There are only two wrong ways to collect stamps in Tony and Peter Maresch's view.

First: NOT having fun is a no-no.
Second: damaging stamps while in their owner's care is akin to a philatelic misdemeanor.

"Other than that there are no wrong ways to collect stamps or covers," said Tony.

In the brothers' line of business, they've seen one too many collections that could have easily been spared from damage by taking simple preventative measures, such as properly storing the stamps in dry places.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a collection of mint stamps where all the stamps have glazed gum, or a collection affected by foxing (spots and browning)," said Tony.

Family members who aren't collectors but who have inherited the collections from loved ones often hold onto them for sentimental reasons.

In such cases, he encourages collectors to either generate their own or an offspring's interest in the hobby or, failing that, pass on their stamps to the current generation of active philatelists, by selling the collections. Collectors have an imperative here too, he added. Make sure there are written, specific instructions in all of the estate papers about who should sell their collection.

The Maresch family's business was born from such preservationist thinking. After 20 years of collecting for his own interest, Tony and Peter's grandfather, Dr. Richard Maresch, bought a wholesale firm selling packets to philatelic and numismatic supply company H.E. Harris. The year 1924 would mark the founding of R. Maresch & Son in Vienna, Austria.

Fast-forward in time and space to 18 years later, 1942, in Toronto, where the R. Maresch & Son Company re-opened as a retail endeavour. The "Son" part of the company name is credited to William Maresch - also known as Peter and Tony's dad. William quite naturally enrolled in the business having become a stamp enthusiast at the very young age of four. Tony and Peter inherited this same enduring philatelic fascination.

After 35 years, in 1977, the company began focusing more on auction sales than over-the-counter retail sales. By 1983, the two-generation business added the third to its entrepreneurial history when Tony joined its ranks. His brother Peter would come on board in 1987.

Like their dad and granddad, stamps were part of the family pastime, conversation and livelihood.

Today, the business' primary focus is on auction sales, because Tony and Peter believe that taking material on consignment usually puts the dealer and seller in a more mutually beneficial partnership than buying outright.

"Our father always loved working on the collections consigned to him. He often said that while those stamps were in his care, he got to play with and collect them, and that is what makes this business so much fun, always having another wonderful collection to look forward to working with and learning more about stamps," said Tony.

The brothers still enjoy looking through collections and seeing how different people write up their collections, and also looking for varieties.

 

Peter and Tony Maresch, of Toronto-based R. Maresch & Son Company, represent the third generation of a stamp business started in Vienna, Austria.

"There are always new varieties being discovered, which keeps even looking through basic old-time collections exciting," said Tony.

A typical day in the life of a stamp house auctioneer has all the staff working at some stage of the meticulous and time-consuming tasks required to close the last auction and prepare for the next auction. With over 400 consignors each year, there's always a new collection, large or small to examine.

"Every day is like Christmas, as we never know what will be contained in the next consignment," said Tony. It's been this way from the start.

One of his fondest memories stretches back to the first year he worked alongside his dad. He'd been assigned the task of measuring a group of 3-cent Indian red Small Queens with the specific mission of finding a rare 12 1/2-perforation variety.

Unknown to Tony, his dad planted one in the pile as a reward for such a time-consuming task. But William was the surprised one when Tony not only reported he'd discovered one, but two of them!

"The fact that my dad did that, combined with finding one he did not know about, has always been a fond memory," said Tony.

For Peter, it was the day his dad was able to buy back a personal specialized collection of Austrian stamps that he had sold 20 years earlier.

"That's the wonderful thing about this hobby," said Peter. "You can always come back to it. Many of our customers tell us they put themselves through college or university by selling their collections, while others used the proceeds to start a new business. Yet, today they are back at it, building new collections."

The brothers are hopeful that more young collectors will enjoy the fruits of such philatelic labours of love, or better still, create their own legacies.