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Better luck next time…
May 15, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Evening Wisconsin” of Milwaukee, Dec. 17, 1888 reports a bad day for two train robbers. Perhaps their watches were set for the wrong time zone?
Value of the internet…
May 13, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
I never fail to be amazed at the incredible wealth of information which is available on the internet, and I never fail to be thankful for such an incredible resource, particularly remembering what it took thirty years ago to research a newspaper.
Back in the 1970’s and ’80’s, when I wrote up an issue for the catalog I had to pull out the encyclopedia if I was unsure of a specific date or consequences of a certain battle. And I also kept close at hand other resources which would document events I was finding in our inventory of newspapers.
But today, more information than I could possibly need flashes on my screen in a matter of seconds. What was the date James Buchanan died? Wikipedia tells me more quickly then it takes me to type “james buchanan”. Many times I’ll read an interesting article about a person which sounds intriguing but is lost to my memory. The web quickly provides a wealth of detail.
What brings this to mind is an entry I worked on this morning. The “Army & Navy Journal” of Dec. 3, 1864 has a touching item about a Mrs. Bixby who received a letter of condolence from Abraham Lincoln for her loss of five sons in the Civil War, the sixth was lying wounded in a hospital. The article includes the letter by Lincoln. Not having heard of this letter, as a whim I decided to Google “mrs. Bixby letter” to see if this was an “event”. To my surprise there is more to the story than the article could give, thanks to the “Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln”.
The touching letter by President Lincoln can be read in the photo. Below is the “rest of the story”:
Credit: “Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln”: In the fall of 1864, Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew wrote to President Lincoln asking him to express condolences to Mrs. Lydia Bixby, a widow who was believed to have lost five sons during the Civil War. Lincoln’s letter to her was printed by the Boston Evening Transcript. Later it was revealed that only two of Mrs. Bixby’s five sons died in battle (Charles and Oliver). One deserted the army, one was honorably discharged, and another deserted or died a prisoner of war.
The authorship of the letter has been debated by scholars, some of whom believe it was written instead by John Hay, one of Lincoln’s White House secretaries. The original letter was destroyed by Mrs. Bixby, who was a Confederate sympathizer and disliked President Lincoln. Copies of an early forgery have been circulating for many years, causing some people to believe they have the original letter.
The point of this piece is to cite just one example how the internet opens a whole new world to the tidbits of history we find within early newspapers. A 150 year old article might pique the curiosity, but it is the internet which can satisfy. It’s a fascinating combination of very old & very new technology which fit so well in this hobby we love. Give the internet a try with some articles in your collection. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you will find.
I need more than just the headline…
May 10, 2010 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
We get many emails and phone calls requesting values of newspapers found in attics, given by friends, or purchased at a yard sale, etc. We try to be as helpful as possible and ask for photos if they use email. This almost comical photo came in the other day–apparently with the thought that the headline was all we needed to see to determine a value. As you might imagine, we need to see more…..
Perhaps not a good combination…
May 8, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This front page headline in the “Evening Wisconsin“, Milwaukee, July 13, 1888 makes one wonder who is going to make “the call”. Follow-up articles might have provided interesting reading.
How things have changed…
May 3, 2010 by TimHughes · 2 Comments
The John Scopes trial of 1925, called the “monkey trial” for his teaching of evolution in the classroom against Tennessee’s anti-evolution law, drew national attention, particularly with two notable attorneys on the case: William Jennings Bryan and Charles Darrow.
The “Bethlehem Globe” newspaper from Pennsylvania, July 10, 1925, reported the opening of the case with the front page heading: “Evolution Trial Opened By Prayer; Judge Has A Bible”. Fast forwarding some 85 years one would wonder if a trial with such religious over-tones would have been permitted to open in such a way. For better of for worse, it was a different era. It is a headline unlikely to be seen today.
An historical anecdote…
May 1, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The following item from the “Massachusetts Centinel” of Boston, August 29, 1787, is evidence of some timely humor when the country was awaiting the results of the Constitutional Convention.
A toast to the “multitaskers” of the world…
April 24, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The Harper’s Weekly dated 10/21/1871 apparently had a wealth of wisdom buried within (see last Saturday’s post). The following certainly raises the stock of the “multitaskers” among us:
Stating the obvious…
April 17, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Upon browsing an issue of Harper’s Weekly dated 10/21/1871, we came across an interesting tidbit which provides an obvious solution to what must have been a common problem. Please enjoy:
The value of a newspaper… impacted by content…
April 12, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 7 Comments
One of the common questions received at Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers is “What elements are involved in determining the collectible value of a newspaper?” Several posts on this subject may be viewed at: “Determining the Value of an Historic Newspaper“. Two of the elements which drive the collectible value of a paper are content and age. For example, the $0.50-$1.00 newsstand price of a Washington Post, USA Today, or Chicago Tribune with the 1st report on the election of President Obama quickly rose to $35 a month (and higher) after the event (content), and will likely be valued at many times this amount in 20+ years (age).
In contrast, we recently came across a newspaper whose value increased by more than 700% (due to content – a photo) before the end of the day of its initial printing. Our find… the May 1, 1945 Mediterranean edition of Stars and Stripes. The front cover printed the famous photo of Benito Mussolini shown after his execution. In an effort to show a little discretion, the photo is not shown within this post, but may be viewed at: http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/568477?acl=779383924
Although there have been times when the collectible value of a newspaper increased by the following day, we’d love to know of other pre-2000 events which resulted in an increase in the value of the newspaper on the same day the issue hit the newsstands. If you know of any, feel free to share with the collectible community.
Food for thought… a little humble pie…
April 10, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
While looking for content on the death of General William Walker in an October 6, 1860 issue of Harper’s Weekly, I came across an interesting morsel I thought everyone might enjoy. Just a little something to chew on (sorry):
