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Book Plates

Bookplates, or "ex libris," have been in existence since the 16th century. Bookplates are used to mark the ownership of a book. Many famous people had their books marked with a bookplate. Bookplates have been created in woodcuts, engraved metal, silkscreen, etching, or ink, and many fine examples were designed by master artists and engravers such as Durer, Chagall, and Escher.

Family crests and mottoes were popular motifs until bookplates became more personalized. Some of the most unique bookplates were created for well-known figures including Ernest Hemingway, Benito Mussolini, Albert Einstein, and Adolf Hitler. A bookplate belonging to silent film actor Charlie Chaplin shows an innocent-looking boy on a journey with a dog, resembling "The Fool" of the major arcana in a tarot card deck, while one of Mussolini’s bookplates features an eerie scene of the head of an axe cutting through rope.

Collectors of bookplates may be rare, but they are intent on their purpose. They often use a bookplate much like a trading card. The bookplate collector may choose to pursue a particular theme, and will trade with other collectors to add to his stock. Occasionally, the lucky collector may find a bookplate in a volume or hidden away on a shelf at a rare book dealer's shop.


Quick Facts

  • A 1921 Michel Fingesten ex libris sold for $1,635 at Ketterer Kunst in 2009
  • A 1927 album of bookplates by Dora Carrington sold for $3,277 at a Christie’s auction in 2015
  • The 21-volume bookplate collection of the late Arthur W. Dorling containing a total of some 6,000 plates sold for $15,228 at Bonhams in 2012

Recommended Items at Auction

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Gould (John) & Richter (H. C.) Collection of plates from The Birds of Great Britain
Oct 31, 7:30 PM EDT
Gould (John) & Richter (H. C.) Collection of plates from The Birds of Great Britain
by Stout Auctions Toy and Train Specialists
Est: ¥800- ¥1,200
¥4,50017 Bids
With attractive heliotype plates capturing the design of turtle shells
Nov 22, 2:00 PM CET
With attractive heliotype plates capturing the design of turtle shells
by Figlio Designs Auctioneers and Appraisers
Est: $200- $400
$1000 Bids
With fine chromoxylographed plates
Nov 22, 2:00 PM CET
With fine chromoxylographed plates
by Figlio Designs Auctioneers and Appraisers
Est: $300- $500
$1500 Bids

Sellers Who Sell Book Plates


Figlio Designs Auctioneers and Appraisers

Figlio Designs Auctioneers and Appraisers

Stout Auctions Toy and Train Specialists

Stout Auctions Toy and Train Specialists