A Visit to the Frankfurt Philatelic Library
Library of the Verein für Briefmarkenkunde 1878
This article was first published as “A Visit to the Frankfurt Philatelic Library.” Philatelic Literature Review 72 no. 4 whole no. 281 (Fourth Quarter 2023). It has been lightly edited with additional information for publication online.
The Frankfurt Philatelic Library (FPL) is the library of the Verein für Briefmarkenkunde 1878 e.V. Frankfurt am Main (Association/Club/Society for Philately 1878 e.V. Frankfurt am Main).1 Containing about 25,000 media items2 (Medien) i.e. handbooks, catalogs, periodicals, exhibition catalogs, auction catalogs, DVDs, etc., FPL is, along with the philatelic libraries in Munich (over 65,000 items) and Hamburg (over 40,000), one of the larger philatelic libraries in Germany.
The Frankfurt Philatelic Society and its Library
The Verein für Briefmarkenkunde 1878 e.V. Frankfurt am Main (VfB) was formed on June 6, 1878 with just 15 members.3 While not the first, it is one of the oldest surviving societies in Germany.4 The great Alfred Moschkau (Figure 1) was reportedly present at an extraordinary general meeting of the society on July 29, 1878.5 In the August 1, 1878 issue of Illustrirtes Briefmarken-Journal, which he edited, Moschkau greeted the formation of the society and hoped that it would bloom and prosper and be a real nursery of philately (Figure 1).6
A modest collection of literature was begun that year though the library is first formally referred to in a document pertaining to the Society’s annual general meeting in 1882. In 1885, the library bought its second bookcase for a price of 20 gold marks as the old one was no longer big enough and was sold for five marks!
In 1890, the library’s holdings comprised about 150 volumes. It grew to 199 the next year and to 400 by 1893. Over the coming years the library continued to grow due to new acquisitions and bequests. Sometime in the late 1920s, the library bought, what is now a most prized possession - a complete “Fournier album” of forgeries (Album de Fac-similes) numbered 222 (Figure 2).7
The society faced a crisis in 1932. The economic situation was precarious and a great many elder members declared their intention to leave. Further political circumstances compelled some to go unwillingly. Compounding the woes, the long-standing librarian Heinrich Rohm (1869-1932) (Figure 3), who had associated with the library since 1912,8 passed away in 1932. While he had handed over charge to Karl Bald (1892-1965) a few months earlier, the latter resigned three years later and there was no librarian in 1935.
It was in October of that year that FPL lent its stock of books to the library of the City of Frankfurt (Stadtbibliothek der Stadt Frankfurt am Main). This was fortuitous since it meant the FPL’s holdings were saved from the destruction of the second World War; the war reduced most of Frankfurt including the society’s premises to rubble. In 1949, the Society received about 1,200 items back from the city library; unfortunately, some books were missing and some badly damaged.
Sometime around 1949, FPL found a new home in the Neue Mainzer Strasse, the premises of the Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V. (BDPh) (Federation of German Philatelists). Around the same time, Ulrich Häger (1910-1980) (Figure 3) became the first librarian, a post he held until 1976.
In 1976, the library was out from its cramped premises to a place in Abtsgaesschen in Sachsenhausen. This belonged to Joachim Frey (1927-1984) (Figure 4) who served as the first librarian from 1977 to 1980 and as first chairman from 1981 to 1984.9 During his tenure, the society started publishing its in-house journal Die Kunde, the first issue of which came out in December 1982 (Figure 5).
Another move soon followed when, in 1982, FPL moved to Gutzkowstrasse. Soon, the high rent caused issues; for example, rentals moved up from 4,400 Deutsche Marks (DEM) in 1988 to 13,230 DEM in 1993.10 This meant that more than 70% of member fees and donations was being spent on it; however financial support from Stiftung zur Förderung der Philatelie und Postgeschichte (Foundation for the Promotion of Philately and Postal History) and the City of Frankfurt helped.
