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Prices… a walk down memory lane… 2006…
October 4, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We recently took a look at “prices realized” for a number of historic newspapers spanning the centuries. We’ll now take a look a the pricing of authentic newspapers from a different perspective: pricing over time. Over the course of the next several weeks we’ll post a random page from old Rare & Early Newspapers catalogs. We’ll start with a page from a catalog sent in 2006, and work backwards through time.
20th century prices realized… revisted…
September 30, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
The previous post focused on “prices realized” from a sampling of key issues from the 20th century. Fellow collector, Charles Signer, posted a response we thought collectors would appreciate.
These papers (see previous post) are excellent choices for your article. I think the Titanic disaster marked a new era in journalism, since improvements in printing technology and inventions like the facsimile machine made it possible for newspapers all over the United States and the world for the first time to cover the story simultaneously with full coverage and great graphics. Because the Titanic event took place at sea there was no “home advantage” as there would have been for a disaster taking place in a populated area. I don’t have the Rhode Island version of the story that you show, but I have seen others like it from other cities. I am amazed how they could get such good reporting and graphics literally overnight on such an unexpected story.
When I see the Honolulu Star-Bulletin First Extra I think of it as a time capsule marking of an end of an era. The front page of course gives the full first report, but the inside pages were mostly set up before the event, in the last hours of peacetime. The ads for 1941 consumer goods and Christmas sales suddenly fell out of place in the grim new wartime world. I imagine the people shown in the ads floating at the bottom of the ocean where they are all drowned dead but still visible to divers. It’s eerie.
I was going to say that the whole First Extra paper could be seen on the Honolulu Star-Bulletin website, but in trying to test the link as I write this I see that the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Honolulu Advertiser merged on June 7, 2010. The combined paper is now the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. There used to be a great story on the Star-Bulletin’s old website about the people who put out those first reports that day. I guess it’s gone now.
I got a copy of the Dewey Defeats Truman paper from Tim Hughes before 2000 for about $850. It was real cherry. I grew up in Chicago where my dad and I would drive down in the evenings to get the first edition of the following day’s Tribune. When you opened up a Tribune for the first time there were tiny holes made in the printing process which made the pages stick together. The copy I got from Tim had those little holes so I knew I was opening that Dewey Defeats Truman paper for the first time ever. It was almost like being there on November 2, 1948, the evening the paper was printed. Yes, it truly is a classic that will be recognized as long as newspapers are remembered, which may be a lot longer than some of them are being published.
Thanks Charles!
Prices realized… 19th century…
September 20, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 5 Comments
This post is the 3rd installment of a series dedicated to exploring actual sale prices of historic newspapers from various periods of time. Below please find a few selections from the 19th century.
Note: If you have an issue of your own you’re trying to price, one trick/strategy is to go to the “advanced” search engine at www.rarenewspapers.com (see top left of window), enter a 2 week range of dates (one week prior to your issue’s date to one week after), and view the results. This will give you comparable issues (if available) to help you in establishing a reasonable price for your issue. Make certain to take into consideration your issues title, city of location, proximity to the location where the event (key content) occurred, condition, displayability, proximity of issue’s date to the date the key event occurred, etc.
19th century selections:
The best Lincoln Assassination issue to be had… THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 15, 1865 ($2,800, 2009)
Wallpaper issue! THE OPELOUSAS COURIER, Louisiana., Apr. 4, 1863 ($2,650, 2006)
The previous posts in this series are:
Prices realized… 16th & 17th centuries…
Prices realized… 18th century…
Prices realized… 18th century…
September 13, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
We continue with our series on “Prices Realized”. Below are a examples of actual prices paid 
for a few scattered issues from the 18th century. While not the highest valued from the period, they certainly are “premium” issues. Our hope is to provide a more-comprehensive listing in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, for what it is worth…
The Constitution of the United States… CONNECTICUT COURANT, Hartford, Oct. 1, 1787 ($17,500, 2007)
The Boston Massacre… THE ESSEX GAZETTE, Salem, Massachusetts, March 20, 1770 ($9,250, 2006)
The following is a link to our previous post in this series:
Prices realized… 16th & 17th centuries…
Prices realized… 16th & 17th centuries…
September 6, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 5 Comments
While we’ve written several posts identifying some of the factors which impact the value of a rare and/or historic newspaper, a “price guide” showing prices realized is as of yet unavailable. Our hope would be to have such a resource accessible within the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, we’ll be taking the next few Mondays to provide some information in this regard which we hope you will find helpful.
