Report on the Heinrich Köhler Summit on Philatelic Literature in Wiesbaden, November 2025
- 3 days ago
- 10 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
On the 13th and 14th November 2025, ahead of the Sale of The 'PARIS' Library of Philatelic Literature auction, Heinrich Köhler & the AIJP hosted a Summit on Philatelic Literature in Wiesbaden, Germany.
The PTS's Suzanne Rae was in attendance and shares her report here on this unique, inspiring, and informative event.
Welcome to Wiesbaden
I arrived at Köhler's offices around 8am on Thursday morning and there was already a buzz in the air. For those who haven't been to the Heinrich Köhler Wiesbaden office, you should imagine a space that feels light, airy, professional, and comfortable. There are large working offices with beautiful bookcases, plants, wide desks and cosy chairs, open collaborative workspaces, and refreshment areas where staff and visitors can grab a coffee and chat. There's that perfect combination of order and chaos that we all know spread across and around the philatelist's desks, alongside a hub of inspiring technology. A spacious, bright auction room, an organised viewing area, and corridors are filled with artwork, displays, philatelic tit-bits, shelves of Editon D'Ors, catalogues and historic publications. You can feel from the atmosphere that this company has operated for 113 years as the oldest auction house in Germany. If you could design your perfect philatelic office, I expect you wouldn't be far off this Köhler model.
You can see a video of some of the Summit and Sale set up here:
85 visitors had travelled from 19 different countries across 4 continents to attend this Summit.
As people arrived, you could see friendships reunited and new friendships forming fast, all over a common passion - philatelic literature. As one of the two hosts, Dieter Michelson said in his opening presentation, "the list of attendees reads like the "who's who in philately". The agenda was packed and everyone was eager to get started!
You can see a copy of the Summit Programme here: 20250520_Literature-Congress_195-270-v5.indd
What is Philatelic Literature?
Chris King RDP (there were a lot of RDPs in the room!) kicked off the Summit with an important question: "What is Philatelic Literature?", and in a room full of philatelic literature experts, it was interesting to see that this question got the audience thinking. “If philately is the collection and study of stamps, is philatelic literature limited to stamps, and to the period beginning 6 May 1840?”. Chris stimulated some debate on "grey areas" like telegraph directories, photo albums, postal maps, menu cards from philatelic events, weather records, railway timetables, and book plates. As with many of the presentations, the debates and ideas discussed continued into coffee breaks, dinners, breakfasts, and taxi journeys. And are probably continuing now...
Chris highlighted the need for philately to reach wider than the immediate definition - to get out of our "philatelic cul-de-sac" and explore new areas to enrich the stories we wish to tell (even if that doesn't fit into exhibiting rules/preferences!). He challenged the group to consider the difference between "literature pertaining to philately", and "philatelic literature". The subject of how to categorise and manage digital literature was touched on but this was accepted as a vast topic which would need more time. And Wolfgang Maassen had his trusty bell to make sure all speakers and sessions kept to time. Ding ding!
Karl Louis presents his Card Index
The Karl Louis Card Index of Great Britain stamps from the Victorian period is a philatelic register of 140,000+ index cards, based on historical auction catalogues. Karl walked the group through some incredible examples of how his Card Index has helped him prove forgeries, repairs, and how blocks have been broken up or margins have been trimmed. This is a critical resource for philatelic research, authenticity and quality assessment.
You can learn more about the Karl Louis Card Index here:
"Born Digital"
An interesting presentation on Day 1 came from Dr. Giancarlo Morolli RDP, who brought in the subject of digital literature related to FEPA Literature Guidelines. The PTS produces a lot of digital content (you're reading some of it right now) so thoughts on how we might more formally "publish" content such that it could be considered "philatelic literature" was most insightful. Giancarlo concluded that digital literature cannot be defined as it is constantly developing. What is inspiring here is that FEPA is open to accepting and adapting to this evolution.
Collecting Auction Catalogues
At the PTS, we love when our Members produce a catalogue which may be considered "collectable". James Podger presented with style - talking of the way catalogues look when they are lined up smartly on a shelf, the graphic design elements of some of the most vibrant and beautiful catalogues produced, the value of the "baby" catalogues, and the legacy of some of the most remarkable sales in philatelic history. He talked of rarity, informational value, provenance, and sourcing.
