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Displaying newspapers – Frame to see all four pages…
February 23, 2026 by TimHughes · 4 Comments
Many newspapers lend themselves nicely to framing and display, certainly those with either graphic appeal or a very historic report on the front page. Even better if an issue has both. But display can be problematic when the significant report is on the inside or back page.
The photos show one inventive display option for four page newspapers, which includes almost all from before the 1830’s. This “Pennsylvania Gazette” printed by Ben Franklin has his imprint at the bottom of page 4, and by opening the newspaper and matting both sides, all 4 pages are visible. The matted portion of the display is in the frame trim and hinged to the portion of which hangs on the wall, so by opening the frame all four pages are visible. A magnetic clasp keeps the frame closed while on the wall.
Give this a try for that special issue in your collection which otherwise would be difficult to display.
Perhaps the most experiential collectible?
February 20, 2026 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
My collecting gene kicked in at an early age. At some point when in elementary school I discovered that really old coins could be purchased—wow! I found owning a penny from 50 years before I was born intriguing and fascinating, even though others considered it nothing more than curious. They just didn’t get it.
I pursued the coin-collecting hobby for many years; heck, I still have many I purchased 60 years ago. But I must admit, collecting old coins is certainly not very experiential. There’s a date and a dead guy’s image on the front, and some curious symbol or building on the back. That’s about it. You can “experience” an old coin in about 3.5 seconds.
Some 50 years ago I discovered an old newspaper from 1827 at a flea market priced at $3. It was an epiphanal moment for my collecting passion. Here was something very old that could be enjoyed for more than 3.5 seconds. It was just a four-page newspaper but it must have taken at least 20 minutes to “experience” from beginning to end. News reports, advertisements, curious notes about travel, legal notices, criminal reports—all of it was so different from my experience I was living.
As I relegated my coin collection to a dresser drawer, I pursued more old newspapers from wherever I could find them. Each was a different experience from a different era. Not only were the news reports from the Civil War different from the Revolutionary War, & different from the 1920’s, but the advertisements, notices, and other quaint tidbits were much different as well.
At times I found inconspicuous, benign reports of no historical consequence to be more interesting than the news report which prompted the purchase. A benign listing of the West Point admissions for 1839 which included Ulysses S. Grant can be a fascinating find. After all, who cared about the name Ulysses S. Grant in 1839? Or what about discovering a small classified ad for “Lincoln and Herndon, Attorneys & Counsellors At Law” in an 1857 Illinois newspaper. Did I really care anymore about the report of political troubles in Kansas, the reason for which I purchased the newspaper?
And the capability of discovering intriguing reports—thanks to the internet–adds so much more dimension to early newspapers. It is common to read of fugitive slave reports which include the names of the slave & its owner, neither of which might mean anything to anyone. But a quick check on the internet for “Shadrach Minkins” unveils a fascinating and notable drama on the struggles & horrors of this runaway slave in 1850, greatly enriching the innocuous report by allowing the reader to experience a piece of American history that otherwise would have been easy to pass over.
This is what differentiates old newspapers from the rest of the collectible world. It is dramatically more experiential. What other collectible requires a half hour to fully experience? Stamps? Crocks? Matchbook covers? Furniture? Ink wells? Certainly not.
With an old newspaper, whether it be a $500 issue from the colonial era or an $8 newspaper from 1868, one gets far more than the report that prompted the purchase. Every early newspaper opens up an entire world of experiences just waiting to be discovered.
The reason I collected it: Atlanta Journal 2nd Extra, 1963…
February 9, 2026 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
In the rush to get an ‘extra” edition to the press and on the streets, mistakes can often be made. Such is the case with the “Second Extra” of the JFK assassination issue of The Atlanta Journal. This edition has a curious–if not macabre–combination of headline and photo.
As would be expected of an “Extra” of November 22, 1963, the large & bold headline proclaims: “KENNEDY KILLED”. So far so good. But immediately beneath it is a photo of a street sweeper pushing his trash cart containing a pair of trousers & boots protruding from the top, with the caption: “Sweeper Means What He Says” as if related to the assassination report.
One might excuse the editor, for I’m sure that in rushing this edition to the streets as quickly as possible the planned headline was removed and the Kennedy death report quickly inserted with little thought as to what else was scheduled above the fold that day. Indeed, the “Third Extra” has the same headline but a photo of the Kennedy motorcade immediately after the shooting.