16th & 17th Centuries:
One of the earliest issues you will find… ZEITUNGEN, AUS WELSCHLANDEN, 1546 ($1,752, 2007)
Finding authentic newspapers from this period (16th and 17th centuries) is becoming exceedingly difficult. As a result, what would these same issues be valued at today? What impact did the condition, displayability, content, proximity (date and location to the content), rarity, etc. have on each? While these factors, and more, impact the valuation of an issue, the above examples are what they are – prices realized.
Note: Many price guides (in other collectible areas) show highly inflated prices. This enables resellers to offer items at slightly under “established” prices, giving buyers the illusion that they are getting a bargain. However, the truth is, the value of an item is really the price that others are actually willing to pay – not what a catalog/price guide lists. In the field of Rare Newspapers, our approach will always be to base prices on hard data – the track record of previous sales. Additionally, at Rare Newspapers, we try to set prices at a point where both resellers and individual collectors are comfortable. As a result, we do not have a two-tier system (one price for resellers, and another for collectors). We believe this policy provides a degree of integrity within the collectible community. We hope you agree.
How the Newspaper Changed the Press: Providing Contextual History…
September 2, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Imagine the newspaper in pre-revolutionary Virginia. It’s the only one in the state, so the governor has complete control over everything that’s published in it. His is the only opinion expressed, and if anything about a newspaper page fails to agree with him, it’s discarded and replaced. Thomas Jefferson sums it up by saying that it’s “no competitor for public favor.” One of the most attractive elements of a newspaper for the public is its variety of opinions, which ensures that everyone can find something to agree and disagree with when they read it. What is a newspaper without multiple viewpoints, opinions, and descriptions of events?
Creating Context for History
Context is one important characteristic that distinguishes the pre-revolutionary newspaper from the modern one. Now, newspapers allow us to define context using not only the circumstances and facts surrounding an event, but also the wide variety of public opinions and perspectives. This additional facet of contextual history provides a wealth of detail, dimension, and complexity to the texture of events and situations covered in newspapers.
The Turning Point of the Newspaper
Roger Mellen of George Mason University has researched the origins of newspaper competition, working to contradict the assumption that Thomas Jefferson was responsible for bringing it to Virginia. Mellen contends that it was the Stamp Act, not Jefferson, which influenced a second newspaper printer to relocate in Virginia, instigating competition against the governor’s newspaper. Because printers had to pay extra taxes on their products, they were motivated to sell more newspapers by allowing for civic discourse, taking sides on issues, and becoming more opinionated. Printers realized that the “public favor” mentioned by Jefferson was best courted by publishing dramatic political writing, a phenomenon that grew and changed with the public both during and after the revolution. With the public steering the direction of newspapers, the government no longer had the sole influence on what was published, and the scope of contextual history was broadened significantly.
Collecting Context
The way newspapers capture contextual history is just one of many characteristics that influence collectors to continuously search out and buy them. Finding contrasting opinions on a significant political issue, reading different accounts of the same important situation, and even locating various photos depicting the same event can be exhilarating. Tracking the changes in leading public opinion across an extended time period, comparing historical events to modern ones, and finding historical patterns are also hobbies that are enabled by newspapers’ contextual history. No matter what their interests, everyone can learn something from and enjoy the process of collecting newspapers.
Bio: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, researching areas of online education. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
Collecting Historic and Rare Newspapers Basics (Part II)
August 9, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
The following guide is posted on History’s Newsstand’s eBay Store. It is the second part of a primer on collecting Rare & Early Newspapers:
The purpose of this 2nd guide concerning historic, original, collectible and/or rare newspapers is to answer additional questions related to the hobby:
- Why are they so inexpensive?
- What might I find within the pages of a Rare Newspaper?
- What is the background of the (apparent) use of “f” vs. “s”?
- What is meant by “2nd-rate”?
- What is the value of my newspaper?
- How was 17th & 18th Century paper made?
- Are early issues with irregular type-set authentic?
