Except where noted, these plates are mounted and do not include associated information about the subject. The American bookplates were owned by men who lived primarily during the mid-19th century through the early 1930s, and include bookplates owned by surgeons, professors, bankers and editors. The English owners lived primarily in the 19th century. The unmounted plates include individual men's and institutional plates, and Box 44 and 45 have "unmounted duplicates," which include numerous Emma and Augustus Toedteberg duplicates and presentation plates to the Long Island Historical Society.
The plates of various states are printed directly to the paper rather than mounted. The "oversize" plates are printed on 8 x 11 cardstock. A "state" refers to the printing process, where an impression is made from the original design to create a print. Different states result from changes to the original design. Copies of many of these plates are boxed elsewhere in the collection. Included are several duplicates of Emma Toedteberg's personal bookplates, as well as the bookplates of ladies and institutions.
Box 45 includes correspondence between librarian Edna Huntington and the College of Arms in London, dated 1951, regarding Ms. Huntington's research request to identify a coat-of-arms depicted in a particular bookplate. The box also includes a letter to Emma Toedteberg from Northwestern University Library, dated April 24, 1922; and a handwritten note dated January 29, 1925, lacking letterhead.