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They Put It In Print (1862)… Slavery At The Capital…
July 10, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We all have a tendency to view things through a lens of our own creation – and the internet and social media – both which customize our “news” to our liking, only help refine our “news” into that which reinforces our worldview. In the end, honest, open dialogue – once the fabric of our public discourse, is reduced to mere noise falling upon deadened ears. Truth is, all Republicans… all Democrats… all Libertarians… all those who disagree with our point of view are not uneducated, haters, bigots and/or evil. Republicans do not “own” patriotism, and Democrats do not possess the mantle of black-American advocacy. How do we know? Back in 1862, The New York Tribune dated March 14, 1862 put it in print:
Announcing: Catalog #296 (for July, 2020) is now available…
July 3, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
- Catalog 296 (in its entirety)
- Noteworthy Catalog 296 ($250+)
- Combined Catalogs (current, w/ remnants of previous)
Don’t forget about this month’s DISCOUNTED ISSUES.
The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days,
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.
My Collecting Story… J. N. from Galveston, Texas…
June 26, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The following is the next installment of our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
About 27 years ago I bought my first vintage newspaper about Galveston, the article published in a new York newspaper dated 1817 was a letter written in 1816 from Galveztown [Galveston], a person from the Mina Expedition writing to someone back east about the state of affairs in the 
expedition, possibly a spy sent from Boston where the expedition started out, courtesy of the Simpson’s auction House conducting an auction at then Eibands, a close department store in downtown Galveston. A year later I was able to help co-found The Laffite Society. Two years later after much renovation I was asked to open an Antique store in the same location. Fast forward about 25 years I managed to collect about 70 News papers with articles thanks to help of Timothy Hughes, about the French in Texas and the infamous Jean Laffite, hero of the battle of New Orleans.
After Hurricane Ike, I decided that My collection was at risk in my home so I offered it for sale to a Houston Collector with a Museum, He later moved the Bryan Museum to Galveston Texas. I regret having to sell my collection but know it is in a much better location and will survive long after I have gone.
I could give many examples of what I learned from the articles that the Laffite Society may not be privy to and the additional articles of the period that aided in other research and enhanced my knowledge of my Art Collection and general interest.
I have based many speaking engagements on what is stated in the newspaper articles and now being asked to be filmed for my knowledge of the Laffite saga, I owe a lot to what I found in ‘The Nonus Collection’. So when the Musical, ‘Lonely and Lost, the Legend of Laffite’, is finally produced, just know that the newspapers of yesteryear have had a great influence on it, as have articles related to Hamilton!
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
The June (2020) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…
June 22, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Monthly Newsletter ~ Rare & Early Newspapers
Welcome to the June 2020 edition of our monthly newsletter. With so much to talk about, let’s jump right in:
A New Set of Discounted Newspapers – 50% Off
Catalog 295 – New Items Added
Four Interesting Items on eBay
Catalog 295
History’s Newsstand
Newly Discovered Items
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See what’s happening on our social sites
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My collecting story… T. S. P. in New York, NY…
June 12, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
When we were kids my dad gave my older brother Some old paper money preserved between pieces of glass from colonial days and an old facsimile copy of a newspaper from the day that Lincoln was shot. It made a big impression on me. So when I started collecting old newspapers for the book it was that newspaper that inspired me to start a collection of my own. I remember how I felt when I picked it up and looked at it and realized that people of the time were reading these words that they were holding this paper and seeing the news for themselves. You could hear them saying how they felt about what was going on. And so not too long ago I made a point of going through your online catalog looking for some of these old Lincoln newspapers. I spent hours and days pouring over these and picking out from all those that were published on that day. I look for papers that were poignant or well illustrated or published in towns near where earlier generations of my family had lived. I looked for illustrations that showed the American spirit the way people felt at time and the events of the day. I wanted to find the illustration of John Wilkes Booth leaping to the stage from Lincoln Sparks at Ford theater. I wanted to show him laying in state. I wanted to show the crowds lining the railroad tracks as his train with his coffin Road by. I wanted to show those allegorical illustrations that show the country in the morning. But most of all, I wanted to show future generations of my family a paper that might’ve been the one that our own ancestors would’ve read that day. I was collecting all of this to make a record of the world that my family had lived in here in North America since 
the early 1600s. I wanted to future generations to know the story of what it took to build the life we now enjoy. I wanted them to see the uncertainties We faced, the tasks that were set for us as events as unfolded And the choices we made.
