Search
History of Newspapers Video (see more)
Email Subscription
Sign up to receive our latest blog updates!Buy Historic Newspapers
Catching Everyone By Suprise… A Valentine’s Day to Remember…
February 13, 2023 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Some holidays catch us by surprise. Countless men have either forgotten their wedding anniversary until it was either too late, or until the last minute when buying that “perfect gift” was no longer an option. So it is in spades with a more recently “invented” holiday: Valentine’s Day. While some refuse to be manipulated into yet another obligation to invest in the greeting card, flower and candy industries, yet others invent creative new ways to mark this wonderful day of romance and the celebration of love. Such was the case with Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1929. This mob hit, nicknamed The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, stumped police until more than 2 years later, and even then no one was formally charged. Hopefully, everyone this year will opt for flowers… and not the kind we see adorning graves as as we drive by our local cemetery. 
Themes in collecting…
October 7, 2008 by TimHughes · 3 Comments
Perhaps the best aspect of collecting early newspapers is the endless ways one can collect. Although there are those who collect a great variety of dates, titles, or events, the opportunity to focus on a specific era or topic can provide an exciting collection which is much more diverse than one might guess.
Displayability and dramatic appeal are of interest to many, and the 1920 – 1945 era provides a tremendous opportunity for some “screaming” headlines typically not found prior to or after these dates. Within this era one can focus on various topics: politics, sports, economics, discoveries/inventions, and gangsters to name a few.
The gangster era intrigues many and some dramatic headlines can be found if one devotes the time to the search. Just one example from our private collection is the PALESTINE DAILY HERALD newspaper from Texas, dated May 23, 1934 which features a banner (from edge to edge) headline which reads just as a collector would want: “BARROW AND BONNIE PARKER RIDDLED WITH BULLETS”. And nice to have this report in a Texas newspaper as Bonnie & Clyde were killed near the Texas/Louisiana border. More typically this report was not much more than a column or two in most newspapers, and often found on an inside page rather than as a front page feature. Finding a banner headline can be very exciting. Banner headlines on Al Capone, “Baby Face” Nelson, John Dillinger and the host of other notorious names from the gangster era surface upon occasion and become choice additions to the collections of those who appreciate their rarity.
What “theme” in collecting do you enjoy? Are you a “generalist” with newspapers crossing over the broad spectrum of dates, titles, and events, or have you been intrigued by focusing upon a much more narrow theme which others may not have thought of? We’d love to hear of your collecting interest….feel free to share your thoughts. Note: Please focus on themes rather than specific issues within your collection.