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Singers & Songwriters – 1776 edition…
September 8, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Flashback – 1776
“And, the award for the songwriter of the year goes to… ‘wait for it… wait for it…’* … Benjamin Franklin, for his chart-busting mega-hit: “The KINGS own REGULARS, and their TRIUMPH over the IRREGULARS.”
Was there anything this man could not do? I could be wrong, but if those who have explored the life of this amazing forefather were asked to list his talents and accomplishments, I’m guessing that “lyricist” would not make anyone’s list. Yet, although unsigned, the satirical ditty printed in the Pennsylvania Evening Post on March 30, 1776 (shown below) has finally been universally acknowledged as being from his pen (and not just an autopen with his name on it). Furthermore, the fact that it would have likely topped the charts in such an historic year (1776) makes him a shoe-in for eventual entry into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Sadly, whether through the distraction of competing interests, lack of funding, or perhaps the waning of ongoing inspiration, history has proven him to be classified as a “one-hit wonder”. What a shame; he was off to such a great start.
*Quote borrowed from Ketanji Brown Jackson, honorable Associate Justice of the SCOTUS.
One that didn’t get away: a golden nugget discovered within an 1884 newspaper…
August 11, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Over the years we have emphasized one of the pleasures that is relatively unique to the hobby of collecting rare and early newspapers; that is, discovering hidden gems within their pages. These “finds” are most-often unearthed by those who call to tell us what we missed, and their stories rarely disappoint. In some cases the golden nuggets may significantly impact the collectible value of the issue – such as finding a period mention of Abraham Lincoln prior to him entering the national stage buried deep within a newspaper, or, thanks to the advanced search capabilities now available through the internet, learning that an unsigned letter in an issue of The Gentleman’s Magazine out of London was actually written by Ben Franklin. However, in other instances the value gained is personal.
Such was the case with the January 1, 1884 issue of The Prattsburgh Breeze (NY) – and thankfully, it was discovered while we still had the issue in hand. We already knew it was the 1st issue (vol. 1, #1) of this extremely rare title, and it was listed as such. However, when someone from a (ok, “an”) historical society contacted us to ask if there was a mention of a the neighboring town, as we carefully read through the pages, we discovered the following:
While this may not seem significant to most, it delighted my wife who is an avid fan of all things Joel Chandler Harris in general, and Uncle Remus in particular. If you are unfamiliar with either Mr. Harris or the beloved Uncle Remus, a deep dive into this tandem will be well-rewarded.
Since the saying ‘Happy wife, happy life’ is emphatically true—and since this discovery just upgraded my wife’s happiness—once again, I am compelled to proclaim: ‘I love this hobby!’.
Editors take note: be careful what accompanies a headline…
July 18, 2025 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
With so many newspapers flowing through our company every year, it would be no surprise that occasionally something very unusual would be noticed. Such is the case with the November 22, 1963 issue of THE ATLANTA JOURNAL, their “Second Extra”. This edition has a curious–if not macabre–combination of headline and photo.
As would be expected of an “Extra” of this date, the large & bold headline proclaims: “KENNEDY KILLED”, but immediately beneath it is a photo of a street sweeper pushing his trash cart. The cart has what appears to be the bottom half of a mannequin protruding from it, with the caption: “Sweeper Means What He Says”, as if related to the assassination report.
One might excuse the editor, for I’m sure that, in rushing this edition to the streets as quickly as possible, the planned headline was removed and the Kennedy death report was quickly inserted with little thought as to what else was scheduled above the fold that day. Indeed, the “Third Extra” has the same headline but a photo of the Kennedy motorcade immediately after the shooting.
This issue remains one of the more unique & “interesting” newspapers of the 20th century, and a great example to editors everywhere to be aware of headlines & unrelated photos that appear in close proximity.
FACT OR FICTION? St. Patrick Drives Snakes Out of Ireland…
March 17, 2025 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Myth & lore are always fascinating and are usually some combination of fact & fiction. St. Patrick’s story certainly falls into this category. Did he in really drive all snakes out of Ireland? Were there even snakes in Ireland to be driven out? Were these metaphoric serpents? Did he instead drive out cults who worshiped snakes? So many questions with no tangible evidence for answers; however, as with most lore, the essence is often true: He was a bold man bravely standing against evil in an area of the World which desperately needed light. Whatever your thoughts of St. Patrick and his story might be, perhaps this St. Patrick’s Day we can all celebrate the themes of “good over evil” and bravely taking a stand. Now those are ideas I can raise a pint to. Enjoy the following full-page print which was found in a Chicago Sunday Tribune from 1935:
What are the chances? John Sutter… Yet another golden nugget!
