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My collecting story… Z.H. in Benton, Missouri…
May 11, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
My favorite issue is a September 1820 publication from the Niles’ Register. This specific issue contains one of the earliest non-archived and complete printings of the Missouri Constitution that I know to exist. I am a judge for the State of Missouri, so its personal value to me is beyond words. While there have been a total of six constitutions adopted for the State of Missouri in the last 200 years, to hold a complete copy of the original, published immediately after ratification and adoption, is quite something.
This issue is displayed on a bureau in my office just behind my courtroom. Talk about a conversation piece! But much more than that, seeing this piece of history every morning helps to reaffirm a sincere admiration for those who, for better or worse, have formed our respective governments. To establish government is no small feat. This document breathes inspiration as much as it tells a story of immense cooperation. The writers of this document, much like our Founders, united together in common principles of representation, enforcement, and justice. As a judge, my job is to protect this document, and to make sure everyone has equal access to its privileges and protections. Quite simply, it’s humbling, and owning this copy as part of my collection has been a treat to say the least.
So thank you to everyone at Timothy Hughes Rare and Early Newspapers for making this piece available. It really is a treasure!
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
My collecting story… M.R. in Singapore…
May 8, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
My fascination with antiquity generally and old publications specifically began when I was a young child, although I clearly didn’t have the means to acquire them way back then. I have always been fascinated with history, and thus old publications (newspapers, magazines and books) accord one a precious opportunity to come face-to-face with the very publications people read contemporaneous to the events of the period, be they revolutions, a civil war, a presidential inauguration or assassination, or a whole host of other events of historical import. There is even a ‘tactile sensation’ that gives much pleasure in knowing that you are actually leafing through pages originally perused by others up to 300 or even 400 years back! In the case of newspapers in particular, there is also that intellectual joy of reading what are basically primary historical sources, thereby relishing the very
‘flavour’ of the reports of the times and the sometimes strong or biased opinions put forth by editors or letters published from readers.
It is exceedingly difficult to identify the one publication that I would value the most, over any other. In my case it is a tie between two very different historical periods: the 1760s and 1770s, in which one finds myriad accounts of the events leading up to the American Revolution; and the newspapers of April 1865, which came out in the wake of the assassination of one of America’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln. What makes the former category especially interesting in both British and American papers is the fact that on neither side of the ‘pond’ was opinion monolithic by any means with respect to the stirrings in the colonies which ultimately led to revolution. There were British political leaders and merchants who were strongly in favour of letting the Americans have their independence. One in particular was highly prescient in that he foresaw that one day America would emerge as a great power and that it was therefore best to cultivate good relations with was to become a new republic sooner rather than later. At the same time, there were American loyalists who could not envisage a total break with the Crown and thus regarded the revolution as an unwanted tragedy. What makes the newspapers subsequent to Lincoln’s assassination especially interesting is the fact that one can feel a palpable sense of grief and anger in the immediate aftermath – regardless of what they may have been saying about President Lincoln when he was still alive! I feel teleported back in time and place to the scene of the crime as well as to the intense mourning that followed as Lincoln’s funeral train wound its way from Washington back to Illinois, with outpourings of sorrow all over the nation.
Finally, there was indeed a most pleasant surprise awaiting me in an entire volume of ‘The Gentleman’s Magazine’ for 1776, which I happened upon in an antiquarian shop in my part of the world (Singapore) many years ago. I acquired it for an amount so small that I considered it insignificant. While I felt sure there would be many articles of interest with regard to the outbreak of the American Revolution, I was absolutely beside myself with joy to discover that the American Declaration of Independence had been reproduced in it! I certainly hadn’t expected that. Interestingly, the following month’s issue had some sharp critiques of the rationale upon which the Americans had clamored and then declared their independence of Britain. The condition of the whole collection was uniformly good indeed, and the binding appeared to be original as well.
For these reasons and many more, collecting old publications is a hobby – or perhaps I should say a *passion* – that brings unending joy!
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
My collecting story… D.L. in Cranbury, NJ…
May 4, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
I have always been a collector, I guess it is in my genes. It started with coins when I was very young, I think it was when I was in the second grade. Like most collectors, I migrated within a category, from coins to error coins, to U.S. paper currency, to foreign currency, then to U.S.error currency, and so on. Next came the migration from category to category, from numismatics to scripophily to autographed manuscripts and then rocks & minerals (including arrow heads and meteorites). Finally, about 40 years ago, I stumbled across historical newspapers. Specifically, I collected newspapers concerning the stock market (panics and crashes), as well as news stories concerning the Robber Barrons (people like Jim Fisk, Jr., Daniel Drew, Commodore Vanderbilt, Jay Cooke, and the Rockefeller’s to name a few).
My mother was interested in the women’s movement and I decided to make her a nice presentation piece which included, a historical newspaper (“The Revolution” which was created and published by Susan B Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton), along with their autographs and a picture of Susan B Anthony, (presentation piece picture shown below).
So after I had purchased all the items to be framed, I started looking through the Revolution newspapers and was stunned by the quantity but especially the quality of the Robber Barron coverage in the newspaper. It was extraordinarily detailed and insightful as can be seen by some of the commentary I have attached. Their ability to dig up scuttlebutt on what shenanigans the key players were up to and the intimate detail with which it was reported was extraordinary. Well, I had no idea that information was in those newspapers, and it delighted me beyond what words can express. Old newspapers are pieces of history you can keep, they are time machines which allow us to look back in past. They also make you think. You can hold them in your hand and learn from them, and sometimes they move you and end up not just in your, hand and brain but also in your heart.