This issue remains one of the more unique & interesting newspapers of the 20th century, earning its right into the private collection. It is also a great example to editors everywhere to be aware of headlines & photos which appear in close proximity.
The reason I collected it: an accordion fold newspaper…
January 23, 2026 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
I’m sure I’ve commented before on the occasional need for “necessity” paper, meaning when supplies were restricted, printing conditions were stressed, or “siege” conditions prevented access to typical newsprint, publishers would be as resourceful as possible in finding something upon which to print.
Not only was this issue (Columbia Phoenix, April 8, 1865) printed during the closing days of the Civil War, but due to the shortage of newsprint this publisher utilized short and uncommonly wide paper measuring just 8 3/4 inches high but over 24 inches long. As such it has an accordion fold which is unlike any other newspaper we have encountered.
During the Civil War, particularly in the South, securing newsprint was a common problem. During the closing days of the war, Columbia, South Carolina underwent siege conditions before it surrendered to Yankee forces on February 18, 1865. Although Columbia was occupied by Union forces on February 18 and largely destroyed by fire, this newspaper literally rose from the ashes [hence the phoenix title] and became the Confederate voice for the residents. So despite the city being in Union control, this newspaper kept its pro-Confederate leanings.
Information on the Library of Congress website provides further detail on this fascinating title and its Confederate publisher:
“The Columbia Phoenix arose out of the charred remains of Columbia, the capital city of South Carolina, in the aftermath of the Civil War to record its losses and bear witness to its gradual recovery. A triweekly newspaper, the Phoenix first appeared on Tuesday, March 21, 1865, mere weeks after fires had razed a third of the city. It struck a defiant tone, declaring, “Our city shall spring, from her ashes, and our Phoenix, we hope and trust, shall announce the glorious rising! God save the state!”
Proprietor Julian A. Selby boasted considerable experience in the newspaper business, having formerly owned the Tri-Weekly South Carolinian. In establishing the Columbia Phoenix, however, he literally started from scratch. In the weeks immediately following the city’s destruction, Selby scoured the state for paper, a press, and printing supplies. He and his assistants fashioned for themselves the things they could not find. He also secured the services of renowned Southern literary critic, novelist, and poet William Gilmore Simms as editor. Living conditions in the capital city were so desperate that, early on, the staff offered to accept food staples such as bacon, eggs, rice, and potatoes as payment in lieu of cash subscriptions. The first ten issues contained a detailed history of the burning of Columbia, which was separately published as Sack and Destruction of the City of Columbia, S.C., in October 1865 (itself edited and republished as A City Laid Waste in 2005).”
The content in this issue is great as well, being a few days after the fall of Richmond and just one day before Lee would surrender to Grant at Appomattox.
The front page has part 2 of: “Our Refugeeism” and some ads. Pages 2 and 3 are taking up with details of the: “Capture, Sack and Destruction of the City of Columbia” being chapters 30 thru 35. Half of another page is taken up with: “Evacuation of Richmond”. There is also an upbeat and obviously pro-Confederate report noting in part: “President Davis takes a right view of the results of the evacuation of Richmond. We have said elsewhere, that, in our opinion, it should have been evacuated long ago & that we should not have waited till this became a military necessity. The cheerful tones of President Davis is highly becoming…so long as the armies of Lee, Johnston and others are intact, they will speak and we trust to the purpose. God still rules in heaven.”
This issue is a fine example of the determination & resourcefulness of many early publishers.
A rare, colonial “2nd forgery” with an intriguing backstory… Cape Fear (part II)…
December 29, 2025 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago we featured a post regarding this same issue: “Snapshot 1775 – North Carolina Declares itself Independent!”
Tim Hughes penned the following related post which provides the backstory:
The Cape Fear Mercury, from Wilmington, North Carolina, has a “purported” issue dated June 3, 1775. As the following story informs, this would have to be one of the more interesting colonial newspapers we’ve offered, primarily for being a forgery.
This newspaper began publishing on Oct. 13, 1769, and was suspended for about five months from the fall of 1774 to the spring of 1775. It ceased publication in September, 1775.