March 7, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Finding a newspaper with a report on the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill is not an easy task. Many newspapers either “didn’t get the news”, decided it wasn’t worth the print space, or delayed reporting it so as to be sure it wasn’t fake news. However, when found, the newspaper containing new of the discovery is quite collectible. Considering the near infinite possibilities where gold might have been found, what are the chances a report from this remote, almost random location would have been printed on the opposite side of the country, Washington, D.C., approximately 4 years prior? If odds-makers were taking bets, my hunch is that there wouldn’t have been any takers. However, against all odds, the article, albeit unrelated to the discovery of gold, was printed in the National Intelligencer dated June 25, 1844. Speaking of “discoveries”, we were quite pleased to find the report (which is shown below). Fun!
Celebrating Our History – Washington’s Birthday…
February 17, 2025 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
On a chilling February day during the Revolutionary War, the battle stopped long enough for Martha Washington and General Washington’s men to serenade him on his birthday. Although he would not become president for many years to come, no one can argue this was a (ok, an) historic celebration of Washington’s birthday. [Note: From this point on varying states did celebrate Washington’s birthday to honor our 1st Commander and Chief, however, Congress didn’t solidify this as a national holiday until 1879, and it wasn’t until 1885 the observance was extended to provide a day off for Federal workers (i.e., when it became a Federal Holiday). Many decades later Washington’s Birthday was combined with Lincoln’s to create what we now observe as President’s Day.
On February 20, 1885, THE NEW YORK TIMES had an interesting article noting that local Assemblymen had requested 3 1/2 days off to fully recover from the festivities. Perhaps it was this mindset which later caused the Federal Government to permanently link some holidays to a weekend, therefore allowing for plenty of time for all citizens to recover from the revelry and other raucous activities which are commonplace with such celebrations.
Confession: To-date I have yet to wake-up the morning after President’s Day with bloodshot eyes. It appears I need to up my celebratory game.
“Guess & Click” – 1920’s Edition…
December 6, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
“Guess & Click” – a little game where I pose a question, you make a guess without using any on-line resources, and then you click on “View Answer” to find out if you were correct. Note: I intentionally left out the word “trivia” since some of the subject matter covered in this or future similar posts may not be trivial.
Ready to play?
In the early 1920’s, who was the richest per capita people group in the entire world?
Once you have your answer, click on the following link: “VIEW ANSWER”
Were you surprised? I know I was.
Hidden gems – Searching for coverage of an 1850 shipwreck…
November 22, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Yesterday I went on a hunt for a report on the death of Margarette Fuller whose life was unexpectedly cut short in a shipwreck off the shores of Long Beach Island, New York. The wreck occurred on July 19, 1850, so I naturally started reading through our newspapers from the following day. My first stop was an issue of The Boston Museum. While it did not have coverage of the tragedy, it did have a few other gems: A report on the death of President Zachary Taylor, a balloon ascension, a detailed report on the gold in and dangers of California (nice for 1850), a poem which encouraged me to count each day as precious, and perhaps the most interesting of all, what appears to be a bit of sarcasm related to the transcendental views of Ralph Waldo Emerson – all amongst additional poems, a sheet of music, excerpts from a selection of contemporary literary items, and general news of the day. I love this collectible!
As Halloween approaches – “The Lady in the Furnace”. Yikes!
October 28, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Reality can often be stranger than fiction. Such is the case with “The Lady in the Furnace”. This true-life horror story (actual event) was first brought to my attention through a collector’s request: “Do you have any newspaper headlines on the Lake Bluff village hall furnace mystery burning of Elfredia Knaack on Oct.30, 1928?” My initial thought was this was going to be an off the grid event in a small town in the middle of nowhere, and our investigative efforts within our archives would be turn up empty. However, as I gathered information about the story so as to be an informed explorer, I was fascinated by what I learned. A severely burned young lady, unrequited love, a furnace, the mysterious imprint of a hand, a small town with its roots in the camp meeting movement of the late 1800’s, an actor with the last name of Hitchcock, spiritualism, secret “rendezvous”, the suggestion of ghosts, an unsolved mystery… What a weird story!
It didn’t take long before our staff realized this event had also captured the interest of those living at the time as we quickly found two issues with front-page reports – one from the city which has grown to nearly encompass this small town. Below please find a set of photos which include snapshots of some of the coverage found within the two issues (the Chicago Daily Tribune and The Day, from New London, CT – both dated on Halloween, October 31, 1928.
Whereas both issues have already been acquired by the one who sent us on this journey, interested individuals can learn more about this event by searching for Knaak Furnace 1928. And who knows, by the time this post “goes live”, we may have unearthed additional issues with coverage of this strange, but true event.
Leading up to the Political Season… Late 1800’s Edition…
August 26, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Here it comes – at about this same time on a 4-year rotating basis… the autumn media ramp-up to our presidential election. Although it can seem a bit overwhelming at times – like a tsunami of ads and interviews, I thought it might be fun to look to the past at a more humorous version of political culture and embrace the comedy and satire that accompanied the mid-to-late 1800’s press. So, feel free to join me as I peruse Puck and Judge Magazines – not to mention the endless stream of Harper’s Weekly Nast Cartoons. We could all use a chuckle right about now.