As of today, over 25% of my wife’s and my retirement savings have turned to dust. Ouch. Will our investments bounce back? Our 6 children and their families certainly hope so. Yes, times are tough, but are they any worse than during the height of the most recent pandemic… or the one from the early 1900’s? How about living during any of the multiple wars we’ve engaged in over the past 200+ years, during the Great Depression, or in and around some of the devastating hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or wildfires which have taken countess lives or stripped the survivors of their worldly possessions? Do our current financial, social, and political difficulties hold a candle to any of these?
These ponderings are not meant to diminish the sorrow, sickness, and loss of life which has befallen us over the past few years, but we’ve also learned a ton: “Don’t sweat the small stuff?”, “What are truly the most important things to hold on to?”, “Life is precious.”, to name but a few. All of these fall under the umbrella of “Homebuilding 101”. The Author of wisdom once said, “Don’t build your house upon the sand!” This is not merely good advice, its words to live by.
Case in point…
In late October of 1929 the Stock Market crashed, and in an instant the foundation of many washed away in a torrent of bad news. For those who had built their house upon such fleeting sand as an investment portfolio, everything crumbled. Such was the case for James J. Riordan, a noteworthy investor and president of the County Trust Company of New York. His response to the crash was emblazoned on the front page of the Chicago Sunday Tribune (along with most other newspapers of the day) for all to see. Of course his reaction to the sudden loss of worldly possessions has been played out in similar fashion time-and-time again – a lesson for all of us to consider when we are seeking a foundation upon which to build our lives.
September’s catalog (#322) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #322 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: North Carolina secedes (in a North Carolina newspaper), a rare colonial title with a Battle of Bunker Hill report, the Emancipation Proclamation on the front page, a Paul Revere engraving in the masthead, the Funding Act of 1790, the Battle of Gettysburg (from a Confederate perspective), and more.
One of the popular subsets of the Rare & Early Newspapers hobby is the collecting of historic baseball reports (as well as detailed coverage of favorite teams and players from the past). As of the writing of this post, more than 1,000 such issues were available for browsing and/or collecting at:
August’s catalog (#321) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #321 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the most-desired masthead from the 18th century (Franklin’s “Join or Die”), a 1665 Oxford Gazette (predecessor of the London Gazette), the Battle of Gettysburg (the desirable New York Times), a Newsbook from 1664 with American reports, the first newspaper printed in Alaska, Lincoln’s assassination (illustrated), and more.
July’s catalog (#320) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #320 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: Spindletop (in a Houston newspaper), King Philip’s War (the first war in America), a Virginia Gazette from 1775 reporting the election of Patrick Henry, the Battle of Bunker Hill AND Washington named commander-in-chief reported in the same issue, Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, the famous ‘New York Herald’ reporting Lincoln’s assassination, and more.
June’s catalog (#319) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #319 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the notorious pirate Captain Kidd is executed, a Boston newspaper dated 1739, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (in the New York Times, the Gettysburg Address, a displayable issue on the end of the Civil War, the Beatles come to America, and more.
May’s catalog (#318) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #318 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: a newspaper printed by Ben Franklin, an issue from the true Old West: “The Tombstone Epitaph”, the Emancipation Proclamation on the front page, a graphic issue on the sinking of the Titanic, the Stock Market crash of 1929, one of the Lincoln-Douglass debates, and more.
The best headlines need no commentary. While there are many dramatic headlines regarding the Sinking of the Titanic, the April 16, 1912, New York American is considered one of the very best: “J. J. ASTOR LOST ON TITANIC” “1500 TO 1,800 DEAD” (see below). Of course, the striking illustration certainly helps. We also have a nice Pinterest board with Titanic headlines: Titanic
In the moment, we are often oblivious to the long-term impact significant newsworthy announcements will have as time goes on. “Henry Ford has made a car nearly anyone can afford” – eventually smog make city -living unbearable and the ozone takes a beating. “Computers can be made both inexpensively and small enough for daily use at home” – pornography spreads like wildfire. “A new substance called ‘plastic’ will revolutionize our lives” – our landfills overflow and our oceans are overcome with garbage which will take many lifetimes to decompose (if ever). However, not all unexpected “consequences” are bad.
The announcement on May 8, 1945 that the war with Germany was over (aka, V-E Day), wildly celebrated throughout much of the World, was such a case in point. Amidst all the exuberance, most people were probably not cognizant of the marvelous “consequences” which would arrive within a year’s time. Introducing: “The Baby Boomers – 1946 Edition!” Here, have a cigar.
The front page of this issue of THE MORNING CALL (Patterson, NJ) is one of the many reports which helped inspire the creation of an entire generation.
March’s catalog (#316) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
CATALOG #316 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: Madison’s proposed Amendments to the Constitution, the famous “Join or Die” engraving in the masthead (1774), the “Gunpowder Incident” in a 1775 Williamsburg newspaper, The Gettysburg Address in the famous New York Tribune, Washington is elected President, a great issue on the sinking of the Lusitania, and more.