As for the intrigue–and this is just a brief explanation–a 1905 article in Collier’s magazine focuses on the existence of a June 3, 1775 issue of the Cape-Fear Mercury which contains on the front page the Mecklensburg Resolves, or a “declaration of independence” from North Carolina some 13 months before what was declared in Independence Hall. This was a hoax, believed to have been perpetrated by surviving document signers many years after the event, in an effort to show North Carolina was first in declaring independence from England. See much more online.
The following is taken from the well-respected “History & Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820” by Clarence Brigham. We’ve not seen such text devoted to an avowed forgery as this one in his two-volume reference set, which only speaks to its significance:
“…What purported to be an issue of this paper of June 3, 1775 was exploited in Collier’s of July 1, 1905 by S. Millington Miller, who claimed that he owned the original. The reproduction printed in Collier’s shows only the heading and part of the first and second columns…The paper was immediately believed to be fraudulent & in the ‘American Historical Review’…A. S. Salley and Worthington C. Ford showed the paper to be a forgery with the heading based upon an original issue of Nov. 24, 1769 owned by the American Antiquarian Society. The same defects in type, and even fly-specks in the 1769 issue appear in the spurious 1775 heading.
Miller made up his issue by setting up three columns of new matter, which included the Mecklenburg Resolves…But in giving his issue the date of Friday, June 3, 1775, no. 294, he erred in not knowing that Friday fell on June 2, and that because of a hiatus in publishing, the number of such a paper would be no. 258; also that by June, 1775, the heading [masthead] had been altered and the cut of the royal arms omitted. Later Miller manufactured a better forgery than the one furnished to Collier’s and differing in set-up–for example, the top line of the second column in the first forgery read “ford.—Messirs. Abednego Ramsdell, Dan-“, and in the second forgery: “of Charlestown.—Isaac Gardner, Esq. of.”.
At least 3 copies of this second forgery are now located–in the American Antiquarian Society, the Clements Library at the University of of Michigan, and in the possession of Oliver R. Barreett of Chicago…All of the forgeries were printed on one side of the leaf only, differing from the usual method of printing regular issues of 18th century newspapers.”
This issue we offer is seemingly just the fourth “second forgery” known to exist, unless it is one of the three cited above. The backstory is interesting and attests to what extent some might go to insist upon the greater prominence of North Carolina in early American affairs than what is currently found in history books.
From the Vault: The top ten: “20th century”…
November 21, 2025 by TimHughes · 9 Comments
From this period in newspaper publishing history, displayability has much to do with the desirability of a newspaper, perhaps more so than historical significance. Since I come to this task of listing the “top ten” from the perspective of a rare newspaper dealer and knowing the requests we receive for certain events, the following list may not be the same as my most “historic” but they are my thoughts for the most “desirable” based on customer demand. Certainly FDR’s New Deal is more historically significant than the death of Bonnie & Clyde, but not more desirable from a collector standpoint. I’d be curious to hear of your thoughts.
Here they are, beginning with number ten:
10) St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Feb. 14, 1929 An issue with a dramatic banner headline, & ideally dated the 14th. Morning papers would be dated the 15th.
9) Death of Bonnie & Clyde, May 23, 1934 The gangster era remains much in demand, & perhaps due to the movie this event beats out Dillinger, Capone & the others from the era. A dramatic headline drives desirability–ideally with a photo–even if not in a Louisiana newspaper.
8.) Charles Lindbergh flies the Atlantic, May 22, 1927 The New York Times had a nice headline account with a map of the route, and the prestige of the newspaper always keeps it in high demand.
7) Call-Chronicle-Examiner, San Francisco, April 19, 1906 I note a specific title & date for this event, as these 3 newspapers combined to produce one 4 page newspaper filled with banner heads & the latest news. No advertisements.
6) Crash of the Hindenberg, May 6, 1937 The more dramatic the headline the better, & ideally with the Pulitizer Prize winning photo of the airship in flames.
5) Wright brothers fly, Dec. 17, 1903 Here’s where the significance of the event drives desirability over dramatic appeal. Few can argue the impact of manned flight on the world. Reports were typically brief & buried on an inside page with a small headline, so a lengthy front page report would be in top demand.