1. Why so inexpensive?
You can find newspapers published during George Washington’s administration for $35, issues with front page accounts of Indian skirmishes for $25, and genuine issues published in 1685 for as little as $30. A hobby still very much undiscovered by the public, prices for genuine, complete newspapers dating as far back as the 1600’s are very low due to limited demand (at this time). For more than 30 years, we have dealt exclusively in the niche market of early newspapers, buying in huge quantities at very low prices to amass an inventory of over 2 million issues which are now available for the historical hobbyist. There is no better time to begin amassing ah historical newspaper collection – while still on the up-side of the hobby’s appeal.
2. What might I find within the pages of a Rare Newspaper?
Read the Boston Gazette of March 12, 1770 and learn of the massacre in that city and gain an appreciation of the revolutionary spirit never before imagined. Read 1st hand reports on the Civil War. View ads and reports from the American Wold West. View the Banner Headlines of some of the biggest events from the 20th Century. Historic newspapers are a firsthand reflection of life at a time when descriptive ads for runaway slaves were commonplace; when Paul Revere advertised his bell foundry in local papers; when recently enacted laws, signed in type by George Washington, were published in the daily paper. There is no better way to obtain an intimate view of life during nearly any chosen period from 1666 through the late 1900’s.
Since all are original issues (not reproductions), slight imperfections such as light foxing or staining, small margin tears, an occasional front page original owner (often library) stamp, and slight fold or edge wear are common. Most issues were once bound into volumes at the end of a year for preservation and bear minor left margin irregularities due to the disbinding process. None of these potential typical imperfections cause content loss. Many newspapers dated from the 1880’s through the 1920’s are pulpish (fragile) due to commonly used print materials used during this period, and appropriate care must be given to these issues. Some issues (especially magazines) were originally published with covers or wrappers, but unless described otherwise, they have long since been removed.
3. What is the historical background of the use of “f” vs. “s”?
Centuries ago before the printing press there were grammatical reasons for use of a serpentine-styled “s” to be used rather than the more typical “s”. Its look was much as if an “s” was elongated and leaned to the right. When this letter was converted to a block letter for the printing press (around 1500) it looked much like an “f” but with the slash through one side & not the other–look carefully and note the difference. This letter caused confusion with the “f” ever since, and around 1750 publishers were abandoning this letter in favor of the more typical “s”, and by 1800 it was almost universally abandoned.
4. What is meant by “second rate”?
A “second rate” issue is somewhat worn, possibly with edge tears, some light staining, rubbing, or other minor disfigurements. All pages are present with no cut-outs, but the prints contained within the issue, if prints are present, would not be suitable for framing. An acceptable issue for researching content only, or if condition is inconsequential. Please do not request for us to confirm that an issue offered at the 2nd rate price contains prints that are in good condition. A 2nd rate issue is 2nd rate throughout.
5. What is the value of my newspaper?
As one might suspect there are many factors which determine value. Much like a jeweler cannot give a value of a diamond via email or a phone call, ethics would not permit anyone to place values on newspapers without seeing the issues in hand to determine authenticity condition, news placement, etc. Although viewing issues of similar date, condition, and displayablity on eBay and/or on reputable websites may give a general sense of their potential value, your best bet is to contact a reputable dealer in historic and/or rare newspapers.
6. How was 17th & 18th Century paper made?
The handmade paper used in the 17th and 18th centuries can be distinguished from paper that was made later by holding the paper up to a light and looking for “chain-lines” which are left from the wires in the paper mold. With this method, fewer fibers accumulate directly on the wire, so the paper is slightly thinner and more transparent to light. This pattern is usually very apparent and appears as lines that run about an inch apart, with several horizontal short lines connecting the long wire lines. Some modern paper has artificially-applied chain lines, and is usually referred to as “laid” paper, which is the name given to handmade chain-line paper. The handmade chain-line paper was made of cotton and/or linen rags, which were soaked in liquid until the fibers broke down into bits. Paper was formed by hand by dipping a paper mold into the fiber suspension, and then lifting and shaking off the excess water. The paper sheet was then partially dried before being removed from the mold. Modern handmade paper (used in fine printing of small editions by private presses, as well as in artists books) is basically made by the same process.
