Collection of

Ex Libris and Stamps

The collections of bookplates (ex libris), advertising stamps, and postage stamps constitute a relatively small holding and are no longer actively expanded. Nonetheless, they contain charming pieces of great interest from the perspectives of general history, the history of technology, and the museum’s own institutional history. These collections can be consulted for research in book history and art history, as well as for studies in advertising and marketing history.

[Translate to English:] Exlibris von Vally Weiss, Radierung von William Unger (1837-1932). Photo: Deutsches Museum München

Bookplates

Bookplates (ex libris) are pasted into books as marks of ownership, typically featuring the owner’s name alongside an illustrative motif related to them. The archive’s holdings comprise approximately 300 sheets, including works by notable artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Represented among them are draughtsmen, illustrators, and etchers such as William Unger (1837–1932) and Franz von Stuck (1863–1928), as well as bookplates from various libraries and prominent figures, including the educational reformer Georg Kerschensteiner (1854–1932).

Reklamemarke zu den Olympischen Spielen Berlin 1916, Vorlage von Franz von Stuck (1863–1928). Photo: Deutsches Museum

Promotional Stamps

The advertising stamps are mostly miniaturised posters featuring highly detailed depictions of a wide variety of motifs. Initially used to seal letters, they soon evolved into sought-after collectors' items. The holdings include several collections dedicated to aviation. Also preserved are commemorative stamps, such as those produced for the (unheld) 1916 Olympic Games in Berlin and the 1925 German Transport Exhibition in Munich.

[Translate to English:] Ersttagsbrief mit zwei 10-Pfennig-Briefmarken und Sonderstempel zum 100. Geburtstag Oskar von Millers am 7. Mai 1955. Photo: Deutsches Museum

Stamps

The stamp collection focuses on aviation from the period between around 1950 and 1980. The collection also includes a number of items of interest to the museum’s history, such as the stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of Oskar von Miller’s birth, bearing a special postmark dated 7 May 1955.