The Traveler… possibilities in Alaska??

July 15, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

While reading through The Christian Science Monitor dated July 15, 1910, I came across a report from Jacob H. Schiff.  The report states that he and a party of friends were inspecting part of Alaska and as a result, are convinced it will become as populous and as productive as parts of Norway, Siberia and Russia. He (Jacob) states the  greatest need of the far north to be transportation (access) and goes on further to identify the regions he believes would best be served by access by rail (train).   At the time, did they really think that this would become possible??

Note (Google exploration):  Through a little fun internet searching I discovered that Mr. Schiff was a well known banker and philanthropist with a descendant married to Al Gore’s daughter.

Looking further through the issue, a name of a city quickly caught my eye – Williamsport, PA! It seems that our hometown, the Lumber Capital of the World, was honoring the lumbermen with the hosting of a convention.  Very cool!!

The final small article that just made me look twice had a heading of “Japanese Envoy Coming”, followed with the dateline “Honolulu”. Just knowing what occurred only three decades later…

~The Traveler

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!

Newspapers are not the only place to find buried treasure…

March 13, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

bunker_hill_mapDuring the past several months we have enjoyed exploring the hidden gems often found within rare and historic newspapers.  One of our friends drew our attention to another recently discovered treasure which relates to our beloved historic collectible, specifically, the Revolutionary War era.  There appears to be a new finding involving Bunker Hill in Boston, as reported by the Boston Globe:

Bunker Hill dead may lie under gardens… (read more)

A related graphic may be found at:  http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/08/history_of_the_remains/.

Although history may never be more facinationg than when it’s read from the day it was 1st reported, current discoveries certainly add depth to our walk through the past.

Note:  If you’ve never taken a Walking Tour of Historic Boston, it is worthy of your time.  The next time your in the Boston area, this tour is a must.

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