Autograph and manuscript traders
Founded in 1830 in Berlin
Catalogue 715: 100 Autographs – A Selection
From September 18 to 20, 2026, the Association of German Antiquarian Booksellers will host an international antiquarian book fair at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin. We will be participating as one of over 100 exhibitors and have compiled a stock catalogue featuring 100 autograph letters and manuscripts for this occasion.
You can find a free ticket for two people here. We look forward to seeing you at Booth 38!
Kronprinzenpalais, Unter den Linden 3, 10117 Berlin
Hours:
Friday, September 18: 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Saturday, September 19: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday, September 20: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Our firm is entirely dedicated to the fascinating field of autographs: original manuscripts handwritten by important figures in cultural history. Writers and scientists, artists and composers, major and minor players in world history all left behind letters and other manuscripts that bring the authors closer to us in a unique way, and which are often the first and only evidence of historical moments.
A collection area that opens up its very own cosmos – J. A. Stargardt’s specialty for almost 200 years.
Autograph and Manuscript Traders and Auctioneers
Special items
Some autographs that we have been able to sell successfully in recent years.
Egon Schiele
Francisco de Goya
Franz Kafka
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Ludwig van Beethoven
Marcel Proust
Max Klinger
On Collecting Autographs
Günther Mecklenburg (1898-1984), long-time owner of J. A. Stargardt, wrote "Vom Autographensammeln" (“On Collecting Autographs”), the first modern manual for autograph collectors. Even after almost 60 years, it offers excellent insight into the subject. We are making the book available digitally here (in German). All rights to the texts are reserved by J. A. Stargardt.
Why collect autographs?
At the beginning of autograph collection, there was awe: a desire to preserve the writing of venerable people as a physical memory of them. An introduction to a fascination.
Terms and Definitions
The word „autograph“ can be misleading, especially for those not yet familiar with the subject. But autographs are so much more than just signatures.
The autograph trade arose in Germany in the 1830s as an offshoot of the book trade.
Trade in autographs
Reading and understanding catalogs
An auction or stock catalog can be indecipherable for beginners. Which points provide the crucial information – and what do all the abbreviations mean?
The
History of our Autograph House
The J. A. Stargardt company was founded in Berlin in 1830 by Johann Carl Klage (1785-1850) as a book and music supplies shop. As of 1841, it was directed by Ernst Krigar, who sold the company to Reuter & Stargardt in 1847. Paul Julius Reuter (1816-1899) resigned as early as 1849 and later founded the well-known Reuter's Telegram Company, today’s Reuters news agency
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