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
Announcing: Catalog #294 (for May, 2020) is now available…
May 1, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
- Catalog 294 (in its entirety)
- Noteworthy Catalog 294 ($250+)
- Combined Catalogs (current, w/ remnants of previous)
Don’t forget about this month’s DISCOUNTED ISSUES.
Note: after approximately 30 days the links above will redirect to the latest catalog.
My collecting story… D.P. in Brentwood, TN…
April 27, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
My Favorite Newspaper from Timothy & Guy…
Back in 2009 the list had an 1856 copy of the Concord (NH) Patriot and State Gazette which included an ad for Flagg & Aymar’s Circus. I bought the paper because, being a circus historian, I knew that old John Robinson had sold his interest in the Robinson and Eldred circus to his partner Gil Eldred in Richmond, VA, that year and had used the money to purchase the Flagg & Aymar show, renaming it John Robinson’s Circus. Under several ownerships the title was active as late as 1930 and was advertised as the oldest circus in America,
The plot thickens: Several items that were delivered to my porch on the same day vanished- to this day I am certain who stole them for spite over my firing a certain party.
Time passes and in 2015 I called Guy and asked if there was any possibility of their having another copy of that paper. By sheer coincidence they had one and intended to add it to the next list. I bought it as quickly as I can tell the story. Here the ad is in my little circus museum in Nashville.
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
My collecting story… B.R. in Grosse Ile, Michigan…
April 20, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
Several years ago I ‘discovered’ the wonderful world of rare newspapers offered by Tim Hughes on eBay. I couldn’t believe what he had! Amazing rarities that I’ve never seen offered by anyone else anywhere else! I quickly became hooked.As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
The April (2020) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…
April 17, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Which issue within your collection do you value the most and why?
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Have you ever found something you consider special within an issue you’ve collected that you did not know was present prior to your decision to obtain it? If so, what did you find?
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Why do you collect rare/historic newspapers? How did you get started? Tell us your story.
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My collecting story… R. L. in Daytona Beach, Florida…
April 13, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
Newspapers Offer A Glimpse Into the Past
I don’t know if some things never change, or if history simply has a habit of repeating itself. As I watch today’s TV news in the era of the Corona Virus, I see many of the same challenges to society today that faced a particular society 76 years ago. Both then and now, people were searching for normalcy in their everyday lives.
Harper’s Weekly, September 11, 1858
Fall 1944 was a time when World War 2 was still raging across the globe. My period newspaper reports that “members of the International and Swedish Red Cross have been obliged to discontinue their activities…” Today, we hear of the possibility of hospitals becoming over-run and shutting their doors.
In 1944, an article headlined Enormous Drain On Resources feels just as relevant now as it did back then. As we see images of grocery stores with empty shelves, I am reading about food shortages which existed in 1944, with potato thieves being fined — or even going to jail. Yet despite shortages and community hardship, then and now, everyday life carried on. While Jeffrey Morris was born on November 4, an 85 year old widow, Marie Guilbert, died on the 6th. The cycle of life still rolls on today.
Meanwhile, one subscriber offered a billiard table for sale to help pass the long winter nights. The editor offered a column titled How to Enjoy Long Evenings. Reading, creating arts & crafts, or even doodling sounds just as good to folks quarantined today, as it did to folks back then in a time of war.
What I find really amazing is that the wartime newspaper so relevant today is the Guernsey Evening Press published on November 22, 1944. It was written in English, under Nazi supervision, on one of the German-occupied Channel Islands. I believe its readers would certainly know how to face the current hardships we are enduring, and then some.
Newspapers from the past offer a glimpse into everyday lives. For me, that is the lure of collecting old newspapers. They are our personal connection to the people who lived while history was unfolding. Many of their hopes and fears and challenges were the same then, as ours are today.
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
My collecting story… M.B. in Sedro-Woolley, WA…
April 9, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
I’ve been collecting newspapers of historic events for 50 years. In a purchase last year I was interested in a July 1960 New York Times front page story on the Democratic Party’s nomination of John Kennedy for president. As I perused the inside content I found the real treasure: the Books of The Times review of Harper Lee’s new novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Herbert Mitgang. Many years ago, I worked with his son Lee Mitgang at the Associated Press in New York City.
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
My collecting story… J.R. in Ipswich (UK)…
April 7, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
In 1945 at the end of the war I was eight and saw my father save the Daily Telegraph proclaiming VE (victory in Europe) Day. I was already an avid newspaper reader (no television then) and decided to add newspapers I found interesting – VJ Day, Nuremberg Trials, Princess Elizabeth wedding, Dakota plane lost in the Alps etc. Soon people gave me old newspapers they had – an aunt gave me Edward/ Mrs Simpson abdication papers and my grandparents two 18th century ones.
This slow rate of collecting continued until the mid 1980s when my income allowed me to spend on myself as well as a wife and the children. I found book shops in London, where we lived at the time, where I could fill the gaps in years which were blank and have reference to most historical events, particularly those relating to improvements in social well-being. By this time I had all years from 1661 and references to most riots, bread marches, demonstrations for improved parliamentary representation, and suffragettes.
The children having long departed and my wife having died I found I had more time (and money) and now am collecting titles as my main interest. This means I am acquiring and understanding how newspapers were able to develop and change their format and means of attracting customers.The growth of size, number of pages, type change, introduction of illustrations and then photographs. Also the relationships of one newspaper to another and the takeovers, combinations and title changes. Now of course I am monitoring their decline.
By collecting different titles I have been able to acquire many short lived extreme left and right wing newspapers and also Irish Republican ones.
After 75 years collecting I now have over 3600 newspapers going back to 1642 and 1900 different titles. What am I going to do with them? None of my family wants them although I am still working on one son-in-law, so they are being offered to my local museum in Ipswich- after many more years of my collecting!
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.