In 1994, the library moved to a premises near the station of Frankfurt-Rödelheim, which belonged to Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railroad). Renovations and moving costs amounted to about 68,000 DEM.11 Initially, the premises was taken on a 10-year lease but after that, the Bundesbahn allowed two-year extensions only.
Since 2008, the society functions from a place close to the immediately preceding premises on Langer Weg 16-18 (Figures 6 and 7). Located on the ground floor, the current premises is about 100 square meters (about 1,075 square feet) of which FPL occupies a little more than half the space or 52 square meters. The place has a conference area of 22 square meters where meetings can be held and about 20 people accommodated (Figure 8). Not just the Society but also clubs and working groups from the Rhine-Main area use the place for their meetings.
A small room for the librarian (Figure 9), kitchen, storage room, toilet, and entrance foyer occupy the balance area.
On December 3, 2008, the Society signed an agreement with the renowned Heinrich Köhler Auktionshaus GmbH & Co. KG, to strengthen cooperation between them. Köhler supports the library both financially and practically. Hence, the library is now called PHILA-Bibliothek Heinrich KÖHLER - Verein für Briefmarken Kunde 1878 Frankfurt am Main (PHILA Library Heinrich KOEHLER - Association for Philately 1878 Frankfurt am Main).
More on the Society’s Library
The earliest librarian of FPL was one Mr. Prengel in 1892 who was in the seat for just a year. Over the years there have been numerous first and second librarians, all working on a voluntary basis; some of them have been in their post for more than a decade, and some have lasted just a year or two. A few of them have been mentioned earlier; some other renowned philatelists who have acted as the first/second librarians in recent decades have been Hans-Hermann Mette (1942-1999) (Figure 10),12 Friedo Giese (1935-2016), and Petros Tiberius (1925-2011) (Figure 10).
Since 2019, the first librarian has been Dr. Michael Hampel (Figure 11) while the second has been Klaus Gerlach; the latter was the first librarian before Dr. Hampel.
In June 2023, I visited FPL while on a family holiday in Germany. It was a Tuesday and Dr. Hampel was kind enough to open the library that late afternoon. Otherwise, the library is open between 5 PM and 7 PM on the 1st and 3rd Thursday and between 10 AM and 12.30 PM on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.
As I entered the library, I could see the place was chock-a-block full of books – they occupy about 490 linear meters on the shelves. As the horizontal floor space is limited, every attempt has been made to extract space vertically. Shelves reach the ceiling (Figure 12) often requiring the use of a ladder. Further, the aisle space between shelves is tight and patrons needs to squeeze themselves in (Figure 13).
The library is open for anyone to visit, not just members. Dr. Hampel informed me that in 2022, the number of visitors was 123 as compared to 89 in 2021. This number is back to pre-Covid levels and excludes visitors to the society’s evening programs.
Books can be borrowed for a period of two weeks. In 2022, 222 books were borrowed by 28 different borrowers, which included three inter-library loans.
The society receives grants from Heinrich Köhler and Stiftung zur Förderung der Philatelie und Postgeschichte (Foundation for the Promotion of Philately and Postal History). The society doesn’t disclose numbers, but grants cover about 25% of costs (a major portion of which is rent) and the balance is made up by membership fees (EUR 60 per year) and donations; it should be noted here that the society, on average over the last five years, has had around 100 members.
While it doesn’t receive any grant from the Federation of German Philatelists (BDPh) currently, FPL receives from them a package containing magazines of various philatelic working groups, weighing about 15 kg, three times a year.
FPL Catalog
In the printed annual report of 1890, the library’s stock was mentioned for the first time. After 1890, the library’s listings of new acquisitions were regularly published in Vertrauliche Vereinsmittheilungen (Confidential Newsletter for Club Members). The first catalog containing 36 pages was issued in 1905 and listed 200 titles.
In 1988, a 53-page Katalog der Philatelistischen Bibliothek: Teil I Deutschsprachige Periodika (Catalog of the Philatelic Library: Part I German Language Periodicals) authored by Hans-Herman Mette and Petros Tiberius was published. It covered about 2,000 volumes which occupied about 77 meters of shelf space.
