Our Story: The Ideal Combination of Tradition and Innovation

German philately owes as much to Heinrich Köhler as to only a very few individuals – both in his roles as an expertiser and as a juror and auctioneer.

The founder of Germany’s oldest stamp auction house held his first auction in the country on April 23, 1913. In the years that followed, the flourishing company and its proprietor gained worldwide recognition. After Heinrich Köhler’s death on June 21, 1945, the business initially remained in family ownership, but the headquarters were moved from war-ravaged Berlin to Wiesbaden in Hesse.

One of the Leading Addresses in World Philately

On June 1, 1967, the young auctioneer Hartmut C. Schwenn took over the Köhler auction house. Three years later, from September 9, 1970 onward, Volker Parthen led the traditional firm as sole owner and auctioned many major collections. Since 2002, Dieter Michelson has contributed his extensive industry experience and numerous international connections to the leadership of the Heinrich Köhler company. His early stated goal—to position the Köhler auction house as one of the leading addresses in world philately—has been achieved with the help of the dedicated and highly competent team at Heinrich Köhler.

This success was built on the ideal combination of tradition and innovation. A few examples: the philatelic experts continuously expanded the classic card-index archive, placing particular emphasis on provenance research. A success story without equal is online live bidding, developed primarily by Tobias Huylmans—representative of the young generation of philatelists and, like Dieter Michelson, a managing partner at Heinrich Köhler. In 2006, Heinrich Köhler was the first German stamp auction house to offer global participation in auctions via the internet. Today, this groundbreaking innovation is indispensable to the philatelic auction world.

Outstanding Philatelic Expertise, Excellent Financial Stability, Certified Quality Management

Speaking of “provenance” and “groundbreaking innovations”: at the International Stamp World Exhibition IBRA 2023 in Essen, the Köhler auction house presented “ProFi” – the digital “Provenance Finder” enabling philatelic research within seconds – for the very first time to the public. The meticulously compiled database contains millions of pieces of information on philatelic items available worldwide. The key feature: artificial intelligence turns “ProFi” into a learning system, for which Tobias Huylmans is also largely responsible.

The fact is: outstanding philatelic expertise in all its facets, combined with excellent financial stability and certified quality management, forms the foundation for the future-proof development of the traditional house of Heinrich Köhler.