About us

Andrew Titley is a lifelong and career-long philatelist, entering the industry straight out of the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He currently holds the position of Vice President at Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries International. Alongside a strong working knowledge of philately in general, Andrew specialises in the British Commonwealth. He is responsible for all aspects of the Worldwide portion of Siegel Auctions — building collections and advising clients, procuring consignments, valuing collections, and lot-describing for auction.

Andrew has always been drawn to the stamps and postal history of Asia, and to early India in particular. His fascination with handstruck postal markings comes from reading the Giles catalogues and turning the auction pages of some of the finest collections ever formed — among them Dr. Contractor, Giles, Manning, and the “Magnolia” collection.

Andrew resides in Dallas, Texas, with his wife Hannah and their two young children.

Gowtham BJ is a passionate philatelist whose interest in stamps and postal history began during his school years. His involvement became more serious in 2010, when he met his mentor, Mr. Y. R. Shah — one of the leading authorities on the Two Annas Typographed issues of India.

For nearly three years, Gowtham spent most Saturdays studying with Mr. Shah, gaining a deeper understanding of Indian philately, postal history and research. During this period he developed a particular fascination for pre stamp covers and the handstruck postal markings of India — Mr. Shah encouraging him to study the historical significance of postal artifacts and to appreciate the stories behind each cover and cancellation.

Among all areas of philately, the earliest handstruck postal markings of India remain Gowtham’s greatest passion. He is especially drawn to the rare markings used before the expansion of the organised postal system, when mail travelled vast distances through remote towns and challenging terrain. The discovery and study of these scarce markings continue to inspire his research and collecting.

After moving to the United States in 2014, Gowtham significantly expanded his collection and began focusing on the postal history of the Madras Presidency. He has exhibited extensively, receiving roughly ten Gold and Large Gold medals at national and international exhibitions for his award-winning exhibits on the Mysore Postal System and the Handstruck Stamps of India.

Today he maintains a sixteen-frame exhibit covering the handstruck postal markings and postal history of India, with a special emphasis on South India and the development of early postal communications.

Gowtham lives in California with his wife Aishwarya and their two children, and continues to actively research, collect and exhibit Indian postal history.