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Pre-Memorial Day (Decoration Day) preparations…
May 26, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Today (Sunday, May 26, 2024) is the day before what was originally called Decoration Day. Whereas we will have another post tomorrow commemorating the day, today I was browsing through some of our previous posts and related website listings, and was struck by both the early emphasis on “preparations” for the day, and the ritual of decorating the grave sites of those who had paid the ultimate price in war. This led me to ponder how I could incorporate both into this years “holiday”. I’m not sure if it will happen, but we currently have 11 grandchildren and their parents with us this weekend, so I’m hoping they’ll all agree to walk down to the small Civil War cemetery (on what is now called Freedom Road) where several black soldiers from our area are buried, and place a few American Flags among the decades-faded markers. If it works out, I’m looking forward to the umpteen questions which will come my way.
in the meantime, feel free to take a gander at an item we have on our website which has several reports on the very first official Decoration Day celebrations which took place throughout the United States in 1869:
Decoration Day
Another Golden Nugget found within an Old Newspaper… Edmund Halley
May 24, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
A collector (L.G., from Vermont) recently contacted us to mention he had found a “Golden Nugget” within one of our listings. Finding hidden gems while perusing a newspaper is not too uncommon (it’s one of the pleasures of the collectible), however, doing so while viewing merely select images on our website is another thing altogether. Making this “find” even more impressive is that it was barely visible at the bottom of a photo showing something else. SO, what was “the find”? An advertisement for the notable “Planisphaerium Coeleste (double hemisphere celestial chart)” which had been “reviewed and corrected” by the 23-year-old astronomer, Edmund Halley. He would later become famous for discovering that a series of comet sightings which reached as far back as 240 BC were actually of the same comet – now called Halley’s Comet (1P/Halley). From a collector’s standpoint, it’s nice to see his name in print long before his famous “find”.
For the record, the mention was found in The London Gazette for April 10, 1679 – a listing which has now been updated to reflect the new content. The original photo observed by L.G. can still be found through the provided link.
Please know we are always pleased when collectors let us know of such discoveries – even if the find means we missed something which would have made the newspaper significantly more valuable.
Davy Crockett & Rand Paul – “I Love This Collectible!”
May 20, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
I recently overheard someone on the radio mention a speech Rand Paul gave on the Senate Floor on May 18, 2022 regarding “spending” in which he quoted portions of an earlier speech by beloved Senator Davy Crockett given in the same chamber back in 1867. What caught my attention was Senator Paul’s source: a Harper’s Magazine from 1867 – a title which we have in relative abundance within our archives. Rand Paul’s oration, now referred to as his “Makes No Sense” speech, is found here:
Of course, being collectors and resellers of Rare & Early Newspapers (and some 18th and 19th century magazines), the fun was about to begin. Might we have a copy of this speech? Might we have the very Harper’s Monthly issue Rand Paul referenced?
Problem 1: He said it was from Harper’s Magazine, 1867; however, Harper’s was a monthly magazine. Thanks to the internet, we soon discovered several websites (some highly respectable) which stated it was from the January issue. Off we went to our archives to check to see if we had the January, 1867 issue. Bingo! We had it.
Problem 2: After searching through the issue multiple times, it was obvious that all of the websites must have relied on a single, wrong source. Bummer. So, where could it be? Might the year be wrong? Perhaps a different month within 1867? A different title? After a bit more digging we found a reference which stated that an article related to Davy Crockett was present within the April issue of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine (April, 1867). Might we have this one? If so, might it contain Senator Crockett’s speech? Back to the archives we went, and before long we dug out the desired issue and were elated to find the referenced speech!!!
Whether you agree with Rand Paul’s or Davy Crockett’s position on the spending of taxpayer’s money, the trek was rewarding. AND, after all this effort, the speech is shown below. Enjoy.
The (2024) May Newsletter from Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers…
May 17, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Welcome to the May Newsletter from
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The reason I collected it: Newe Gazette van Brugge…
May 13, 2024 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Sometimes it’s nice just to be handsome to be collectible. The New Gazette van Brugge from 1815 Belgium is not particularly early for a European title, nor am I aware of any historic content. But the masthead is deep, it includes a coat-of-arms engraving, and has beautifully ornate lettering in the title, not to mention two tax stamps in the masthead. Additionally, it was never bound nor trimmed and is small enough to frame economically–hence a logical addition to our private collection.
