He was born in Bradford, United Kingdom,[1] and later lived on Maple Street in Utica, New York, in the Mohawk Valley.

He was owner of Hind-Harrison Plush Co. in Clark Mills, New York, which made upholstery fabrics for automobile manufacturers.

Like Thomas Tapling, Hind poured the profits from his business into rare stamps, and soon acquired many of the world's greatest rarities.

At the Ferrary sale, Hind purchased the One Cent Magenta British Guiana for a world-record price, as well as all of the best U.S. Postmasters' Provisionals.

[5] According to Alexander Séfi, because of his obsession with the "black on magenta," Hind (according to rumor) bought not only one of the stamps, but the other remaining one, and then destroyed one so that he would own the only one in the world.