30c Marie-Adélaïde Official - Variety: Retouched "e" of "Officiel" - + René Berlingin Certificate (!)

 

 

 30c Marie-Adélaïde Official

with retouched "e" 

Berlingin Certificate

 René Berlingin 

1911-1986

Sometimes old certificates are even more interesting than the item certified, as was this Berlingin certificate, the first I've seen!

René Berlingin, born in Wiltz to a wealthy Belgian family, became one of the great collectors of classic rarities, including the Swedish 1857 Treskilling yellow misprint.

David Feldman writes that

on June 20, 1933, he received Luxembourgish citizenship. Berlingin had profound knowledge in the field of philately and assembled one of the largest and most valuable stamp collections of the 20th century. In his stamp collection there were many of the world's rarest stamps, including the Tre Skilling Banco Yellow misprint and four Red and Blue Post Office Mauritius. In the 1960s, his stamp collection was estimated at 15 to 20 million German marks. 

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