This special issue aims to highlight the value of historical paleontological collections at museums in general, and at Swedish Museum of Natural History (NRM) in particular, providing a glimpse into our national fossil archives in the light of modern science and technology. Museums worldwide house fossil material collected over a time span of hundreds of years, in many cases from sedimentary successions that are no longer accessible. The paleontological collections at the NRM comprise over two million specimens that were contributed to the museum over the past 200 years, by pioneers, such as Nordenskiöld, Angelin, Holm, Stensiö, Nathorst, Halle and Lundblad. In more recent times, donations from other institutes and private persons have enriched our collections and a new generation of scientists and curators are continuously adding valuable material. For the purpose of this special issue, we focus mainly on our Swedish collections, focusing on scientifically important specimens not described previously, but also new material investigated with the latest technologies. Research highlighted in this issue covers most of the Phanerozoic eon incorporating macro- and microfossil data from marine and continental successions. We wish to show the reader that the collections represent an invaluable national resource and a great asset for both Swedish and international researchers long into the future.