The March catalog (#328) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #328 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: Babe Ruth’s famous ‘called shot’ home run, the ‘Boston Newsletter’ from 1740, a displayable issue on Lincoln’s assassination, a 1775 ‘Virginia Gazette’ from Williamsburg, Washington proclaims an end to hostilities in the Revolutionary War, 1776 document signed by future Supreme Court Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth, the Hindenburg explosion, Abraham Lincoln’s last public speech & last proclamation, perhaps the earliest baseball song every written (1856), and more.
February’s catalog (#327) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #327 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the desired segmented snake masthead (1774), the Gettysburg Address (on the front page), the best of the Pearl Harbor newspapers, extremely graphic newspaper on Lincoln’s funeral, a ‘Newsbook’ from the English Civil War (1643), perhaps the best baseball print in any periodical, and more.
The start of a new year lends itself to daydreaming – of the future… of goals… of a better world. Much of the time these dreams fall by the wayside only to be replaced by a new focus or to be renewed at a later time. But sometimes dreams are so monumental and expansive they extend past the dreamer and are swept along by the tidal wave generated by the aspiration. Such is the case, I would argue, with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream as stated on August 28, 1963. The work he began and the vision he cast extended well past his assassination as reported in the CHICAGO DAILY DEFENDER, April 6-12, 1968 (pictured to the right), and continued to move an entire country to a more congenial and “equal” state – one better reflecting the Founders’ dream: “We The People…!”. May we all strive for his dream for mankind with all the graciousness, boldness and humility he demonstrated, and may we work to construct such noble dreams as well.
January’s catalog (#326) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #326 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: one of the earliest–and rarest–of the newsbooks we have offered, Washington’s inauguration in an American periodical, an ‘American Weekly Mercury’ from 1735, the earliest report of Washington’s death we have offered, the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. (in an African-American newspaper), the death of Marilyn Monroe, a very graphic issue on the fall of Richmond, and more.
December’s catalog (#325) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #325 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the Battle of Gettysburg (in a Confederate newspaper), the Gettysburg Address in a PA newspaper, creation of the Department of the Navy, coverage of the Battles of New York and Long Island, a rare mention of Jefferson’s “Sally”, Lincoln’s famous Cooper Union speech, the Oxford Gazette dated in 1665, the Custer Massacre, a Revolutionary War map from 1776, Isaiah Thomas’s famous ‘Massachusetts Spy’ (1776), and more.
Some of our collectors are drawn to a poignant political speech and some are passionate about 17th – 19th century maps. More than a few seek reports of famous battles while others can’t resist death reports of notable generals. When it comes to the Rare & Early Newspapers collectible, breadth of interest runs from the heart-wrenching past (illustrated slave ads – lest we forget), to the lighthearted (a recent issue containing an ad & review of a favorite movie. However, regardless of their interest, for a majority of collectors it’s all about the headline – the more frameable and dramatic, the better!
With this in mind, may I submit as an example the banner headline of Hearst’s Boston American for April 23, 1906: “SAN FRANCISCO SUFFERERS GO MAD! “, followed by: “Crazed By Horrors They Roam The Streets”. Can we all agree… even the tabloids of today can’t touch this! So, whether you are drawn to the macabre, the triumphant, or merely the historical, for many it’s all about the headline. After all…
November’s catalog (#324) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #324 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the “Black Sox” scandal (in a Chicago newspaper), an issue of The Virginia Gazette (1775, Williamsburg), The Royal Gazette (American loyalist-leaning), printing of The Declaration of Independence, rarer than “Dewey Defeats Truman”, Lincoln’s 2nd Inauguration, the Battle of Fort Washington, the death pf Alexander Hamilton, The Polynesian (early from Hawaii), tarring and feathering, and more.
People who collect stamps… like stamps, collect trains… like trains, collect coins… like coins, collect classic cars… like classic cars, etc.. However, those who collect rare & early newspapers may have the collecting bug for Colonial America, the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Old West, sports, elections, inventions, early flight, tragedies, famous death reports, incredible achievements, illustrated ads of new products as they developed over time, beautiful wood-cut prints from famous artists and illustrators, the progress of civil rights and suffrage from the 1700’s through the present, … – oh, and articles, illustrations and/or ads related to stamps, trains, coins, classic cars and other popular collectibles. They may also simply value history and appreciate viewing events through the eyes of those who experienced them first had.
Of course it’s always best to enter a specific collectible before it becomes over-saturated, exploited, or over-priced, but most collectors arrive on the scene when the prices are either too high, or the value of the collectible is starting to decline.
In contrast, while there are several collectible newspapers priced in the $10,000 to $750,000+ range, many can still be obtained “on the cheap”. It is with this in mind one of our staff decided to create a brief video highlighting a few items priced under $50. In fact, there are well over 15,000 such items available on the RareNewspapers.com website. Please enjoy:
As of today, over 25% of my wife’s and my retirement savings have turned to dust. Ouch. Will our investments bounce back? Our 6 children and their families certainly hope so. Yes, times are tough, but are they any worse than during the height of the most recent pandemic… or the one from the early 1900’s? How about living during any of the multiple wars we’ve engaged in over the past 200+ years, during the Great Depression, or in and around some of the devastating hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or wildfires which have taken countess lives or stripped the survivors of their worldly possessions? Do our current financial, social, and political difficulties hold a candle to any of these?
These ponderings are not meant to diminish the sorrow, sickness, and loss of life which has befallen us over the past few years, but we’ve also learned a ton: “Don’t sweat the small stuff?”, “What are truly the most important things to hold on to?”, “Life is precious.”, to name but a few. All of these fall under the umbrella of “Homebuilding 101”. The Author of wisdom once said, “Don’t build your house upon the sand!” This is not merely good advice, its words to live by.
Case in point…
In late October of 1929 the Stock Market crashed, and in an instant the foundation of many washed away in a torrent of bad news. For those who had built their house upon such fleeting sand as an investment portfolio, everything crumbled. Such was the case for James J. Riordan, a noteworthy investor and president of the County Trust Company of New York. His response to the crash was emblazoned on the front page of the Chicago Sunday Tribune (along with most other newspapers of the day) for all to see. Of course his reaction to the sudden loss of worldly possessions has been played out in similar fashion time-and-time again – a lesson for all of us to consider when we are seeking a foundation upon which to build our lives.
September’s catalog (#322) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #322 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: North Carolina secedes (in a North Carolina newspaper), a rare colonial title with a Battle of Bunker Hill report, the Emancipation Proclamation on the front page, a Paul Revere engraving in the masthead, the Funding Act of 1790, the Battle of Gettysburg (from a Confederate perspective), and more.