Passport Collector Tom Topol: A Life in Passport History

IN 2003, WHILE STROLLING THROUGH A FLEA MARKET IN KYOTO, TOM TOPOL’S EYE WAS CAUGHT BY AN INTRIGUING DOCUMENT THAT WOULD SOON IGNITE A PASSION FOR OLD PASSPORTS. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF A LONG JOURNEY THROUGH THE STORIES OF THE VARIOUS, SOMETIMES EXTRAORDINARY, LIVES RECORDED IN OLD TRAVEL PAPERS.

Tom Topol quotes Goethe (see his passport here), who said, “Collectors are happy people”. Judging from the happiness this passion seems to arouse in him, the German polymath was exactly right. This history buff had always dreamt of starting a collection. His first objects of desire were old East German coins, which he resold after German reunification when interest in such articles was at a peak. Collecting was a joy for him, but also an investment.

A Flea Market in Japan Passport History Expert Topol 

Then, in 2003, Topol happened upon an old Japanese passport in a box of miscellaneous old documents. The passport had been issued in 1934 and bore the photograph of a young woman wearing a kimono. In excellent condition, the booklet inspired him to embark on a quest to find other old passports. Unquestionably less conventional than stamps, his collection intrigued and fascinated the people around him.

“People react differently when I show them my hobby. Many are immediately fascinated because it’s such an unusual and evocative subject. The collection of old passports is certainly a niche pastime,” says Topol.

He carefully stored his collection in a humidity-controlled bank safe, primarily consisting of German passports issued through 1995. Some were issued by East Germany, while others came from extraordinary or extinct nations and territories. With over seven hundred items in his archive – the oldest dating to 1646.

Centerpieces Passport History Expert Topol 

Tom Topol has amassed an important history of passports. When asked what is the centerpiece of his large collection, he invariably cites two documents.

Francis II.

One is a passport from 1797 issued by Francis II, the last Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and first Emperor of Austria, the only double emperor in history. This unique status makes it a collector’s item of inestimable value, a true “museum piece” according to Topol.

John Watts Young

The other is the passport of the American astronaut John Watts Young (1930–2018). Young holds the record for the longest service as an astronaut at NASA: forty-two years. His track record is truly impressive, with six space flights aboard three different spacecraft: Gemini, Apollo and the space shuttle. He was also the ninth man to set foot on the moon.

“Eight billion people now live on planet Earth, but only a dozen have been to the moon. Can you imagine?” marvels Topol.

The passport in his collection dates to a period when Young was just a rookie astronaut, well before his name had become legendary.

Topol’s passion for old travel documents does not merely regard the physical item, it also extends into historical research about their owners and the ambassadors or consuls who issued them. Thanks to a website dedicated to his collection, Topol is often able to establish contact with people acquainted with or related to the passport holder, thus gaining information and insight into their biographies. Passport History Expert Topol 

Mary Kingsley and Paul Gmelin

When asked which passport owner he would have liked to have met in person, Tom chooses Mary Kingsley (1862–1900) “because she could describe just how long and difficult travelling was at the time, especially for a woman alone.” Unfortunately, he does not currently have any additional documentation that once was hers.

The other name that comes to mind is Paul Gmelin (1859–1937), a German immigrant to the United States, whose passport is in his collection. Paul Gmelin was one of the architects who designed some of the first skyscrapers in the United States in the early twentieth century.

Tom Topol would love to speak with him about all the reasons that prompted him to sail across the Atlantic to the American continent to embark on a new career and a new life.

More than a collector of administrative documents, Tom Topol has amassed an exceptional compendium of the stories of people’s lives through the works of art that are their old passports. Tom is well familiar with the theme of travelling, having spent a great deal of his time on business trips. Passport History Expert Topol 

Nowadays, he travels only for pleasure. And which country, among those represented by the passports in his collection, would he most like to visit?

North Korea! Because no one knows how long this nation will continue to exist in its current form, and it would allow him to take a trip back in time to find himself immersed in what might seem like the 1950s.

Collecting old passports has helped Tom enrich his knowledge of geography, travel and politics. His expertise and experience have earned him a solid international reputation.

International Recognition

Journalists, magazines, and organizations interested in writing articles frequently approach him. In addition, practitioners of the seventh art often contact him, seeking guidance on reproducing historical passports. Take a look at his impressive recognition list.

“One of the projects was my assistance for the U.S. State Department for their consular exhibition in Washington, D.C., From Pirates to Passports: A Timeless Commitment to Service.”

His involvement earned him an Award from the U.S. Department of State for his invaluable assistance.

Through flea markets to empty attics by way of online communities or meetings among collectors, Tom Topol has succeeded in creating a one-of-a-kind collection. His hunt for documents has led him to organize many meetings.

Sigmund Freud Passport History Expert Topol 

One day, Tom was contacted via his website by a British woman claiming to be in possession of a passport once belonging to Sigmund Freud. “Sounds very exciting, right? I asked for detailed photos, and it turned out it was a bogus document.”

The data page, which featured an excellent photo of Freud, was very well executed, but the other pages had stamps that were too recent. It was actually a British passport with modified photo and personal information.

“By the way, Freud never had a British passport. This is one of only two fake passports in my collection. A curiosity!” says Tom.

In Tom’s eyes, today’s passports have become standardized travel documents, far removed from the works of art they once were. Not only were they once written by hand, but they were also embellished with various colorful border stamps. And of course, there is the beauty of the vintage photos that they bear (passports have had photos for only about a hundred years).

Fantastic wax seals and watermarks adorn the oldest documents. Today, Tom is trying to complete his collection with all types of passport issued by the German Empire. The fact that he is now missing only two testifies to the incredible wealth of documents in his possession.

They are so rare that after twenty years of searching, he has yet to see a single exemplar.If this article has inspired you to learn more about passports, remember that Tom authored the book “Let Pass or Die,” an indispensable work referencing the great Genghis Khan, who bestowed his envoys with a metal passport known as a ‘Paiza’.

The inscription means, “I am the emissary of the Khan. If you defy me, you die!”. Consider yourself forewarned!

Vacheron & Constantin Collaboration

Vacheron & Constantin is the oldest watch manufacturer in the world, founded 1755 in Geneva, Switzerland. The exclusive Collector’s Island magazine (rather an art book), edited by Vacheron Constantin, presents in a yearly issue, of only 800 copies, the most beautiful art collections in the world. Only 80 collectors worldwide have been portrait, and I was ONE of them.

 

Tom Topol | Passport History Expert & Author.
Featured in media incl. CNN, BBC, Newsweek. Awarded by the U.S. Department of State.
"Want to go deeper? My book Let Pass or Die covers the full 500-year history"

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