Ronald George Shelley (27 February 1932 – May 2003) was a British philatelist and stamp dealer who specialized in the postal history of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).
Biography
Shelley was born in Torrington, Devon, England, in 1932. His interest in stamp collecting began in childhood, and as a teenager he developed a particular fascination with Spanish stamps, especially the colorful issues of the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1949, he joined the Royal Navy, serving in the Korean War and achieving the rank of Lieutenant. His naval service took him to Suez, Malta, Gibraltar, and Palma de Mallorca, where his interest in the Spanish Civil War deepened. A dealer advised him on the subject, and he eventually liquidated his other collections to focus entirely on Spanish Civil War philately, particularly its postal history.
After leaving the navy, Shelley worked for Kimberley-Clark and later for Stanley Gibbons, the renowned stamp dealership. He also founded the Collecta brand of philatelic products before becoming an independent dealer. For several years, he was involved with the Society of English Philatelic Dealers and the "Stampex" exhibitions, and served on the organizing committees for the London'80 and London'90 international stamp exhibitions.
He was elected a member of the Real Academia Hispánica de Filatelia e Historia Postal (Royal Hispanic Academy of Philately and Postal History) in 1992, becoming a full academician in 1995 with a dissertation on the International Brigades. He died on 12 March 2003.
Philatelic Legacy
Shelley is recognized as an expert on the philately of the Spanish Civil War. In 2003, he bequeathed a collection of five volumes of covers (envelopes and postal items) used to and from the International Brigades to the British Library, where it now forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections as the Shelley Collection.
The remainder of his collection was sold at auction by Harmers of London in January 2004 in two sections: earlier Spanish philatelic material (including pre-stamp and stampless covers and a 1601 document signed by King Philip III of Spain), and a large quantity of Spanish Civil War material. The sale achieved over £100,000.
Selected Publications
- The postal history of the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939 (Brighton: R.G. Shelley, 1967)
- The Postal History of the International Brigades in Spain 1936–1939
- A Guide to the Postal History of the Spanish Civil War 1936 to 1939
- Propaganda leaflets of the Spanish Civil War (Hove: R.G. Shelley, 1990)
