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It’s All About the Headline…
November 5, 2022 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
Some of our collectors are drawn to a poignant political speech and some are passionate about 17th – 19th century maps. More than a few seek reports of famous battles while others can’t resist death reports of notable generals. When it comes to the Rare & Early Newspapers collectible, breadth of interest runs from the heart-wrenching past (illustrated slave ads – lest we forget), to the lighthearted (a recent issue containing an ad & review of a favorite movie. However, regardless of their interest, for a majority of collectors it’s all about the headline – the more frameable and dramatic, the better!
With this in mind, may I submit as an example the banner headline of Hearst’s Boston American for April 23, 1906: “SAN FRANCISCO SUFFERERS GO MAD! “, followed by: “Crazed By Horrors They Roam The Streets”. Can we all agree… even the tabloids of today can’t touch this! So, whether you are drawn to the macabre, the triumphant, or merely the historical, for many it’s all about the headline. After all…
GREAT HEADLINES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
Announcing: Catalog #324 for November, 2022 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
October 31, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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November’s catalog (#324) 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.
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
The Sounds of Summer and the Crack of the Bat…
October 28, 2022 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
What makes summer feel like summer? Hazy evenings where light still lingers until after 9… Fireflies flitting across the grass… Children laughing as they romp in the neighborhood yards or… the crack of a bat at the local little league field? We at RareNewspapers have a particular fondness for baseball – not only because our Phillies made it to the World Series… or that our founder (Tim Hughes) has served for decades on the board of Little League International… or that the Little League World Series is played each year within a few blocks of our archives in PA, but also because baseball captures the essence of summer, America and apple-pie (with vanilla ice-cream), and we each have a fondness for all three.
To join our baseball enthusiasm a bit, take a look at some of our best baseball issues including one from the current catalog … a CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, Sept. 29, 1920 covering the Black Sox Scandal. Even America’s pastime has a skeleton or two in its closet.
Collecting Rare & Early Newspapers… on a budget…
October 24, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
People who collect stamps… like stamps, collect trains… like trains, collect coins… like coins, collect classic cars… like classic cars, etc.. However, those who collect rare & early newspapers may have the collecting bug for Colonial America, the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Old West, sports, elections, inventions, early flight, tragedies, famous death reports, incredible achievements, illustrated ads of new products as they developed over time, beautiful wood-cut prints from famous artists and illustrators, the progress of civil rights and suffrage from the 1700’s through the present, … – oh, and articles, illustrations and/or ads related to stamps, trains, coins, classic cars and other popular collectibles. They may also simply value history and appreciate viewing events through the eyes of those who experienced them first had.
Of course it’s always best to enter a specific collectible before it becomes over-saturated, exploited, or over-priced, but most collectors arrive on the scene when the prices are either too high, or the value of the collectible is starting to decline.
In contrast, while there are several collectible newspapers priced in the $10,000 to $750,000+ range, many can still be obtained “on the cheap”. It is with this in mind one of our staff decided to create a brief video highlighting a few items priced under $50. In fact, there are well over 15,000 such items available on the RareNewspapers.com website. Please enjoy:
The Gentleman’s Magazine – Own history for pennies on the dollar…
October 14, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
To learn more about this wonderful publication, view our previous posts at:
Today’s month and day through the eyes of Rare & Early Newspapers… 9/26 edition…
September 26, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Today I came across a previous post in which we showed the readers of the History’s Newsstand Blog how to use the Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers advanced search interface to explore available newspapers for any given day and month, which made me wonder which day on a calendar has had the most interesting news reports over time. Of course the answer would be quite subjective, but it did motivate me to run a search for today’s date:
The results were more varied (and interesting) than I was expecting. Feel free to try a date which has special meaning to you to see what you might find. If you are not sure how to do this, go to: Exploring “This Day in History” through Rare & Early Newspapers
If you discover a date which you find to be pregnant with interesting news, feel free to let me know at guy@rarenewspapers.com. Thanks.
Snapshot 1929… Homebuilding 101…
September 23, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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. 
Announcing: Catalog #322 for September, 2022 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
September 2, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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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.
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
Frederick Douglass – A true American hero…
August 15, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
I’m currently reading “The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass”, and I must say, although I have always appreciated his accomplishments and admired him for his perseverance and tenacity as he moved from slavery to freedom, and then on to being a passionate herald for the freedom and equal right of others, over the past few weeks my eyes have been opened to his astounding skills as both a writer and orator. The fact that his cause resonates deep within me makes this revelation even more satisfying.
The quote shown above is from the introduction penned by George L. Ruffin. I couldn’t help but smile upon reading his statement about the value of historic newspapers as primary source material. While I personally prefer the label “contextual-source material”, he certainly seems to grasp the point – and the fact that Douglass himself was a long-time publisher of what we now refer to as rare & early newspapers only adds to the statement’s relevance.
Considering much was also written about (and by) Frederick Douglass in the newspapers of his day, please forgive me if I indulge readers of this blog with related posts over the next few months. At my age, placing the quest to explore more about his life on the backburner would likely be tantamount to tossing it into the recycling bin. Therefore, there is no time like the present. Thanks in advance for your understanding. If anyone would like to contribute a post regarding his life and can tether it to a newspaper (or newspapers) from the past, please be in touch (guy@rarenewspapers.com).
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” – Historic Baseball Coverage…
August 12, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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:
Baseball Reports and Headlines
One of our staff recently gathered a few issues together and created a one-minute video which we hope you will enjoy: