Auction History: “The Greatest Heavyweights of Philately”

Our Greatest Achievements

One of the most prominent authorities in classical philately

We begin with one of the most prominent authorities in classical philately: John R. Boker Jr. (1913–2003). The philatelic passion of this extraordinary man—mentioned in the same breath as legendary collectors such as Ferrari, Burrus, and Lichtenstein—was devoted, among other areas, to the stamp issues of the Old German States. Boker came from a German family of industrialists who operated a cutlery factory in Solingen and founded a company in New York as early as 1837 to import their products. In the field of Old Germany, Boker built what was then the world’s largest private collection. In 1985, he entrusted it to the Heinrich Köhler auction house for sale. Across a total of 18 auctions, held until January 2000, the phenomenal Boker Collection “Old German States” went under the hammer in Wiesbaden. Total proceeds: nearly 60 million Deutsche Mark!

The foremost address for specialized auctions and name sales

Throughout the many decades of our auction history, we have published numerous international special catalogues with deep philatelic expertise, establishing ourselves as the leading address for specialized auctions and “name sales.” Out of hundreds of unique collections formed by outstanding philatelists, we would like to highlight two representative examples.

A very special honor and distinction

A very special honor and distinction for us was the auction of the remarkable collection of Simon Wiesenthal (1908–2005) in 2006. Wiesenthal brought Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann to justice and exposed more than 1,000 other high-ranking Nazi perpetrators. Just as tirelessly as he gathered information on fugitive war criminals for decades, he meticulously built his philatelic collections—including “Romania,” “Sicily,” “Russia,” “Austria,” and “Bavaria”—and eventually placed them in our trusted hands. Due in part to the worldwide renown of the famous “Nazi hunter,” our Simon Wiesenthal auction attracted great attention and brought philately to a broad international audience.

The goal: maximum demand

Before we move to the second example, you should know the following: When a major collection comprises several distinct sections, these are placed—always with the client’s best interest in mind—across the various auction firms of the Global Philatelic Network, where they can each achieve their full potential. In special cases, this even occurs simultaneously to generate maximum demand. One collection that stood out in this respect was the impressive holding of the Franconian entrepreneur and distinguished philatelist Fritz Kirchner (1925–2008). His collections were auctioned in parallel from 2009 to 2011—very successfully—at Heinrich Köhler and Corinphila: the German general collection in Wiesbaden, and the Austrian, Italian, and Swiss collections in Zurich.

An exceptional distinction and hallmark

Finally, we wish to honor a truly extraordinary philatelist and philanthropist—the great collector and global business leader Erivan Haub (1932–2018). The fact is: all eleven auctions of the phenomenal “ERIVAN” collection, held by the Heinrich Köhler auction house between 2019 and 2024, made unforgettable auction and philatelic history. His philatelic life’s work will live on in many collections, and the provenance “ex ERIVAN” remains an exceptional distinction and hallmark of quality. Numerous treasures from this collection realized six-figure results at our auctions.

Erivan Haub was, without question, the most important classical philatelist since John R. Boker Jr. He assembled incomparable collections in the areas of Old Germany, the United States, Great Britain, Austria, and Switzerland, to name just a few. And during his lifetime, he decreed that these were to be auctioned after his passing by the companies of the Global Philatelic Network, under the leadership of the Heinrich Köhler auction house. It was an enormous challenge for our entire team to meet this monumental task. All of us at Heinrich Köhler are grateful and proud that we succeeded. In total, the hammer prices amounted to an unprecedented and extraordinary 380 million euros! (Please correct this figure!!)

Millions of people discovered the fascination of philately!

Since their beginning in 2019, the auctions of the legendary ERIVAN collection have captivated not only dealers and collectors. Many unique items and extremely rare historical documents of communication were offered—pieces whose significance and quality can hardly be surpassed. We were certain these would draw considerable attention within the philatelic world. But we also knew that these remarkable items and their stories would be compelling for a broader audience, including non-philatelists. For the first auction—featuring the Baden misprint as “Germany’s most valuable stamp”—we therefore initiated broad national press coverage, complemented by targeted outreach to regional journalists with rarities from their local Old German States. We also provided advance exclusives to dpa, Germany’s leading news agency. The strategy proved successful: on June 8, 2019, ZDF, RTL, n-tv, SAT.1, and Hessischer Rundfunk were on site and reported in their news broadcasts that the Baden misprint achieved a result of €1.52 million (including buyer’s premium), making it the most valuable stamp in Germany. In total, more than 230 print and online articles appeared across Germany for the first auction. For the subsequent ERIVAN auctions in Wiesbaden, dozens more articles were published—from Heligoland to Passau, and from Schwerin to Lake Constance.

In recognition of this achievement, the Heinrich Köhler auction house received the prestigious Silver Stevie Award in 2022 in the category “PR Campaign of the Year – Media Relations.” But far more important is this: millions of people were introduced to the fascination of philately!

If you would like to learn more about our long and successful auction history, you will find a list of our auctions since 1913, sorted by collecting area, here:

Auction history since 1913