The other day I was watching some old movies in honor of Easter and Passover and among them was the 10 Commandments. At the end of the movie Moses is told by God that he is not going to be crossing the river Jordan. He was not going on with the people here the lead to the new land. The story of Lincoln‘s death is much the same. He had brought us through the Civil War and set down for all time on a document that ended slavery and freed a people. And then when peace was only moments away, he died and did not cross over into that time with the rest of us. I’m trying to remember at the moment whether or not FDR died before peace was declared at the end of World War II. He had brought us through the great depression, the dust bowl and World War II. And then there’s Martin Luther King and his “ I have a dream “ speech that was so prophetic. None of these men crossed over into the peace that they saw coming and into the land that they had envisioned and fought for — but they saw it on the horizon.
And so I am going on collecting these papers. I’m showing that events are not as simple as they are written in the history books we read in school. I’m showing the dialogue in the arguments that went on before decisions were made. I’m trying to show that not all people took the same side and then each had their own arguments and their own point of view. They chose their own paths and fought for them. And now when my family closes the book I plan to leave for them to read I want them to choose for themselves a path that will take him into the future. They may not cross over into the future is that they plan but I want them to think about the course and make a choice.
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
My collecting story… B.D. in Thornhill, Ontario…
June 5, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
Some years ago, maybe fifteen, I purchased a London Chronicle newspaper from Timothy Hughes newspapers. This was mainly for the fun of having an old newspaper from ‘the old country’. I have purchased quite a few since then and actually got round to reading some for the fascinating items that the contain. One such item concerns the creation of the chronometer by John Harrison in the 1700s. I had seen his chronometers displayed at the observatory in Greenwich, produced by Harrison in response to Queen Anne’s contest offering a huge reward for a successful timepiece but I could not find out for certain if Harrison was ever paid by the British Government.
LONDON CHRONICLE, London, 1765. Volume XVIII from Saturday, November 2 to Tuesday, November 5, 1765. Contains, on page 436, A Copy of the Certificate of the Commissioners of the Longitude … relating to Mr John Harrison’s Time Keeper, authorizing the payment to him of the 7,500 pounds, less the 2,500 already paid out. According to Wiki, Harrison received 8750 pounds in 1773 when he was 80 years of age but the “official award (from year 12 of Queen Anne’s reign) of 7,500 pounds was never given to anyone”. Dava Sobel in her wonderful book Longitude (London, Fourth Estate, 1995) says that Harrison’s son, William, sought the king’s intervention (George III) resulting in a payment to John Harrison of 8,750 pounds in June 1773, noting that ‘this amount nearly totaled the remainder of the prize due to him, but that it was a bounty awarded by the benevolence of Parliament – in spite of the Board of Longitude, instead of from it.’ Elsewhere, I have read that his son received this after his father’s death but I cannot recall in which newspaper (one in my collection, I think). This seems to set my questions to rest. It would appear that he was and he wasn’t, depending on how you look at it! He received the cash but not the ‘prize’.
Making the effort to read the newspapers is extremely rewarding but not without it’s difficulties. Some of the older papers, before 1700 are not so easy, especially those using ‘old English’ but it is very rewarding to plunge into the atmosphere created by ‘on the spot reporting’. Some of the items are quite extensive and take a while to plough through. I recently came across the item shown below:
The Supplement for the Year 1793 (to The Gentleman’s Magazine), London, includes on page 1208 an extract of a letter written by an Officer of the Agamemnon of 64 guns, Captain Horatio Nelson, and dated at Tunis, November 8, 1793 (see below). I have had this item for several years and only just spent some time (during this pandemic) reading it properly. I have hundreds yet to scrutinize! Perhaps I will find something that leads to a great historical revelation, or perhaps I will just enjoy reading about history from the pens of people who lived that history!
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
My collecting story… OHPC, Virginia…
June 1, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
Why do I buy rare old newspapers?
My reason may not match those of others, but it may be of interest to some. I have an ancestor who played an important role in the War of 1812. Several years ago, for its bicentennial, his descendants had a large family reunion. Research and coordination for this event put us in contact with numerous people and institutions around the world. We discovered that although many had various artifacts handed down through the generations; no place or person had a collection of newspapers specifically mentioning the ancestor and his contribution to history! When we asked who would want such items, we were told that they would be more useful to posterity as a single centralized collection than as individual items scattered in multiple archives.
Over the years, I have acquired about two dozen such papers, mostly through Hughes Rare and Early Newspapers. So, this is now the largest such collection, worldwide.
