman to be appointed as a judge for an international philatelic exhibition, FIPEX. In that same year Dale became the first American woman to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, and in 1960 she was appointed to the jury of the London International Stamp Exhibition. She received the Lichtenstein Medal, named after her father, in 1962.

To visit the APS Hall of Fame webpage, click here.