The Month of May thru time – as reported in newspapers of the day…
May 10, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
When considering the month of May what historical events come to mind? I’m sure if we each came up with a list of ten, while there may be some overlap, our lists would be quite diverse. A quick internet search turned up an exhaustive list which included the following:
- Great Britain was formed from a union between England and Scotland
- U.S. Special Operations Forces killed Osama bin Laden
- Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) was first observed in the U.S. (1865)
- Communism founder Karl Marx (1818-1883) was born in Treves, Germany
- The German airship Hindenburg burst into flames
- The British passenger ship Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine
- Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as president of South Africa
- The first permanent English settlement in America was established at Jamestown, Virginia
- Napoleon Bonaparte became Emperor of France
- Mount St. Helens volcano erupted in southwestern Washington State
Collectors of rare and early newspapers know that coverage of such events can nearly always be found in old newspapers; however, one of the added pleasures is discovering reports of previously unknown or long-forgotten events which inspire a deeper look – aiding the lifelong learning process which helps to keep us mentally engaged as we progress through life.
The link below will take you to a reverse-chronological list (1600’s-20th century) of our currently available newspapers from the month of March. There’s no need to buy anything. Simply enjoy your march backwards through time.
You can’t always believe what you read – even when penned with good intentions…
May 6, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
(sarcasm alert)
Did you know you can obtain (collect) British newspapers older than the oldest known British newspapers?
While sounding a tad ridiculous, a newspaper article from a reliable 19th century publication confirms this claim.
Proof:
We recently discovered an article in an issue of the highly respected Niles’ National Register from 1839 which contained the following article:
It appears that as of 1839, the oldest known “English” newspapers were from 1695. The problem? We have several to offer dated earlier. One might argue ours were discovered after this article was penned in 1839, but many of what we have are from The Times (London) whose claim to fame is being the oldest continuously published newspaper in England – perhaps the world(?), and was one of the more prominent newspapers from the 1600’s-1700’s. While the journalist may have been well-intentioned, the facts emphatically betray his/her research.
However, if you are one to believe everything you read, feel free to take a gander at…
British Newspapers Older than the Oldest British Newspapers
Announcing: Catalog #342 for May, 2024 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
April 30, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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The May catalog (#342) is now available. Shown below are links to various segments of the catalog, our currently discounted
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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.]
Snapshot 1903 – “Jack the Ripper” in America?
April 15, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
In the midst of what appears to be the steady decline of American culture, and the resulting tendency to develop a “woe is us” mindset which begins to long for the past, every now and then I come across a newspaper which serves as a reality check. Such was the case as I perused a Memphis Morning News dated December 21, 1903. The front-page alone had the following headlines: “No Safety for Americans” in Columbia, “Thieves Rob Jail”, “Killed All His Family”, “Russell Is Hurt” (student hits teacher in the head with a rock), “Mountain Bandit Escapes From Jail”, “Charles Nellens Arrested – Charged With Murder of Millionaire Wentz…”, “Saved Two Women From Fire”, “Preferred To Die – Charged With Postal Robberies, He Suicides”, and my favorite, “Jack The Ripper… Ghastly Find In A Hotel”. AND, I’ve yet to move past the front page. YIKES!
Truth be told, Western Culture (in general) and American Culture (specifically) are declining, but the call should be to right the ship for present and future generations, not to bury our heads in the sands of the past. Thanks to the slap in the face provided by this newspaper from 1903, I’ll get back to being thankful for all that is good in the present, while pushing for an even better tomorrow. Go back to life in 1903? No thank you – and WWI, the Spanish Flu, and the devastating Qing Famine are still far beyond the horizon. Note: The latter may not have been a “Western Culture” event, but when 20-30 million people die of starvation, it deserves a mention.
PS Spoiler alert. The Jack the Ripper headline is an early 1900’s version of what today would be labelled “click bait”.
“Collecting Newspapers – The Basics” (Part V) – Reprints…
April 5, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
While “fakes” in collectibles, depending upon the item being sought (stamps, coins, Hummels, etc.), can be common, thankfully such is not the case with Rare and Early Newspapers. Furthermore, the common “fakes” (called “reprints”) are well documented and were rarely done with nefarious motives. Part of the reason for the rarity of reprints is likely the price-point of most collectible newspapers (still quite low) in comparison to the cost of creating a fake which would be good enough to pass as authentic to someone who is familiar with the collectible. Printing methods, ink, paper, era-specific (“tell-tale”) environmental impact, and more have varied so significantly over time, the cost and effort it would take to create profitable forgeries cost/effort prohibitive. Still, there are exceptions – and being “in the know” can save one from being duped out of their hard-earned savings.
The issue-specific attributes which help to distinguish a reprint from an authentic issue would fill a book to rival Tolstoy’s War and Peace – making an attempt to do so within a single post absurd. However, over the past decade we have created over a dozen posts in an effort to cover as much as possible – specifically targeting the most common. Hopefully you will find them helpful:
POSTS REGARDING COMMON REPRINTS