Four years later in 1992, Part V titled Katalog der Philatelistischen Bibliothek: Teil V – Ausstellungen, Jubiläen, Bundes- und Philatelistentage (Catalog of the Philatelic Library: Part V - Exhibitions, anniversaries, Federal, and Meetings of Philatelists) came out.
In 1998 VfB published a 153-page Phila-Bibliothek Katalog: Teil I Deutsche Periodika Teil II Ausländische Periodik (Catalog of the Philatelic Library: Part I German Periodicals Part II Foreign Periodicals). It covered both German and foreign periodicals and was authored by the then librarians Friedo Giese and Petros Tiberius and a young assistant named Hans-Joachim Thiele.
Recently, FPL moved away from the library software Biblino. Now FPL’s holdings are available to see in an Online Public Access Catalog (PAC). Now, a little less than 9,000 records are captured in the OPAC. Each record has seven fields associated with it – signature, author, title, year, publisher, number of pages, and remarks. The records can be sorted, filtered, grouped, searched, and exported (Figure 14).
The library’s holdings are classified using its own cataloguing system. Details appear in the appendix.
Holdings of FPL
Monographs or Handbooks
All handbooks are now captured in the OPAC. Of the approximately 6,000 volumes of handbooks in FPL, not surprisingly, more than 80% are in German language. These carry the “signature” or letter prefix “A” and are individually numbered between 0001 and 6999. Visually, they have the number pasted on a red sticker on their spines (Figure 15).
English (numbered 7000-7999; color coded blue), French (8000-8999; green), and other language handbooks (9000-9999; gray) each comprise about 10% of the total (Figure 16).
Periodicals
FPL has around 7,000 volumes of periodicals of which about 68% are in German (Figure 17), 12% in English, and the balance in other languages. Like monographs, periodicals are given a letter prefix; in this case “B”. Periodicals are numbered similarly to monographs but the color coding is different. Unfortunately, details of periodicals haven’t yet been uploaded into the OPAC. Presently, the library receives 110 different German and just two English journals.
Works on Postal System
Under signature “P”, FPL holds official publications on the post office and the postal system including rules and regulations, postage rates, postal codes, etc. Postal historians and philatelists looking for primary sources of information could find them useful in their research.
Others
A major holding of FPL is that of festscrifts and exhibition catalogs – about 3,200 items (Figure 18). Another category is auction catalogs, some 5,300; those of German auctions comprise about 3,800. Again, details of these aren’t yet in the OPAC.
Various German working groups often issue their latest research reports as loose-leaf; they are categorized under the letter “L” and housed in A5 and A4-sized files (Figure 19).
Final Thoughts
Few philatelic societies in the world have their own premises. Small and even medium-sized ones must hold their meetings in different temporary locations, sometimes a room taken on rent or sometimes at members’ homes. Further, libraries of such societies are generally stored at a willing members’ home or storage facility. In recent years, we have seen that many societies are disposing of their libraries as such arrangements can no longer be sustained.
The VfB, despite just 100 members, pulls above its weight. It boasts its own premises, albeit rented, and a comprehensive library. It is fortunate that since 2008, the private philatelic firm, Heinrich Köhler, situated in the nearby town of Wiesbaden, supplements its finances.
We can’t get away from the fact that the number of philatelists and collectors across most countries is on the decline. Consequently, patronage of philatelic societies is also on the wane. The one way in which philatelic societies and libraries can continue to survive is if philatelists and philatelic organizations, especially private ones, support them wholeheartedly - both in times of money and labor. It is their duty, and it is in their self-interest, that they give back to the hobby which provides them with joy or livelihood or both.
Acknowledgements
Thank you, Dr. Michael Hampel, for not only opening the library on an off day but for spending two hours taking me to every nook and corner of the library and patiently explaining things. And for going through the draft of this article. To the society’s treasurer, Björn Rosenau for answering some of my questions. And to Wolfgang Maassen for helping me with some images. Feedback and comments welcome; send your emails to abbh [at] hotmail.com.
