Corinphila Auktionen AG

What Corinphila Auktionen AG does

Corinphila Auktionen AG is Switzerland's oldest stamp auction house, founded in 1919 in Zurich and conducting its first auction under the Corinphila name in 1925. The firm runs biannual philatelic auction series in Zurich (June and November), supplemented by special auctions — the June 2023 series alone comprised 10 catalogues over 7 days. Buyers participate either on-site at the Wiesenstrasse 8 headquarters or remotely through the auction.corinphila.ch online live bidding platform, with all transactions quoted and settled in Swiss Francs under supervision of Stadtammannamt Zürich 8. Pricing is purely transactional: a 23% buyer's premium on the hammer price plus 8.1% Swiss VAT (waived for foreign buyers with valid export declarations), combined with a success commission charged to sellers on the hammer price achieved. A Private Treaty channel handles off-cycle sales of complete collections, and the SINCONA partnership provides numismatic cross-referral.

The firm's core technology stack is a digital auction platform — online catalogue with tens of thousands of lot images, online live bidding, PDF catalogue distribution, and digital provenance research databases — layered on top of a traditional expert-led consignment and authentication process. The most strategically significant proprietary assets are two provenance databases: the Karl Louis Card Index (the world's most comprehensive provenance census of Great Britain stamps, maintained for 35+ years) and the Swiss Card Index (Karteiregistratur Schweiz), the world's largest existing card index of classical Swiss philately. These databases, combined with the firm's credentialed philatelic staff (A.I.E.P., FRPSL, A.E.P. members) and the published Bibliography of Corinphila Sales 1925-2026, function as unique competitive assets.

The business is operated by a small team (5 employees) led by Managing Directors Antoine Clavel and Jonas Hällström. Distribution is anchored by auction catalogues (print and PDF) sent to the proprietary customer database, the online catalogue platform, and the Global Philatelic Network partnership with Heinrich Köhler (Germany) and John Bull (Hong Kong), which provides cross-border consignor and buyer referrals and synchronized auction calendars. The customer base is primarily high-net-worth philatelic collectors and estate sellers globally, with transaction integrity independently certified by Baker Tilly OBT AG for all hammer prices above CHF 100,000 during 2010-2022.

Name

Corinphila Auktionen AG

Legal name

Corinphila Auktionen AG

Website

https://corinphila.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Corinphila Auktionen AG is Switzerland's oldest philatelic auction house (founded 1919, Zurich), conducting biannual live stamp and postal history auctions with online and on-site bidding, charging a 23% buyer's premium plus seller's commission, and serving high-net-worth collectors globally through proprietary provenance databases and the Global Philatelic Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philatelic Auction Services

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

akta.pro primary industry

Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)

Keywords

• Philatelic auctions
• Stamp auction house
• Postal history sales
• Private treaty sales
• Provenance research

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Auction Commission (Seller's Side): Corinphila charges sellers a success commission on the hammer price achieved for their consigned philatelic material. Consignors receive the net proceeds after commission deduction from the auction proceeds.
2. Buyer's Premium: Buyers pay a 23% buyer's premium on the hammer price, plus Swiss VAT of 8.1% applied to the total of hammer price plus buyer's premium. This represents a significant revenue stream per transaction.
3. Private Treaty Sales: Off-auction sales of philatelic collections through private treaty arrangement, providing commission revenue outside the regular auction cycle.
4. Numismatic Cross-Sell (SINCONA Partnership): Through the SINCONA partnership, Corinphila refers numismatic sell-through to SINCONA and earns referral value. Collectors wanting to sell both stamps and coins are directed to SINCONA, creating a complementary revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Corinphila Auktionen AG operates Switzerland's oldest philatelic auction house, conducting semi-annual stamp and postal history auction series in Zurich with both in-person and online live bidding. The firm provides expert consignment acquisition, cataloguing, authentication, and settlement services for rare stamps and collections, complemented by private treaty off-auction sales and proprietary provenance research through the Karl Louis Card Index for Great Britain and the Card Index Switzerland.

Product overview

Corinphila Auktionen AG is Switzerland's oldest stamp auction house, founded in 1919, operating as a traditional philatelic auction platform offering both physical and online participation. The core product is the semi-annual auction series held in Zurich, supported by Online Live Bidding and Online Catalogue modules accessible at auction.corinphila.ch. The product portfolio includes specialized sub-products such as the Karl Louis 'Card Index' for Great Britain provenance research and the Switzerland Card Index (Karteiregistratur Schweiz) for classical Swiss philatelic provenance. The Private Treaty service enables direct sales outside auctions, while the SINCONA partnership extends capabilities into numismatics. The Global Philatelic Network connects Corinphila with Heinrich Koehler (Germany) and John Bull (Hong Kong) for international auction coordination.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Philatelic Auctions Semi-annual philatelic auction series conducted in Zurich offering rare stamps, postal history, and specialized collections to high-net-worth collectors worldwide, with both on-site and online live bidding participation.
• Private Treaty Sales Off-auction confidential sale service for complete philatelic collections, providing discretion, timing flexibility, and expert handling for estates and private sellers who prefer not to wait for the scheduled auction calendar.
• Consignment Services End-to-end consignment service covering expert evaluation, authentication by accredited philatelists, professional cataloguing, and collection pickup (including home visits for large holdings), culminating in inclusion in a Zurich auction series.

