When Stamps Run in the Family
One of the more interesting quirks of the stamp business is how rarely a company survives beyond the person who founded it. Stamps typically last, but stamp businesses? Not so much. If I had to count how many operations have lasted more than one generation, I would probably do it on less than two hands.
That’s not to say there aren’t successful stamp dealers and auction houses out there. There are plenty. But most of them are one-person enterprises, built on the knowledge, personality, and energy of a single founder. Once that person retires or passes away, the business usually winds down with them. In some ways, that’s part of the charm: the stamp trade is still highly personal. When you buy from a dealer, you’re not just buying a piece of paper; you’re buying their knowledge, taste, and reputation.
But the downside is obvious. If a child doesn’t share the same mix of talents and passions as their parent, and let’s face it, they usually don’t, the business has no natural successor. A few operations do get passed along to other family members or trusted friends, but even those usually fizzle out within a generation. In this business, the lifespan of the company often mirrors the lifespan of the founder.
That’s why multigenerational stamp businesses are such rarities. A second generation is hard enough. But a third generation? That’s unicorn territory.
A Few Notable Families
If I try to list families that have managed to stretch a stamp business in the U.S. across generations, only a few names come to mind: the Harmers, the Apfelbaums, and the Pragers.
The Harmers were once the gold standard of philatelic auctions. Starting with Henry Revell Harmer in London in the late 19th century, the firm expanded to New York and became one of the most important names in the business. For decades, a Harmer was always at the helm, expanding their empire to several continents with offices in Europe, North America and Australia. But today, the remaining Harmer heirs only dabble in the business after all of them have closed (or sold off) their respective auction houses. While there was talk about their children carrying it forward into a fourth generation, neither of Chris or Keith’s sons have shown much interest in continuing the family business. The name may live on, but the family connection is fading.
The Apfelbaum family is another prominent name. Based in Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, they were among the first families to build a large-scale stamp auction business in the U.S. The firm managed to survive multiple generations, but recently the family sold Apfelbaum Auctions to Mystic. With that sale, the continuity of the Apfelbaum line in the business essentially ended.
And then there’s the Pragers; the only three-generation family that is not approaching retirement in the next ten or so years. Their story is worth a closer look because it’s both heartwarming and hopeful about the future of the hobby.
The Prager Line: Three Generations and Counting
The Prager family’s philatelic journey begins with Irving, better known in the New York stamp scene as “Plate Block Irving.” The nickname says it all. He loved plate blocks more than anything else, and his stock was legendary. If you wanted plate blocks, you went to Irving. Check out this video if you want to see the whole story. He and his wife were fixtures at the big New York shows, and they were as friendly as they were knowledgeable. I met him several times, and I made a point to stop by for a chat. His table was a good place to park and enjoy chatting with the ‘old time dealers’ that would often stop by.
Then came the second generation: Robert, though hardly anyone calls him that. To the entire hobby, he’s simply “Bobby.” If Irving was known for his stamps, Bobby is known more for his personality. For decades, he worked alongside Gary Posner, acting as the public face of their business. Gary was the buyer and money man, while Bobby was the one everyone came to see. His quick smile, warm greetings of "how ya doing!", and sharp suits, so sharp that some people started calling him “Brioni,” after the luxury suit brand, made him one of the most beloved figures in the trade. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about him.
Thank you Gemini for helping me create this lovely ‘father and son’ photo.
And now we come to the third generation: Darren. Fresh out of college, Darren didn’t necessarily set out to be a stamp dealer. He’s quieter and a little more reserved than his father and grandfather, but he quickly found himself drawn into the business. He started off working with Gary Posner, just like Bobby, but soon Kelleher Auctions came calling.
Kelleher is an old time auction house with a tradition dating back 140 years to 1885 making it the oldest auction house dedicated to selling stamps in the United States. They weren’t just looking for another stamp specialist; they wanted someone who could help them expand. They had the stamp collectors already, but what about all the other things collectors buy? Currency, baseball cards, coins - if you’re already dealing with collectors, why not give them a one-stop shop? Darren jumped at the chance, and he’s now leading Kelleher’s efforts to broaden its reach beyond stamps.
What’s remarkable is that Darren isn’t just holding a place in the business until something better comes along. He genuinely enjoys the work. He’s putting down roots in Danbury, where Kelleher is based, and he’s already making his mark on the company’s future. Bobby, never far from his son, eventually joined him at Kelleher too. The two of them, side by side, represent both continuity and evolution: Bobby with his decades of relationships in the hobby, and Darren with his eye on where collecting is going next.
That combination is powerful, suggesting that Darren won’t just be “the third generation” - he’ll be one of the important names shaping the hobby in the coming years.
The Next Generation
Stories like the Pragers’ stand out because they remind us that this hobby, while rooted in history, still has a future. Stamp businesses don’t last forever, and maybe that’s okay. Not every company needs to become an institution. Sometimes it’s enough for one person to build something meaningful, contribute to the community, and then let the next generation take their own path.
The reality is that most stamp businesses typically have a finite life span. They live and die with their founder. That’s part of what makes them unique and personal. You know when you buy from a dealer, you’re dealing with their skill, reputation and the way they look at stamps. That’s not easily replicated.
But even short-lived businesses leave their mark. Every dealer who sets up at a show, every online seller who helps a collector find that missing piece, contributes to the larger ecosystem. But sometimes, just sometimes, a family like the Pragers comes along to show us it is possible to keep the flame alive across generations.
