Long live the dead… a zombie love affair?

October 31, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

The New-York Observer (August 14, 1856) has a report which seems right out of a Hollywood Halloween-Thriller script (or crypt?). Was this a bogus story? Perhaps the blockbuster “Ghost” (1990) wasn’t fiction after all. I’ll save the “being married to a dead-beat” jokes for another post.

Lincoln’s famous letter to Lydia Bixby…

October 28, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

The photo shows the report in the December 2, 1864 issue of “The Liberator” of Lincoln’s very famous & heart-felt letter to a woman who lost five sons in the Civil War. A very sobering report which gives one a small sense of the horror of war not just on the battlefield, but at home as well. This letter has been praised by many as among Lincoln’s best works of writing, along with the Gettysburg Address and second inaugural address.

Do Old and Antique Newspapers Have Any Collectible Value?

October 25, 2013 by · 808 Comments 

It is not often I travel to Yahoo for answers to some of the more meaningful questions of life: Where did we come from? What is the purpose of Life? Do old newspapers have value? However, I recently came upon a post on Yahoo Voices which did a decent job of handling this last question.  It begins:

You’ve Happened Upon a Stack of Old Newspapers…Some Have Historic Headlines! Are They Worth Anything?

Let face it, old newspapers don’t get much respect. In today’s world, they’re generally seen as material for the recycler. And years ago, many libraries simply tossed them out after converting them to micro or digital files. But do old or antique newspapers have any collectible value? The answer is a definite…maybe!

Newspapers have been around almost as long as the Gutenberg Press. And in general they’ve been seen as expendable–meant to be read a time or two and then thrown away, or used for fish wrap or some other convenient purpose. But newspapers also have tremendous historic value… (read more)

 (Unfortunately, the Yahoo article has since expired. If anyone has discovered great articles regarding the value of newspapers, please let us know and we’ll consider adding it. In the meantime, feel free to use the www.RareNewspapers.com website for comparables.)

The Traveler… let her in… hard to replace…

October 21, 2013 by · 4 Comments 

Today I traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, by the way of The Omaha Daily Bee dated October 21, 1913. There I found a very interesting British lady had been detained at Ellis Island for the past three days, that being militant suffragist leader Emmeline Pankhurst. She had come to the States to do lecture engagements. “…It was difficult to imagine that the slightly built, gray haired little woman who stepped ashore from the ferry boat at the Battery was the same person that for several years had caused the British government so much trouble by reason of her militant tactics in behalf of woman suffrage or her incitation to militancy for the ’cause,'”. It took President Wilson and the Secretary Wilson of the Department of Labor issuing an order of release to allow her admittance into the country.

Did you ever think that you were irreplaceable on your job? A maid, Rose Bergenhammer, found this to be true. She was engaged to be wed and gave her employer, Mrs. Dwight, three weeks notice. Mrs. Dwight went to every employment agency and could not find anyone  to take her place. When Rose tried to leave, Mrs. Dwight called the police and tried to have her fiance, Mr. Lee, arrested on attempted kidnapping charges. Rose must have been a fantastic maid!

~The Traveler

AND as for stating the obvious… Hitler insane?

October 18, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

We recently discovered a surprisingly interesting article in the Minneapolis Morning Star for June 30, 1942. At first glance it seems to state the obvious. However, upon further reflection, it might be interesting to explore the backstory as to the motivation behind his 1923 evaluation. Perhaps there is nothing here to uncover, but it makes one wonder.

Discovering the eloquence of Washington…

October 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

One of the benefits of collecting notable newspapers is not only the joy of finding an historically significant report–like Washington’s proclamation announcing the formal end of hostilities with England–but appreciating the eloquence of our leaders of years past.  With all our modern intelligence & computer-enabled resources at our fingertips, it seems like the simple skill of writing has been lost with our generation.

The referenced event was recently discovered in the “Pennsylvania Journal & Weekly Advertiser” newspaper of April 30, 1783. Page two contains this very historic report, but of equal fascination is the wording of the document. He congratulates the Army, noting that those who have performed the “…meanest office…” have participated in a great drama “…on the stage of human affairs…For these are the men who ought to be considered as the pride and boast of the American Army; And, who crowned with well earned laurels, may soon withdraw from the field of Glory, to the more tranquil walks of civil life…Nothing now remains but for the actors of this mighty Scene to preserve a perfect, unvarying, consistency of character through the very last act; to close the Drama with applause; and to retire from the Military Theatre with the same approbation of Angels and men which have crowned all their former virtuous actions.” There is evidence of Washington’s less formal and more pedestrian side as well as he ends the document with: “An extra ration of liquor to be issued to every man tomorrow, to drink Perpetual Peace, Independence and Happiness to the United States of America.” See this hyperlink for the full text (or the text of the actual newspaper below).

What a thrill to find such a document which has rested on our shelves for many years just waiting to be discovered. What a thrill to be involved in such a fascinating hobby.

Framing and Storing Newspapers… the ongoing story…

October 11, 2013 by · 1 Comment 

From time to time collector friends pass along to us their suggestions as to how to best store or frame newspapers. The most recent such suggestion involved framing the newspapers while still within their archival storage folder. The following images show the technique:

Thanks E.O. for your contribution to the collecting community. Other related previous posts include:

Framing newspapers…

Frame to see all four pages…

What is the best way to preserve and store newspapers?

The Traveler… “Don’t give up the ship”…

October 7, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Today I journeyed to Baltimore, Maryland, through The Weekly Register (dated October 9, 1813).  As Commodore Perry commenced battle on Lake Erie, he raised a flag with the infamous words “Don’t give up the ship” on it. “…They speak of the battle as being one of the hottest ever fought…” (see below).

In the report of the Battle on Lake Ontario, Commodore Chauncey references the news of the battle on Lake Erie. “…There is a report here, and generally believed, that Capt. Perry has captured the whole of the enemy’s fleet on lake Erie. If this should prove true in all its details (and God grant that it may) he has immortalised himself and not disappointed the high expectations formed of his talents and bravery…”

~The Traveler

The first newspapers in Vermont…

October 4, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Vermont was the first state to join the union outside of the original thirteen colonies, although in a sense they were always a part of the federal union. The territory of present-day Vermont was previously divided among the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New  York.

The first newspaper in Vermont was the “Vermont Gazette, and Green Mountain Post-Boy” done in Westminster, first published on February 12, 1781. Only one of this issue exists and is in the Vermont Historical Society. Its first newspaper began later than all of the other first newspapers of the original 13 states. The weekly newspaper only lasted until 1783, published by Judah Spooner and Timothy Green, the latter of the famous family of printers from New England.

It is notable that Vermont’s first newspaper was printed on the famous “Daye Press”, brought from England by Stephen Daye in 1638 and set up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The press came into the possession of Harvard College in 1656, and in 1714 it became the property of Timothy Greene, who took it to New London, Conn., later set up in Norwich, Conn. by Alden Spooner, and in 1781 it was moved to Westminster, Vermont.

The second newspaper in Vermont was founded on August 7, 1783 titled the “Vermont Journal & the Universal Advertiser” printed in Windsor by the partnership of Alden Spooner and George Hough. The newspaper continued publishing into the 20th century.

Other 18th century Vermont titles included “Herald of Vermont“, Rutland, 1792; “Rutland Herald“, 1794; “Fair Haven Gazette“, 1795; “Farmer’s Library“, Fair Haven, 1795; “Burlington Mercury“, 1796; and “Federal Galaxy“, Brattleboro, 1797.