H.E. Harris Stamp Company: An American Philatelic Success Story.
The H.E. Harris Company history is a fascinating story of innovative marketing, popular trends in American cultural expression, and high finance corporate juggling. The resultant H.E. Harris Co. of today continues to be a significant factor in American collecting culture.
The foundation of the H.E. Harris and Company of Boston was set by Henry Ellis (H.E.) Harris, philatelist and stamp dealer. At the young age of 14 Harris began selling stamps to local drug, novelty and variety stores. When the Washington Post offered free advertising, Harris saw an opportunity to begin his mail-order stamp business. He opened his first retail store in 1921 at Kenmore Square in Boston.
The H.E. Harris business experienced breakout growth during the Great Depression with the Captain Tim radio show. Sponsored by Procter & Gambles(P&G), the “Ivory Stamp Club of the Air” became a popular radio program. The show was hosted by “Captain Tim” Healy, a renowned explorer and world traveler. H. E. Harris was contracted by P&G to send each new club member a stamp album, badge and packet of stamps in exchange for an Ivory Soap Wrapper. Members could request additional stamp packets by sending two soap wrappers and a dime. The show ended in 1936 having grown to 2.5 million members. Many had become Harris customers as the Harris Company grew into one of the largest stamp businesses in the world.
The Harris Stamp Marketing Program featured ads offering inexpensive stamps for under a dollar on condition that additional stamps were sent on approval. The company was noted for selling low-cost packets of stamps. It did sell expensive rarities as well.
Still popular today, Harris began publishing a fully illustrated postage stamp catalog that sold for a fraction of the cost of the more expansive Scott Catalog.
During WWII there was a moratorium on stamp importation which caused a slowing of business, so Mr. Harris went to England to serve in its Eighth Air Force. Returning home at the wars end, Harris went back to business with enthusiasm, revamping his stamp business by acquiring the Kenmore Stamp Company in Kenmore, New York, in 1947 and reestablishing it in Arlington, Massachusetts. Harris continued his position as a leading promoter of philately with album publishing and approvals so that by 1975 Harris had tens of thousands of customers and, it was argued, made more new collectors than the Post Office itself.
By 1975 the senior Henry Harris was ready to sell his business Thus begins a story of corporate buying and selling, and asset liquidations. Harris sold his business to General Mills, the cereal company. What an ideal situation to reach millions of kids via the back of their cereal boxes. But General Mills had other plans using their venture capitalism division . They stripped the company of its assets, sold off the inventory, floated the publishing division and closed down the approval business. Employment went from hundreds to zero. Harris died in 1977.
Today H.E. Harris and Company having risen from the ashes continues on as the Whitman Publishing Company. The Whitman Publishing Company had its origins as a publisher of childrens books. During the 1930s Whitman added a line of catalogs, collecting boards and books for coin collectors. As the line of numismatic publications grew a point was reached in 1982 when the division was sold to H.E. Harris. H.E. Harris was then renamed Whitman Publishing, the acquirer taking the name of the acquired, which continues to produce primarily coin and postage stamp collecting books materials. H.E Harris, as a brand, continues today as a popular line of inexpensive stamp albums for U.S. and world stamp collectors.
The Harris US/BNA Stamp Catalog continues as a popular less-expensive alternative to the more expansive Scott Specialized Catalogs United States Stamps and Covers. At iHobb.com The Harris Liberty and Statesmen Album remain as sales leaders as stamp collecting continues to grow in popularity with seniors who are returning to the hobby after raising families and building careers. And they are bringing the grandchildren with them.