Quantifiable outcome

• Baker Tilly-certified auction hammer prices above CHF 100,000 verified between 2010-2022

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SINCONAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSINCONA is a specialist numismatic auction house partnered with Corinphila to serve collectors who wish to sell both philatelic and numismatic treasures. Corinphila and SINCONA jointly represent 'discretion, expertise and quality in support of collecting.' The partnership enables cross-referral of collectors between the two houses and a shared co-marketing folder titled 'A Partnership of Trust for Exceptional Results.'
• Global Philatelic Network (GPN)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal Philatelic Network is a partnership of three leading philatelic auction houses: Corinphila Auktionen (Switzerland, founded 1919), Heinrich Köhler (Germany, founded 1913), and John Bull (Hong Kong, founded 1975). GPN facilitates consignment referrals, auction calendar coordination, and buyer pool sharing among member houses. Each member is positioned as the oldest stamp auction house in their respective country.
• Heinrich Köhler (within Global Philatelic Network)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGermany's oldest philatelic auction house (founded 1913), partner in the Global Philatelic Network. Next auction: 21-26 September 2026 with consignment deadline 15 July 2026.
• John Bull (within Global Philatelic Network)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerHong Kong's oldest philatelic auction house (founded 1975), partner in the Global Philatelic Network. Auctions held in June and December with consignment deadlines in March and September.
• Baker Tilly OBT AGminorOthersIndependent auditing firm engaged to certify the plausibility of all auction hammer prices above CHF 100,000 and the correct settlement of consignor and buyer transactions between 2010 and 2022. Baker Tilly OBT AG, Zurich, conducted the review and issued an official auditor's report (Wirtschaftsprüfer-Testat) available as a PDF download.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• David Feldman SA: The world's leading dedicated philatelic auction house, founded in Geneva in 1967. Closest head-to-head competitor in rare stamp and collection auctions with similar clientele, authentication standards, and biannual auction cadence — a direct peer in both offering and customer base.
• Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries: The largest US-based philatelic auction house, conducting regular US stamp and postal history sales. Directly comparable in auction model and HNW stamp collector targeting, and a North American complement to Corinphila's European auction calendar.
• Spink & Son: Long-established London-based auction house conducting philatelic and collectibles sales with similar take-rate economics. Comparable in century-plus heritage, catalogue quality, and HNW philatelic collector targeting — a direct peer in luxury philatelic auctions.
• Heinrich Köhler: Germany's oldest stamp auction house (founded 1913) and Corinphila's partner in the Global Philatelic Network. Operates the same biannual high-end philatelic auction model in Wiesbaden with shared buyer and consignor relationships — the most direct operational and strategic peer.
• Stanley Gibbons: Established UK philatelic dealer and auction operator (founded 1856) running stamp auctions alongside retail and catalogue publishing. Overlaps directly with Corinphila on auction services and serves a similar HNW stamp collector audience.
• John Bull Stamps Ltd. Hong Kong's oldest philatelic auction house (founded 1975) and Corinphila's GPN partner. Runs an analogous semi-annual Asia-based stamp auction programme and provides cross-border consignor access — making it a direct peer in both model and target Asian HNW collector segment.

Others

• SINCONA AG: Swiss numismatic auction house and Corinphila's strategic referral partner. Does not compete on philately but shares the Zurich HNW collectibles ecosystem and cross-refers combined stamp/coin estates — a strategic ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Auctions: The largest US collectibles auction house covering stamps, coins, comics, and fine collectibles. Overlaps with Corinphila on stamp auctions but competes as a much larger multi-category platform with greater auction frequency — a broad incumbent in shared segments.
• Christie's: Global luxury auction house that periodically handles rare stamps and philatelic collections. Comparable HNW clientele and luxury auction format, but operates philately as a niche within a much broader portfolio — a broad incumbent.
• Sotheby's: Global luxury auction house whose collectibles division includes stamps and postal history. Competes for the same HNW collectibles consignor but as part of a far broader luxury portfolio — a broad incumbent with partial overlap in philately.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corinphila-auktionen-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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