Did you know that PTS Member, Pennymead Books specialises in philatelic literature? Browse some beautiful publications here: Pennymead
HH Sales are Philatelic Literature Specialists and have an excellent online stock and strong website search engine. If you can't find what you're looking forward, just get in touch with them as they have vast stocks offline: HH Sales
RPSL Publications and the Crawford Medal
Jonas Hällström RDP took the audience on a journey from 1869 to 2025, covering the history of philatelic publications published by the most prominent philatelic publisher in the world - The Royal Philatelic Society London - challenges faced, and insights into some of the world's most remarkable publications, writers, and characters. He also got a few cheeky laughs as he referred to lot numbers of important publications in his presentation linked to the PARIS sale taking place a couple of days later!
One area of Philatelic Literature highlighted as an accessible and achievable collection goal is to collect all the Crawford Medal Winners. Such a library collection would comprise of only 120 books – but together, they are regarded as the most important in existence relative to its scope. Three Crawford Medal winners were present at the Summit: Tomas Bjäringer, Mårten Sundberg, and Kees Adema. You can see a list of Crawford Medal Winners here: https://www.rpsl.org.uk/The-Society/Medals-and-Awards/Crawford-Medal
And you can watch a previous version of Jonas's Summit presentation from Virtual Stampex 2025 here:
Storing and Preserving Philatelic Literature
Curator, Dr. Andreas Hahn, Head of the Archive for Philately in Bonn, reminded us of what we know but sometimes forget - we must look after our books. We must take care of the paper, the cotton, the leather, the glue, any metal - consider humidity, temperature, pests - do we store books upright, magazines flat - do we need to replace acidic or oily shelving with lacquered metal - might we need to consider rebinding, airing out of library - might we need to place some of our books into the freezer (in a plastic sleeve of course!)... We all cringed at the use of Sellotape, book bugs, and stories of mould spores. It was certainly a creepy reminder to take preventative care of our libraries and philatelic material.
Oh, and add a bookplate. Later generations will thank you.
Paper is delicate. Please enjoy a thematic presentation on paper on our YouTube channel - don't forget to subscribe to see our latest videos.
THE 25 MOST EXPENSIVE PHILATELIC BOOKS IN THE WORLD!
Tomas Bjäringer RDP Hon FRPSL talked of the most expensive philatelic books in the world, but he also discussed the books he would bring with him to a desert island - not necessarily the most expensive, but the most important to philately, and the most important to him. Hearing Tomas talk so passionately about the true value of philatelic literature - in all definitions of the word, 'value' - was a wonderful end to an inspiring first day.
ProFi
While at the Köhler Office for the Summit, I took the opportunity to sit with Tobias Huylmans to learn more about ProFi - the ProvenanceFinder. If you know me, you know I love a spreadsheet, and Tobias is the spreadsheet Master! What he and his team have built is jaw-droppingly clever, and it not only benefits the Global Philatelic Network team, but it also benefits philately. The sophistication of this project from scanning, categorisation, standardisation, knowledge retention, intelligence, and its research potential proves Köhler are thinking about the future and investing in it. This isn't just about Provenance, this is about ensuring collectors have the best possible information and that philately has the best possible record of key items - to build and establish trust and confidence when consigning and buying.
Learn more about ProFi here: https://heinrich-koehler.de/en/profi
Philatelic Friends
Yes, attendees had paid for their own flights, hotels, and dinners to attend the Summit, view the sale, and bid in the room, but many also came to see friends, some who they had not connected with face to face in many years. And new friendships were formed. At dinners, coffee breaks, and walks between the Office and the Hotel, one would overhear philatelic literature chat, but also stories of previous events and shows, funny anecdotes of philatelic adventures, friends checking in on family and loved ones, memories, and making plans for the future. If you know of the show, "Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing", you'll understand the types of friendships enjoyed in Wiesbaden. Truly heart-warming, even though these same people would be fiercely bidding against each other come Saturday!
Wuppertal, Frankfurt, Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Faycal Majdoub kicked off Day 2 as we learned of the weird opening hours and labryrinth-esque ways to find the entrances to various philatelic libraries in Germany. Faycal is a brain surgeon and one thing he said stuck with me as it was exactly the feeling I had when I was in my old corporate job - "after a stressy day, I would come home to my stamps and I would calm down". Philately has the potential to enhance so many people's lives for the better - whether that be through research, mindfulness, friendships, travel, or competition. We just need to show people the door to our hobby, and welcome them in. This is what these libraries do, and we must support our libraries.