4) Stock market crash, October, 1929 Demand is driven by the dramatic headline and its wording. Too many newspapers tried to put an optimistic spin on the tragedy. Collectors want “collapse, disaster, crash” & similarly tragic words in the headline (how about Variety magazine’s: “Wall Street Lays On Egg”?)
3) Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Dec. 7, 1941 “1st Extra” The defining issue from World War II but be careful of reprints as most issues on the market are not genuine.
2) Chicago Daily Tribune, Nov. 3, 1948 “Dewey Defeats Truman”. What more need be said?
1) Titanic sinking, April 14, 1912 Certainly low on the historically significant list, but off the charts on the desirability scale, much due to the block-busting movie. The more dramatic the headline the better, and hopefully with a nice illustration of the ship going down.
My “honorable mention” list might include baseball’s “Black Sox” scandal of 1919, sinking of the Lusitania, end of World War II, D-Day, JFK’s election, the New Deal, a great Babe Ruth issue, etc. Maybe they would rank higher on your list. Feel free to share your top choices.
The reason I collected it: the Nuremberg trials…
November 3, 2025 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
I have likely stated several times that part of the quest in seeking the best report of a notable event is to find it in a newspaper as close to where it happened as possible. For the death of JFK, a Dallas newspaper is best. On the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a Honolulu newspaper is great. On the Boston Massacre in 1770, a Boston paper would be wonderful.
Some events can be extremely difficult, so you do the best you can. How about when man walked on the moon? Outside of a lunar publication that did not exist, a newspaper from Neil Armstrong’s hometown is pretty good. Or perhaps one from close to Cape Canaveral.
One of the more notable events at the conclusion of World War II was the Nuremberg Trials. There were 22 defendants held for war crimes; 12 would hang, 7 served time, and 3 found not guilty.
But finding a German newspaper with this report had eluded us. And as is the case with events in foreign language countries, a report close to the event would be diminished a bit if the text is in a language other than English. Not many desire a newspaper they cannot read.
But as luck would have it, a Nuremberg suburb–Furth–had a former Nazi air base, captured by American forces in early April, 1945 & converted to a U.S. air base. And better yet, it produced a small, obviously low-circulation newspaper called “The Jet Gazette”. The October 1, 1946 issue was devoted to the results of the trials. And being an American air base, it’s in English. It was a great find that I suspected never existed!
From the Vault: Headlines drive interest in World War II…
October 24, 2025 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
For likely a multitude of reasons, interest in World War II newspapers ranks far higher than in the Korean War, World War I, or the Spanish-American War. It may be a generational thing, as most collectors today are children of World War II veterans and likely heard stories of the war first-hand, or found 
newspapers in their parents attics which sparked an interest. One could debate a number of other possible reasons why other wars lack the intrigue found in that fought by the “greatest generation”.
Headline collecting has always been a focus for this hobby, and as any collector knows, bold, banner headlines did not become commonplace until late in the 19th century. With the increasing competitiveness of daily newspapers across the country–Hearst, Pulitzer & others rising to prominence–flashier front pages were needed to draw attention at the corner news stand. It’s a shame there is not more interest in the Spanish-American War and World War I as both events resulted in some huge, dramatic, & very displayable headlines.
Because there are a plethora of newspapers from the WWII era available, collectors have become very discriminating in what they collect. Only the “best of the best” will do, meaning just the major events and only those with huge and displayable headlines. If there is a “top 6” list of sought-after events, our experience is they would be: 1) attack on Pearl Harbor; 2) the D-Day invasion; 3) death of Hitler; 4) end of the war in Europe; 5) dropping of the atomic bomb; 6) end of the war in the Pacific. One could add any number of other battle reports such as Midway, battle of the Bulge, fall of Italy, Iwo Jima, battle for Berlin, and so much more. And we could step back before American involvement in the war and add Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the battle of Britain.
The bigger the headline the better. With some newspapers the entire front page was taken up with a headline and a related graphic. The U.S. flag was a common patriotic device. Tabloid-size newspapers commonly had the front page entirely taken up with a singular headline and tend to be better for display given their smaller size.
