Many stamp collectors follow a common path in forming collections — find an album, locate sources for stamps, and fill the spaces as much as opportunities or one’s budget will allow. In rare cases, a collector follows a trajectory that rises above the crowd. David Wingate was that rare and exceptional collector.

Gifted with an eye for aesthetic quality in both art and philately, Mr. Wingate applied his talent and resources to the formation of a United States stamp collection that is extraordinary for its completeness, quality and depth. He paid particular attention to the arrangement of the stamps and multiples on his album pages, just as an art collector or curator carefully displays paintings and sculptures to achieve harmony among works of different artists, periods and mediums.

A gentleman of humble demeanor, Mr. Wingate was a quiet, yet forceful presence in stamp auctions during the late 1990s and early years of the 21st century. He started by filling spaces, but quickly evolved into a knowledgeable and passionate collector who created his own computer-designed pages to accommodate the varieties and multiples that appealed to his visual sense and appreciation of rarity.

Mr. Wingate passed away in 2011 at the age of 90. The importance of the collection he formed cannot be overstated. Many of the greatest rarities and outstanding multiples in United States philately will be found in the Wingate collection. He would be pleased to know that others will admire it in this legacy catalogue and have the opportunity to acquire items to advance their own personal collecting journeys.