One never knows what will be found…

June 7, 2010 by · 4 Comments 

I suspect I have reflected several times upon the great wealth of interesting information which can be found in a seemingly “generic” issue. Recently I came across an item which was unfound for over 30 years until time permitted a closer look.

I have always touted the value of London’s “Gentleman’s Magazine” as a great periodical, as few world events of the 18th century escaped its pages, including American events from after the Revolutionary War. As a title which has always be somewhat common in a relative sense, when American titles of the 18th century have become almost impossible to find, key issues in “Gentleman’s Magazine” offer an excellent opportunity to add period, historic reports to a collection at a relatively modest cost.

Admittedly, volumes of this title have become more difficult to come by in recent years, prompting us to take a closer look at some issues which used to go out the door almost as quickly as they came in. The June, 1790 issue was seemingly just another innocuous magazine from the post-war era, and which I suspect we sold dozens of times for $15 to $25 or so. But a week ago I took a more careful look and found an excellent obituary of Benjamin Franklin, taking over 1 1/2 pages, even including is very famous self-written obituary which includes: “The body of Benjamin Franklin, Printer, like the cover of an old book, its content torn out & stript of its lettering & gilding, lies here food for worms…”.

You may have purchased this June, 1790 issue from us in years past. If you have, take a look at pages 571-3 and elevate the status of this issue from generic to significant.  Even with this wonderful content, we still offer this issue for less than 1/3 the price of comparable reports in American newspapers.

I wonder how many other significant issues we’ve sold over the past 34 years not fully knowing what was inside? Hopefully you have discovered some gems which escaped my eye….it’s all part of the thrill of collecting!

Resources of collectors…

April 29, 2010 by · 2 Comments 

One of the most frequently asked questions regarding the rare newspaper hobby concerns available resources.  Awhile back we posted a general response to this on eBay titled, “What Resources are Available for Newspaper Collectors?”.  Although we’ll continue to look at this question in detail, we thought newcomers might appreciate a general overview.  An excerpt of this post is as follows:

1)  Price Guide For Rare & Historic Newspapers?
2)  Storage & Display Options For Colonial, Civil War & 20th Century Newspapers?
3)  Reference Books On The History Of Old Newspapers?
4) A Club Of Collectors Of Old Newspapers?

Collecting rare & early newspapers from the colonial era through the Civil War & 20th century is a fun & fascinating hobby, but questions often arise: Is their a price guide, or a club of collectors? What storage & display options are recommended for the old newspaper hobbyist? How about reference material on the hobby?

1) Being a relatively unknown hobby has its advantages…

To view the entire post, please go to:  “What Resources are Available for Newspaper Collectors?