Wood pulp paper (made with a sulfite process that causes high acid residue in the paper) wasn’t widely used in the U.S. until after the American Civil War. Breakthrough in paper-making occurred when “wove” paper was invented. Wove paper was first used in a book printed in America in 1795 in a book by Charlotte Smith entitled “Elegiac Sonnets and Other Poems”. Wove paper, which shows no chain-lines, is made on a wire mold often made of brass and/or bronze wires that have been woven like fabric. Therefore, there is no chain-like pattern, and the paper has a much smoother appearance. After 1800, wove paper became the standard paper for books and other uses, although there was still some laid or chain-link paper in use through the 1820s and beyond.
The first machine-made paper in America was made in 1817 in Brandywine, Delaware, and the first newspaper printed on this paper was “Poulson’s Daily Advertiser. The major start in manufacturing paper by machine began when a French paper machine called the Fourdrinier was introduced in New York in 1827, followed by the manufacture of more of the machines two years later in Connecticut. Machine-made paper is more uniform in thickness, lacks the uneven edges of handmade paper and is weaker and more prone to tearing. Machine-made paper is made on a continuous wire mold which usually has watermarks. Although it can be hard to tell machine-made wove paper from handmade wove paper, handmade paper is usually thicker and also varies in thickness from piece to piece.
The last major development in paper manufacture was the development of wood pulp paper, which was much less expensive to manufacture than rag paper. The first successfully-made wood pulp paper was manufactured in Buffalo, New York, in 1855. By 1860, a large percentage of the total paper produced in the U.S. was still rag paper. Most of the newspapers printed in the U.S. during the Civil War period survived because they were essentially acid-free 100% rag paper, but the newspapers printed in the late 1880s turn brown because of the high acid content of the wood pulp paper. In 1882, the sulfite wood pulp process that is still in use today was developed on a commercial scale and most of the high acid content paper was used thereafter in newspapers, magazines and books.
7. Are eary issues (pre-1800) with irregular type-set authentic?
Pre-1800 Printing – A Little Background: Type was handset in the 18th century and all margins were (typically) of equal size from top to bottom. As part of the inherent crudeness of making paper back then, individual sheets might have slightly different shapes but in general all sheets were rectangular, wider than tall with pages 1 & 4 of a newspaper printed on one side and pages 2 & 3 printed on the other, then folded in half to produce the typical 4 page newspaper. It was rather common for even a regularly shaped sheet to be put on the printing press slightly askew, causing the printed sheet to appear somewhat crooked, keeping in mind everything was done by hand, and often by young hired hands. We have seen a few instances where an irregularly shaped sheet caused the print to run off one of the edges. Also, newspapers and magazines were often bound into volumes at the end of the year with the three exposed edges trimmed to look neat, and in the trimming process some text can be trimmed off if the newspaper was bound into the volume askew, or if the trimmer simply took off too much blank margin to even up the edges.
(Note) Invitation: In order to provide an ongoing resource for newcomers to the hobby, feel free to add additional insight which you feel might be beneficial to those entering the hobby on the ground floor. Our hope will be to include many of these comments within a future post. Thanks in advance for your contributions.
Collecting Historic and Rare Newspapers Basics – Part One
August 2, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 14 Comments
The following guide is posted on History’s Newsstand’s eBay Store. It is the first part of a primer on collecting Rare & Early Newspapers:
The purpose of this guide concerning historic, original, collectible and/or rare newspapers is to answer the three most common questions related to the hobby: How you can determine if an issue is authentic, the meaning of commonly used terms related to the hobby, and why the original issues do not just fall apart.
How Can You Determine If An Issue Is Authentic?
It was not unusual for newspapers to celebrate the anniversary of an historic event or their inaugural issue by reprinting that issue for their subscribers or the general public. Never meant to deceive, through the years such issues were tucked away in attics and dresser drawers as interesting souvenirs only to be uncovered by distant relatives convinced they found the genuine item.
Although only an expert examination can definitively qualify a newspaper as genuine or a reprint and such experts with sufficient knowledge & experience are few & far between, there are a few clues which can guide a novice in making a determination:
* Does the newsprint match that used at that time? Genuine pre-1880 newsprint usually has a high rag content and is very pliable, sturdy & reasonably white. Most reprints in the post-1880 era are more browned, fragile and lacking in physical substance.
* Does the issue contain an historic or significant report? Many reprints contain very historic reports rather than mundane news of the day, and such genuine issues are rarely found randomly outside of a larger collection.
* Is the issue a volume one, number one issue? They were commonly reprinted on anniversary dates.
