James Quan and Harry Quill both had major collections of the Red Revenue series of China (Scott #78-86) back in the day when the stamps were expensive but not at the stratospheric levels that they are today. This was a great set to collect, lots of varieties, with the stamps being just scarce enough for any acquisition to be a bit costly and meaningful. Quan had started collecting these first about 1940 and already had a substantial collection of these stamps when Quill, who was a generation younger, came on the collecting scene in earnest about 1970.
Never before, or since, have I seen such warfare in the philatelic world. Quan viewed every auction purchase of a Red Revenue stamp by Quill to be a major affront to his dignity and pushed prices up mercilessly both for Quill and for himself. There were (and are) more than enough Red Revenues to go around and it seemed that if only Quan would be happy with the ten of everything that he had there could be peace in this small corner of the world.
We held an auction once where there was a fairly ordinary Red Revenue lot in the sale but both Quan and Quill were in the room. The price of the lot moved up and up, past silly and ridiculous to downright stupid. Finally, Quan won. Everyone knew he would. He had more money, and he was crazier. As the lot was knocked down to him he stood up at his seat, all but beating his chest as he bellowed out “I am the King of Red Revenues”. Jim Quan’s compulsion seems silly to us. After all, it was only Red Revenues. His collection had gotten past the point of passion and he really got no enjoyment from it anymore.