And not just American newspapers draw interest. German newspapers hold a special intrigue, but the language barrier is a problem for many. But the British Channel Islands, located in the English Channel between England & France, were occupied by the Nazi during the war so their reports were very pro-Nazi while printed in the English language (ex., Guernsey Island). And the military newspaper “Stars and Stripes“, while certainly being American, was published at various locations in Europe and the Pacific. Collectors have a special interest in finding World War II events in the official newspapers of the American military forces. Plus there were a multitude of “camp” newspapers, amateur-looking newspapers printed on a mimeograph machine for consumption limited to a military base, and typically printed is very small quantities. Their rarity is not truly appreciated by many.
For obvious reasons, there is also a high degree of collectible interest from those wishing to make sure certain aspects of history are not forgotten. The Holocaust, and the Nazi propaganda used to provide a rationale for eliminating the Jewish people, is well documented in newspapers from the era. In addition to the Holocaust and its atrocities, issues providing context through reporting other pre-war events such as the Great Depression, fascism, and increased militarism, are also desirable.
True to any collectable field, newspaper collectors are always on the lookout for an issue better than what they have, and collection upgrades are constant. Finding that special, rare, unusual or fascinating headline is what makes the hobby fun. Will interest in the Korean War and the Vietnam War gain more interest in future years? Perhaps so. With interest currently low and availability and prices very attractive, it might be a good time to explore.
The reason I collected it: a single-focus newspaper…
October 13, 2025 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
The general rule for a newspaper of any era is to report the news of the day on a regular basis, typically daily or weekly. Some have a thematic focus whether it be the slavery issue, the military, masonic events, etc., but even such newspapers maintained a history of publishing on a regular basis.
I don’t believe we have previously discovered a newspaper that had a singular focus on a specific event until we acquired “The Trainwrecker” from Pond Creek, Oklahoma Territory, 1894. This is not just a rare title; this could be a unique issue being the volume 1, number 1 issue of a newspaper about which nothing can be found. It is not listed in Gregory’s “Union List of Newspapers”, nor have we found anything on the internet.
Its purpose is noted on the front page, and it seems to have a singular focus: the dispute the Pond Creek area had with the Rock Island Railroad.
As a bit of background, I might encourage a visit to “Hell on Rails: Oklahoma Towns at War with the Rock Island Railroad“, which details the backdrop for why this newspaper was created. It is rather convoluted and relates much to how the Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, was settled and how the railroads were a factor in town settlements.
The issue begins with: “The only paper in the Cherokee Strip capable and willing to take up and handle without gloves the action of the Rock Island Railroad, in the pursuance of their policy to rule or ruin.”
Then the “Salutary” begins: “In placing the TRAINWRECKER before the public, we ask for no sympathy–realizing full well the step we have taken. Our object is to give to the people of L county a complete account of the fight between the Rock Island railroad and Pond Creek, the county seat of L county and the only live, energetic city in the Strip…” with much more not just on the front page but on inside pages as well.
It is possible this newspaper existed for just this one issue, but without documenting records we cannot confirm. Printed as it is on green paper, it certainly doesn’t seem as though the publisher planned for a lengthy run.
This is part of the fascination with rare titles, as their scarcity simply implies a lack of information. Although we have encountered other newspapers that failed to exist beyond just a few issues, this is the first that seems to have existed to exploit a singular concern.
Personal note from Guy: “If historical fiction is within your wheelhouse of interests, I found ‘The Assassin’ and ‘The Wrecker’, both by Clive Cussler, fun reads. The former focuses more on the O.T. region (with a mention of some of the locations indicated above), while the latter zeros in on the sabotaging of trains during this era.”
What if Germany won World War I ?
October 6, 2025 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Some of the more intriguing newspapers are “futuristic” editions, those printed with a dateline 50 or 75 years in the future, filled with reports of what editors presumed life would be like at that time. They always prove to be very interesting reading.
We recently came upon a “what if” newspaper. Although we’ve had a few, including use of the atomic bomb on American cities, or end-of-the-world scenarios, this issue of “The Liberty Blast” (shown below) is printed as if Germany had won World War I. Although the dateline reads “April 29, 1920”, the editorial on page 2 notes that it was published on April 29, 1918, before World War I had come to an end.
The reporting is fascinating. See the many photos for what the editors thought could have happened. The page 2 editorial in this edition–the first any only of this title–was meant to: “…awaken in the hearts and minds of those who read it a realization of those horrors of a great world war…near to American shores…”.
An interesting issue to read. One of the many treasures to be discovered in the pursuit of this fascinating hobby!
