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“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.
Announcing: Catalog #349 for December, 2024 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
November 29, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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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.]
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!
Announcing: Catalog #348 for November, 2024 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
November 1, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The November catalog (#348) is now available. Shown below are links to various segments of the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
1) Catalog #348 (for November): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: Lincoln’s famous ‘House Divided’ speech, a significant ‘pillar cartoon’: the Constitution is in effect, the death of Benjamin Franklin, a rare political cartoon on the Boston Port Bill, the King declares Americans free & independent, and more.
The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:
- The Complete November Catalog (includes wholesale lots and ongoing listings)
1500-1799 (full view OR quick-scan/compact view)
1800-1899 (full view OR quick-scan/compact” view)
1900-Present (full view OR quick-scan/compact” view)
- Combined Catalogs (November’s, w/ remnants of the previous)
- PDF Version of the November Catalog
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DISCOUNTED ISSUES – What remains of last month’s discounted issues may be viewed at: Discount (select items at 50% off)
HISTORY’S NEWSSTAND – Recent Posts on the History’s Newsstand Blog may be accessed at: History’s Newsstand
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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.]
How does your state’s Constitution compare?
October 14, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
In simple terms, Constitutions are intended to be the framework which dictates how governments, institutions, and other various organizations are to function. They typically state both the rights of those whom they cover, along with the boundaries from which those in power must rule. They are not mere suggestions, and they nearly always make it VERY difficult to make modifications so as to prevent both the current winds of public opinion or over-reaching power-mongers to make changes to suite their own wants, desires, and opinions. However, as the U.S. Constitution, through the initial “Bill of Rights” and following Amendments clearly shows, revisions can be made. Of course, in doing so, the rules set forth within the constitution itself must be followed or the document itself means nothing.
When it comes to the very foundation of the U.S. – and dare I say its sustainability, no one can argue that the U.S. Constitution, along with its properly “agreed upon” amendments, is 2nd-to-none. In my opinion, each citizen should take personal ownership in becoming intimately familiar with its stated rights, privileges, and responsibilities granted to “We the People“, and the restrictions it places upon those who govern. While this plea will likely be met with general enthusiasm, sadly, doing so falls into the same bucket where “more exercise”, “eating better”, and a host of New Year’s resolutions are found. As the recently deceased philosopher David Crosby once said, “An ignorant [uniformed] populace is ripe for manipulation by despots [leaders who do not have their own best interests in mind]”.
Whew! Now I can step down from my soapbox and move on to the marginally related inspiration for the above rabbit trail.
State Constitutions
While most U.S. citizens still have a degree of familiarity with the Constitution which frames the Federal Government, thanks to recent events, many are just now becoming aware that the state in which they reside also has rock-sold guidelines from which they must function – i.e., their own constitution. I’ve always been fascinated by both the similarities and differences between my home state of Pennsylvania’s constitution and the U.S. Constitution, but I would guess I’m in a minority. Yet, “Knowlege is Power” – or at least a degree of protection. I was recently reminded of this as I came upon a pair of Nile’s Weekly Register’s from the 1820’s which printed the entire text of the newly ratified Constitution of Maine. Shown below are photos with portion of the text. When you think of the U.S. Constitution, does any of Maine’s sound familiar? Different? How about your own state’s constitution?
One of the opportunities/responsibilities we have as citizens at the national, state, and local levels, as dictated in both federal and state constitutions, is the right to vote. What a privilege! Yet, truth is, “We the People” have widely varied views of what we deem to be most important when it comes to those who govern us. While I am an advocate for open discourse in the face of diametrically opposed viewpoints, and can respect (and even care for) those who stand opposed to my own personal beliefs, my only hope as an American is that we all would continue to agree to live within the guidelines of the U.S. Constitution (and those of the state in which we each reside), and vote for leaders who will do the same – AND, when changes are warranted, will go through the prescribed channels for making modification.
Oops… I somehow stepped back up on my soapbox. Sorry about that. Well… not really. 🙂
Happy voting Oh, and in the meantime, why not have a little fun by pulling up your own state’s constitution and compare it to the one that rules us all (sorry for using a bit of Tolkeinese)?
The Political Season Has Arrived. Next Up – An October Surprise (?)…
October 4, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Since it only takes 2 items to count as a series, this is the 1st post in what I am confident will be a series leading up to the election in November. However, in lest anyone already be overcome by political angst, please know the series will only meet the minimum requirement of 2 – one in September and one in October, this being the first.
In anticipation of what might soon be filling the airwaves and making the rounds on social media ad nauseum, I was inspired to explore the history of the political tactic of using an “October Surprise”. With minimal effort (thanks to the internet), I found a report in THE GLOBE, October 23, 1840, which describes what many believe to be the first such occurrence.
“In mid-October 1840, shortly before the 1840 presidential election, federal prosecutors announced plans to charge top Whig Party officials with “most stupendous and atrocious fraud” for paying Pennsylvanians to cross state lines and vote for Whig candidates in New York during the 1838 [midterm] elections.” ~ Wikipedia
So, as we keep our eyes open for what is sure to rain down upon us in short order, let’s keep our heads about us as we recite the age-old adage: “There is nothing new under the sun”. 
Announcing: Catalog #347 for October, 2024 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
September 27, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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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 1820 – Considering a Cure for Hard Times…
September 6, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · 6 Comments
One would need to search far and wide to find someone who doesn’t acknowledge that we’re living in hard times. Harder than those who lived through any major war… any great famine… any weather-born catastrophe… any form of slavery (or similar form of oppression)… any horrific accident… any economic depression… any…??? Most would say no, but “felt” hard times are often relative, and “counting our blessings and naming them one by one” – a practice well-known to be an effective pain-soothing salve for “felt needs” and more, is not often our default response to hardship. To be honest, I’m not among the few who often get this right. Perhaps this is why an article (not a key report by any means) in a Niles’ Register for July 1, 1820 caught my attention. It features a portion of a judge’s rather unusual admonition to the members of the grand jury set before him. If you decide to take a gander at the article (which is posted below), while contemplating his advice, please try to read it through the contextual eyes of the era in which he gave it. Whether you agree with his counsel or not, it would be hard to argue that the setting seems quite familiar. I’d love to hear what others think. 
Announcing: Catalog #346 for September, 2024 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
August 30, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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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 reason I collected it: Ai Anglo Sacsun…
August 19, 2024 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Sometimes stepping outside the normal categories of historic, rare, or early when it comes to collecting newspapers can turn up some intriguing items. The odd, strange, unusual, and outright bizarre can be attractive additions as well.
The Ai Anglo Sacsun fits that bill.
This newspaper attempted to exploit a movement to spell words phonetically, just as they sounded. So their motto in the dateline is: “Devoted Tu Ai Difyushun ov Nolej and Nuz, Tru Ai Medium of Fonotipi, or the Tru System ov Spelin Wurdz As Iz, Just Az ae are Pronnst.” (difficult to translate as they use some characters not in the traditional alphabet. Their alphabet is found on page 3).
The entire issue has various articles spelled phonetically, making it difficult to read. Otherwise the layout is much like other newspapers of the era, with a very decorative masthead.
Obviously a movement that never caught on. Yet it produced a fascinating newspaper worthy of collecting.