In 1881, the Northwestern Stamp Company is founded in Milwaukee by Andrew Schwaab. A major portion of Schwaab's early business was in the metal engraving area, where highly skilled engravers fashioned unique badges of all kinds.
On May 8, 1888, the company incorporated and changed its name to Schwaab Stamp and Seal Company. Andrew successfully continued and expanded the business until he died on April 19, 1911.
Coins for the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis were made at Schwaab as were countless other tokens commemorating any imaginable event, from the Third Annual Cowboys Convention in Haskell, Texas, in 1898, to the Presidential inauguration of S. Grover Cleveland in 1893, to the commemoration of the first sheet of steel rolled in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
In 1958 Schwaab Stamp and Seal entered into negotiations with S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc., of Racine, a move which radically changed the course of the company's sales. Johnson Wax had developed and patented a new product called Porelon. The product could be used to manufacture stamps which required no ink pad. Porelon was a combination of ink and plastic that would not dry out, produced about 25,000 imprints, and came in different colors. That is where Schwaab earned a national presence. Today we have several pre-inked and self-inking stamps.
In 1960 Schwaab, Inc moved its plant to a new location on West Burleigh Street in Wauwatosa. A new addition was constructed in 1970.
In 2016, Schwaab, Inc moved to a new manufacturing facility in Brookfield, WI.
Today, Schwaab is considered a specialist in custom marking and identity products. Virtually every product produced is unique because it is made-to-order. Schwaab, Inc., has expanded its product line to include exclusive products, like ExcelMark flash and self-inking stamps, which provide savings and quality unsurpassed in the industry. Schwaab also continues to pursue eco-friendly products and processes, and has adopted new technologies that allow for digital and laser printing of all sorts of products and materials.