THE POSTCARD ALBUM

POSTCARD PRINTER & PUBLISHER RESEARCH

 TPA ARCHIVES    

Company name:  O. Schaefer & Scheibe, later always with suffix Nachf. (= successor)

Address:  Ritterstr. 111, Berlin S. (1898), moved to Lichtenberg near Berlin, Rittergutstr. in c. 1912

In business from:  1844 to early 1921

Printer:  yes   Publisher:  yes

Means of production / workforce:  9 printing presses / 87 other machines / 300 workers (1913)

Trademark(s):

S&S with ‘weathercock’ on top logo - early cards show full name imprinted. The logo can be found somewhere on picture as well as on address side.

Specialised in: OSS were not only typical chromolitho printers but also a deLuxe paper manufacturer. Typical ‘Gruss aus’ as well as any other type of (subject) postcards, poster, relief printing, menue, place cards, chromo’s etc

Notes:  Business column in “Papier-Zeitung” Dec. 1897 issue mentions that OSS had been under control of (local competitor) Littauer & Boysen. Owner since Feb. 20, 1898 was Heinrich Schaar. Since 1904 the company was run by widow Mathilde Schaar together with Adolf Hildesheimer. In 1912 the firm was converted into a limited company. Schaefer & Scheibe had a very good reputation for their high-quality chromolitho work. Supplied many early ‘Greetings from’ type cards to various countries, eg. to Russia in 1897.

OSS card numbering appears to be a little bit mysterious. Individual card no’s on early production (eg. no. 6663 = p/u in Feb. 1900). Then we find 4-digit series no’s but also many cards without any mention of card/series number but logo only.

Illustrations (from top):

Richter Bros. from Dresden published this view of the city of Königstein/Elbe, lithography and printing by O. Schaefer & Scheibe. P/u Nov. 1898.

Embossed greetings design, this with birthday greetings imprint. OSS logo on picture side, no number/series. P/u early 1911 in Germany.

Religious motif, nicely embossed/high relief. With OSS logo on address side together with ‘Printed in Germany’ imprint. Not p/u, divided back.

OSS card no. 7177 ‘Gruss aus...’ romance. Mailed by private post service ‘Courier” in March 1900.

OSS series 4196, New Year greetings, heavy embossed. P/u Dec. 30, 1915.

OSS card without any number / series mention. It shows a New Year greetings imprint. Chromolitho, embossed, mailed from Germany to France in 1909.

OSS card without any number / series imprint. Shows birthday greetings imprint. OSS logo on picture side. Quality chromolitho printing. P/u late 1906 or 1908. Postmark partly illegible. Address side layout points towards a 1906 production.

O.S.S.