The Helicinidae stored at the Museum and Institute of Zoology in Warsaw were studied in 2003. The 990 lots encompass the whole collection of A. J. WAGNER, and a minor part consists of material collected by W. LUBOMIRSKI. The Wagner collection contains a significant number of the original specimens for the volume of the “Martini & Chemnitz – Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet” on Helicinidae which represents the most recent comprehensive revision of the family. A brief description of the contents of the collection is given. Additional search for historic archive material revealed new biographic information about the malacologist ANTONI JÓZEF WAGNER (1860–1928) which is presented here for the first time. The main sources were letters by WAGNER to RUDOLPH STURANY, Vienna, and EDUARD VONMARTENS, Berlin. Special attention is paid to the historical background of his studies on the Helicinidae. An annotated list of malacologists of WAGNER’s time, who contributed most of the helicinid specimens in exchange, is included, based on label information in the collection and comments in an unpublished catalogue written by WAGNER.