Moens
Vincent Schouberechts is a Moens fanatic. He's cool with it though, I don't think he has a tattoo of Moen's face on his chest or anything, but Vincent knows his Moens. Vincent presented such an engaging Talk that I'm sure some of the lots in the sale the next day reached higher realisations as a result! We have asked Vincent to share more of his insights and passion at Virtual Stampex next year as this presentation is too good not to share.
Virtual Stampex, our online International Stamp Exhibition with interactive trade stands, Talks, Roundtables, Displays, Collector Chatrooms and more, takes place March 6th - 8th 2026, registrations open next month - subscribe to the PTS & Stampex Newsletter to be the first in the loop: https://www.stampexinternational.com/signup
POST HORN MAGAZINE
Dr. Claudio Manzati closed the core Summit programme with the question: "Is launching a new international journal of postal history today a crazy idea or a reasoned challenge?". Post Horn believe they can offer readers a broader view of the history of the post and of philately, comprising key elements such as paper, letter writing, stamps, routes and communications in combination with historical developments, with the objection of attracting new people to enjoy the wonderful world of postal history. And the graphic design of the magazine is superb! The team are looking at expanding the magazine (both print and electronic) to Asia and seek to champion the diversity and richness of the philatelic community within the editorial. Post Horn is a bold move, but it is obvious from this Summit that there is a desire for hard-copy, quality publications, to enjoy reading, to contribute to, and to collect.
The 'PARIS' Sale
Over the past few years, more people are viewing and bidding online. That's part of how the market is changing, but it was so energising to be in an auction room filled with bidders and enthusiasts. Hearts beat a little faster in the room. The evening before the sale, Tobias Huylmans shared that pre-bidding (% compared with start price) was the highest in any auction held by Köhler for 25 years. And the sale itself was a success. It was exciting to be around the physical buzz of such an impressive sale.
With thanks to Tobias for sharing these statistics on the successful sale:
The PARIS Sale of Philatelic Literature
- Total Sales: 298,019EUR
- Unique bidders: 364
- Total bids: 5,884
- Hammer/Start of all 175%
- Hammer/Start of sold 220%
Conclusion
At the PTS, we love promoting our members and we especially love promoting our members who are doing innovative, bold, collaborative, forward-thinking things. This Summit was so clever. Everyone who participated, including the consigner of the sale that followed, benefitted.
This event had a well-balanced agenda. It had clear collaboration between the trade and collector community via the AIJP. And it connected people from all around the world physically in the room. The attendee list included experts and passionate people who respected each other, who wanted to learn / contribute, and who felt at home in this environment. Köhler were wonderful hosts, treating guests to refreshments, lunches, takeaways, and gifts. The topic was specialist in some regards, but broad enough to keep everyone in the room connected. Over two days, the agenda fuelled the energy and emotion in the room such that there was genuine excitement and nerves ahead of Saturday's sale. Everyone will remember the lot they won in Wiesbaden that week.
Thank you to the team at Köhler, the AIJP, and everyone involved in making this event so informative and inspiring. Collaboration, innovation, and investment are key to us safeguarding the future of philately. I look forward to continuing my discussions from Wiesbaden on a whole host of opportunities including future PTS joint-projects, Virtual Stampex Talks, Display ideas, collaborative events, educational material for collectors, welcoming new PTS Members, and more.
Congratulations again to Heinrich Köhler and the AIJP for hosting such a memorable experience for all involved.
If you could choose a topic for a future Summit, what topic would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below.
Related content:
The Importance of Building a Reference Collection and Library
In this video, Gold PTS Member, Mark Bloxham Stamps walks viewers through:
What a reference collection is
How a philatelic library can help collectors and dealers
Example of how to use a reference collection, library, and digital asses
More examples of reference material
A couple of personal treasures in his office!
Related content:
The British Library's Philatelic Collections New Acquisitions
Curator, Paul Skinner presents some fascinating additions to the British Library (April 2024)
Learn more about Heinrich Köhler here: https://heinrich-koehler.de/en/briefmarkenauktionen-heute
Subscribe to the PTS and Stampex Newsletter to be the first to hear news of philatelic events, offers, insights, and news from our members around the globe: https://www.stampexinternational.com/signup
Find a PTS Member: https://www.thepts.net/members#!directory/map
Save the dates:
Virtual Stampex 2026 - 6th to 8th March
Stampex International 2026 at the Business Design Centre, Central London - 28th to 31st October
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