References
Books and Articles
Birch, Brian J. Philatelic Translations Produced by Brian J. Birch. Montignac Toupinerie, France: The Author, 2018.
———. The Philatelic Bibliophile’s Companion. Montignac Toupinerie, France: The Author, 2018.
Brühl, Carlrichard. Geschichte Der Philatelie Band I. Hildesheim, Germany: Georg Olms Verlag, 1985.
———. Geschichte Der Philatelie ) Band II. Hildesheim, Germany: Georg Olms Verlag, 1986.
Köth, Arno and Christian Springer. “phil. Alfred Moschkau - Ein Leben für die Philatelie, 1848-1912.” Beiträge zur Sächsischen Postgeschichte und Philatelie. Volume 6. Cologne: The Authors, 1983. Available as Philat. Transl. 289 in Philatelic Translations Produced by Brian J. Birch.
Maassen, Wolfgang. “Philatelistische Bibliotheken – von Sammlern und für Sammler!” in Häuser der Philatelie: Eine Heimat für Sammler. Schriftenreihe zur Geschichte der Philatelie in Deutschland Nr. 4. Bonn: Consilium Philatelicum, Bund Deutscher Philatelisten, 2014. Available as Philat. Transl. 519 in Philatelic Translations Produced by Brian J. Birch.
———. “Der „Herr der Bücher”: Ein Besuch in der Philatelistischen Bibliothek München.” philatelie 402 (December 2012): 52-55.
———. Wer ist Wer in Der Philatelie? Band 1. A-D. Third. Vol. 1. 6 vols. Chronik Der Deutschen Philatelie. Schwalmtal: Phil*Creativ GmbH, 2011.
———. Wer ist Wer in Der Philatelie? Band 2. E-H. Third. Vol. 2. 6 vols. Chronik Der Deutschen Philatelie. Schwalmtal: Phil*Creativ GmbH, 2017.
———. Wer ist Wer in Der Philatelie? Band 3. I-L. Third. Vol. 3. 6 vols. Chronik Der Deutschen Philatelie. Schwalmtal: Phil*Creativ GmbH, 2020.
———. Wer ist Wer in Der Philatelie? Band 4. M-R. Third. Vol. 4. 6 vols. Chronik Der Deutschen Philatelie. Schwalmtal: Phil*Creativ GmbH, 2021.
———. Wer ist Wer in Der Philatelie? Band 5. S. Third. Vol. 5. 6 vols. Chronik Der Deutschen Philatelie. Schwalmtal: Phil*Creativ GmbH, 2022.
———. Wer ist Wer in Der Philatelie? Band 6. T-Z. Third. Vol. 6. 6 vols. Chronik Der Deutschen Philatelie. Schwalmtal: Phil*Creativ GmbH, 2022.
Mimberg, Heinrich. “Die Philatelistische Bibliothek Frankfurt des Verein für Briefmarkenkunde 1878 e.V. Frankfurt am Main / The Philatelic Library Frankfurt of the Philatelic Society of 1878 e.V. Frankfurt am Main.” AIJP-Bulletin 3/2006: 67-80.
Verein für Briefmarkenkunde 1878. Festschrift 110 Jahre 1878-1988. Frankfurt: e.V. Frankfurt am Main, 1988.
———. Festschrift 120 Jahre 1878-1998. Frankfurt: e.V. Frankfurt am Main, 1998.
Webpages
Verein für Briefmarkenkunde 1878 e.V. Frankfurt am Main. https://briefmarkenverein-frankfurt.clubdesk.com
PHILA-Bibliothek Heinrich Köhler. https://briefmarkenverein-frankfurt.clubdesk.com/bibliothek.
