Background
Dietz was born in Prussia on October 19, 1869.
Dietz was born in Prussia on October 19, 1869.
He moved to Richmond, Virginia, in the United States in 1871, and began his collecting of postage stamps in 1888. He died September 26, 1963 in Richmond, Virginia. Because he was a trained lithographer and typographer, and because he had access to some of the postal sources of the Confederate States of America, he became interested in the postage and philatelic history of the Confederate States.
Today he is regarded as the Father of Confederate Philately.
He established himself in Richmond at 900 West Clay Street, Station A, Richmond, Virginia. The Dietz publishing chronology: 1896 – editor of the Virginia Philatelist, a monthly philatelic magazine published in Richmond.
1901 – formed his own company, Dietz Printing Company 1924 – commenced writing articles on Confederate philately. 1924-1929 – published The Southern Philatelist 1929-1933 – published The New South Philatelist 1931 – published Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Handbook (expanded and reissued in 1937, 1945, and 1959 – expanded and published in 1986 as Specialized Catalog of the Postage Stamps of the Confederate States of America) 1933-1936 – published Stamp and Cover Collecting 1937-1939 – published Stamp and Cover Collectors Review 1929 – published his famous The Postal Service of the Confederate States of America is named in honor of the Founding Father and first President of the Confederate Stamp Alliance (1935–1939) and is presented yearly, starting in 1962, to those who exhibit distinguished service to Confederate Philately in the field of research and writing.