(rk-bdph/wm-pcp) At the 118th German Philatelists’ Day on October 5, 2025, in Hamburg, Reiner von Scharpen, BDPh Federal Director for Research and Literature and a well-known specialist author, was awarded this year’s Kalckhoff Medal. The Kalckhoff Medal is a literary prize awarded by the German Philatelists’ Association for outstanding achievements in the field of German-language philatelic literature. This prize was first awarded in honor of Franz Kalckhoff in 1950, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, and in 1951 he himself was the first recipient.
This year’s winner is in good company, as the more than 13 names of well-known literary figures since 2000 alone include Ingo von Garnier (2000), Hans Meyer (2002), Karl Zangerle (2004), Peter Fischer (2008), Andreas Hahn (2012), and even one woman, Sabine Schwanke (2019). This year marks the 38th time the award has been presented since 1950.
Reinhard Küchler gave the laudatory speech on behalf of the BDPh, saying of the award winner: “He is a former teacher, and my impression is that he loves to write for a living, but he also loves to read for a living. So it’s no wonder that several hundred, perhaps even thousands, of his book reviews have appeared in the trade press over the past decades. … He has also exhibited his work, written his own books, for example on perforations, and articles, of course. He is also a traveling lecturer who loves to share his knowledge. …”
Das Foto von Udo Angerstein zeigt von links Laudator Reinhard Küchler, der Geehrte – Rainer von Scharpen sowie BDPh-Präsident Alfred Schmidt.
Photo: Kalckhoff Hamburg