PHILA-Bibliothek Heinrich Köhler Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). https://cloud.seatable.io/dtable/external-links/custom/Phila-Bibliohtek-OPAC
Appendix. Cataloguing System of FPL
As can be seen from the OPAC, it covers signatures: A, C, D, G, H, K, L, P, X, and Y. Missing from the database are signatures B (philatelic journals), E (Philatelistentage), F (festschrifts and exhibition catalogs), and V (auction catalogs) which comprises about 15,500 items.
The letters “e.V.” after the name means that the organization is eingetragener Verein or registered association. Under German law, a Verein is supposed to be a non-profit. Most clubs and charities are organized as e.V.
The number of titles will, of course, be less the number of media items. This arises mainly due to journals where there will be multiple volumes but only one title.
In an article in Festschrift 110 Jahre 1878-1988 brought out on the 110th anniversary of the society, H. Krug mentions that the society had 23 initial members. This he based on a report brought out by the society in 1886 looking back at the first eight years of the society’s history. On the other hand, a news report in the August 1, 1878 issue of Illustrirtes Briefmarken-Journal by the secretary of VfB, L. Luecke, mentions that the membership consits of only 15 members (see Figure 1).
The oldest philatelic association in Germany was Süddeutsche Philateliustenverein (South Germany Philatelic Association). It was founded in Heidelberg in the spring of 1869 by one Wilhelm H. Faber, but it survived for just a year. On May 10, 1871, Alfred Moschkau founded Vereins Deutscher Philatelisten (Association of German Philatelists) in Dresden, but it only lasted until 1874. Other clubs founded in Hamburg in 1871, in Leipzig in 1876, and in Berlin in 1878, too collapsed soon after their formation. Right now, the oldest German society in existence is Internationaler Philatelistenverein von 1877 Dresden e.V. founded in 1877.
Otto Carl Alfred Moschkau (1848-1912) was a pioneering German philatelist. In 2021, the Board of Election of the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists added his name (and also the Austrian, Victor Suppantschitsch) to the Roll as “Fathers of Philately” correcting an historic injustice that had occurred due to hostile feelings between the Germans and English as a result of World War I.
Given that a society founded by him in Dresden had floundered after just three years, Moschkau was perhaps apprehensive about the Frankfurt society’s prospects. But as history has shown, he shouldn’t have been!
François Fournier (1846-1917) was a stamp forger based in Geneva. His stock of forgeries was bought by L’Union Philatélique de Genève (Philatelic Union of Geneva) who, in 1928, produced 480 albums containing his works.
Since 1902 till date, the society has had two librarians: a “first” and “second”. In the society’s 120-year festschrift, Rohm is named as the second librarian from 1912 to 1915 and as the first from 1916 to 1931.
Joachim Frey was a dynamic philatelist who had several successful exhibits to his name. He was, however, better known for his philatelic organization skills having served on different committee level positions at various philatelic bodies as having conducted many philatelic exhibitions such as NAPOSTA ’78 at Frankfurt.
On January 1, 1999, Euro (EUR), being the common currency of European countries, was introduced in the financial markets. The official exchange rate to convert DEM into EUR has been 1 EUR = 1.95583 DEM.
In an article published in Festschrift 120 Jahre 1878-1998, Petros Tiberrus (p. 98) mentions that the initial cost estimate was DM 55,000 but was later revised higher and hence an interest-free loan totalling 13,000 DEM was taken out by the board members.
The first time I heard the name of Hans-Hermann Mette was in an interview I did with Frankfurt’s philatelic literature dealer, Burkhard Schneider (published in Philatelic Literature Review, Second Quarter 2020). To quote Schneider: “One of my most important purchases was the “Taunus” library in 2000-01. The owner of this library was Hans-Herrmann Mette. Mette was probably the most important philatelic literature collector of his time in Germany and he had one of the largest private libraries. He was a book binder with very good craftsmanship. He bound all his journals personally; it was like a hobby for him. Not only that, but he also did the binding work of many other philatelists and hence was well-known in the community.”
Mette was the second librarian of FPL from 1981-1984 and the first from 1985-1994. He is known to have personally bound books for the FPL, likely on a voluntary basis (see Figure 17).