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
Announcing: Catalog #295 (for June, 2020) is now available…
May 29, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
- Catalog 295 (in its entirety)
- Noteworthy Catalog 295 ($250+)
- Combined Catalogs (current, w/ remnants of previous)
Don’t forget about this month’s DISCOUNTED ISSUES.
The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days,
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.
My collecting story… R. B. in Wakefield, FL …
May 18, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
What a great opportunity this is to share history and spread the word about the importance of keeping history as a priority in our American society.
When I was young… Forty-two years ago when I was 16 years old my mother and I had kept our tradition of going around to different houses that put out their spring cleaning artifacts they were throwing away. In Wakefield, MA, my home town, there was a house that had put an old bureau out to the curb. My mom pulled up to the house and as she rummaged through a bag of clothing and old drapes something told me to go through the drawers of this old bureau. I actually took each drawer out. Inside I found old newspapers. I wasn’t sure what they were yet. I just saw they looked old so I took them with me.
After being home for a while I brought these three newspapers up to my room and looked at the dates. [Wow], they were from the civil war era! I looked through each newspaper carefully. All three had similar articles in them: “Results for the Lincoln/Douglas Debates!” Unbelievably exciting! I took the newspapers to school for show & tell. Having left them in my desk over night. Someone had stolen them.
Despite the loss they were the most exciting find I’ve ever had! This sparked in me the strong desire to continue seeking history in old newspapers and artifacts.
My collecting story… Z.C. in Solvang, CA…
May 15, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
I wanted to decorate my courtroom when I had an active trial schedule, and finally hit upon the way to do it and make it meaningful: I would create collages of famous trials in American history. I found there was a whole cottage industry of autograph dealers. I also discovered this bounty on Rare & Early Newspapers and searched the internet for whatever images of the trials might be available. Twenty six collages were the result, starting with the Salem Witch Trials (signature of the chief judge, Samuel Sewell, a 1692 London Gazette, and reproduction of the painting in the Massachusetts State House, and plaques) Trial of John Peter Zenger (signature of Andrew Hamilton, a 1735 Zenger 
newspaper, a copy of a painting of the trial and explanatory plaques). Proceeding through the Boston Massacre Trial, The Writs of Assistance case, The Trial of the Amistad Mutineers, The Dred Scott Case, The Trial of Dan Sickles, The Scopes Trial, to the Army/McCarthy Hearings.
The civics and American History classes in the local high schools would come and visit. Santa Ynez High School, where I live, would assign a particular trial to a group and each group would write a report after coming up to the courtroom for an afternoon of my presenting the collages to them and answering their questions. After a couple of years and as a courtesy, the high school assigned a student to build a website for extra credits He made the collages interactive so that a viewer could click on any section and bring that part up for closer reading. It became apparent to him that the archivally correct framing and non-glare glass made the written plaques I had created from quotes in various books blurry and difficult to read. To correct this, he carefully re-typed the plaques, which, of course was very time consuming. He finished eight of them before he went off to college. Then, I lost my free web host and was unable to get the disks on which the student had written the interactive program. I paid another fellow to re-create the website, and although I thought it was interactive, he was unable to accomplish that. There are simply photographs of the collages with the plaques recreated in a display unrelated to their place in the collage and photos of some of the parts. Sorry for that. I will try to get it interactive again just as soon as I can find the affordable technician. I also have enough material for ten more collages. Of course, now I know to photograph them in the cut mat before the glass is installed in the frame.
As retirement loomed, the question arose of “What now?”. Luckily, I had an opportunity to be interviewed by C-SPAN’s Yellow Bus tours of interesting sites and it was viewed by the assistant dean of Pepperdine’s law school in Malibu, where the collection is now on permanent loan. I created an educational website which used to be quite popular judging from the emails I received with questions about the cases. It is still up and running even if not interactive at the present. It is: www.historictrials,com That site contains a link to the C-SPAN archives where the twenty minute Interview can be found.
As I say in the website’s introduction: “Here are the stories, then, of lawyers who took up the cause of their clients in adverse circumstances and used their talents and skills to achieve what seemed just at the time. Let us hope there will always be learned men and women of the profession that will rise to the challenges”.
As an aside: I recently created collages of Civil War events, but haven’t yet framed them as they are really rather large which means rather large framing costs and I have yet to find a place to house them. I just finished a collage of a friend from high school who got to Vietnam in time for Tet, and within four months was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart. Such courage is more than remarkable. It’s on the website even though it has nothing to do with lawyers or trials. He is looking for a place to display it. Perhaps our high school; perhaps one of the military museums.
Thank you for tolerating this long exposition. Lawyers are worse when it comes to conciseness, and retired ones are the worst.
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.