* Does the format, content or any extraneous printing on the issue appear out of the ordinary? Many reprints were used for promotional purposes and altered to serve another purpose beyond just reprinting a genuine newspaper.
Reprint, fake, or facsimile newspapers are a rarity in this hobby with the vast majority of such issues limited to less than 20 titles. The Library of Congress maintains a check-list of points to look for on most of these issues and can be accessed through their website.
What Are The Most Frequently Used Terms & What Do They Mean?
* Octavo (8vo): Approximately 8 1/2 by 5 inches. Popular size for 18th Century magazines.
* Quarto (4to): Approximately 12 by 9 inches. Common size for many early newspapers.
* Folio: Full size. Eighteenth century issues are approximately 17 by 11 inches, while 19th century issues come closer to present day newspapers.
* Foxing: Dark spots due to age, chemical content of the paper, or storage environment.
* dblpgctrfld: Doublepage centerfold. A print, typical in Harper’s Weekly, which stretches across two pages.
Why Do The Issues Simply Not Fall Apart?
To the surprise of many, newspapers published before 1880 remain in very nice condition as the paper had high cotton and linen content. Most issues from the 1600’s and 1700’s are in much better condition than issues from World War I, hence little care is needed for issues over 120 years old.
(Note) Invitation: In order to provide an ongoing resource for newcomers to the hobby, feel free to add additional insight which you feel might be beneficial to those entering the hobby on the ground floor. Our hope will be to include many of these comments within a future post. Thanks in advance for your contributions.
The first newspapers in Mississippi…
July 8, 2010 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
Even before the Mississippi Territory was made whole in 1804 (or nearly so; a small portion was annexed in 1812), a printing press was moved into Natchez at the request of the newly appointed governor in order to: “…diffuse a knowledge of the laws and other useful matters…”. Documentation gives evidence that Benjamin Stokes: “…commenced in Natchez, and continued some time, the ‘Mississippi Gazette’…This was some time in the summer of 1799, but he soon failed…”. But the earliest issue located is dated Oct. 13, 1801, vol. 2, no. 7, which would carry the date of establishment back to September, 1800. At the time the population of the entire Mississippi Territory was just 7600. The paper was discontinued on Dec. 1, 1801.
Another title, the “Intelligencer“, begin in Natchez on Aug. 11, 1801 judging from the date of the earliest issue located. This publication failed to last through the year, ending publication on Dec. 8, 1801. The next several papers also published in Natchez, with the “Mississippi Herald” beginning July 27, 1802 (ended in 1807); the “Constitutional Conservator” beginning in Oct., 1802 but only one issue has been located, that of April 16, 1803; the “Mississippi Messenger” beginning Sept. 7, 1804 (ended in 1808) and the “Natchez “Gazette” beginning on Jan. 7, 1808 (ended on Nov. 16, 1808).
Each of these titles, and others from the early period of the 19th century, were established before statehood was granted in 1817.
First newspapers in Massachusetts…
May 31, 2010 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
It would be of no surprise that Massachusetts has the longest history of newspaper publishing anywhere in the colonies. The very first printing press in the colonies was set up there, and by 1690 a newspaper was published in Boston, “Public Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick”, but lasting but a single issue. In November of 2008 I did a post specifically on this title so I won’t dwell on this effort other than to say that it lasted but a single issue before being suppressed.
It was not for another fourteen years that Bartholomew Green, of the very famous Green family of printers, had the honor of printing the first newspaper to be permanently established in the colonies, the Boston “News-Letter“. Green published it for the owner, John Campbell, for 18 years and when Campbell retired Green & his successors continued the publication until the evacuation of Boston 1776, at which point the newspaper ceased.
The third newspaper in Massachusetts, also in Boston, was the famed “Boston Gazette“, printed for owner William Brooker by James Franklin, elder brother to Benjamin. This newspaper started on Dec. 21, 1719 and when sold James Franklin decided to begin a newspaper of his own. The “New-England Courant” began Aug. 7,1721 and it was on this project that Benjamin Franklin gained his apprenticeship as a printer. He would then move to Philadelphia, buy the Pennsylvania Gazette, and the rest is, well, history.
So it was that the first three newspapers in the American colonies were all published in Boston, although it was a close call. The first newspaper outside of Boston, the “American Weekly Mercury“, began in Philadelphia on Dec. 22, 1719, just one day after the “Boston Gazette“.