Search
The Rare & Early Newspapers Hobby
Receive the Newsletter
Buy Historic Newspapers
Niles’ Register – a Modest Footprint with a Massive Historical Record…
November 9, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
If you’re a serious collector of early American journalism, you almost certainly know Niles’ Weekly Register. Published out of Baltimore by Hezekiah Niles beginning in 1811, it stands as one of the most important—and most eagerly sought-after—periodicals in our entire inventory.
Long before the era of instant wire services or cable news, Niles set out to create a comprehensive, unbiased record of the young United States. He painstakingly compiled government documents, congressional speeches, statistics, foreign news, and key political debates, offering a national perspective at a time when most newspapers were fiercely local and unapologetically partisan. His devotion to facts and source documents turned the Register into the definitive national journal of record for the antebellum era. Today, historians and rare newspaper collectors view Niles’ Register as an indispensable treasury of early American history, covering critical events like the War of 1812, the Westward Expansion, and the fiery debates surrounding tariffs and state sovereignty, along with the publishers noteworthy “Mitigation of Slavery”. While the full list of desirable items is extensive, the most sought-after include:
- June 27, 1812: Covering the official declaration of the War of 1812.
- March 11, 1820: Printing the full, contentious text of the Missouri Compromise.
- December 6, 1823: Publishing President Monroe’s historic address, later known as the Monroe Doctrine.
- November 6, 1824: Chronicling General Lafayette’s celebrated return tour of America.
- May 29, 1819 & March 5, 1825: The Jew Bill – striving for equal rights for the Jews.
- April 16, 1836: Historic reporting on the Battle of The Alamo.
If you are passionate about early American history, spending a little time leafing through the dense, factual pages of Niles’ Register is a captivating experience. It offers a rare, direct window into how the founders and early citizens shaped the nation in real time.
Catalog #372 (for November, 2026) – Rare & Early Newspapers…
October 30, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
|
|
As always, thanks for collecting with us! Sincerely, Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team |
Are these the top 10 History’s Newsstand posts? AI thinks so…
October 23, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Let’s face it, while AI can be helpful, by its own admission, it isn’t always right. I’m sure we’ve all experienced responses which were head-scratchers. So, just for fun I used AI (GROK in this case) to obtain a top ten list of the most desirable posts on our History’s Newsstand blog – based on the number of views, comments, posting, and post-backs. Do you agree with the results? As of 2026, the (so -stated) top 10 are:
– Do Old and Antique Newspapers Have Any Collectible Value?
– “Collecting Newspapers – The Basics” (Part IV) – Setting Values...
– Framing and Storing Newspapers… the ongoing story…
– The 1600’s and 1700’s on a budget…
– More on printing newspapers in the 1700’s…
– The reprint issues of the “Honolulu Star-Bulletin” Pearl Harbor issue… and the reprint set…
– WW2 Era Newspapers Found In The Attic… Are They Worth Anything?
– Journalists at Their Gritty Best…
If you have a favorite or two of your own, please let the collectible community know by commenting to this post.
October 2026 Newsletter – Rare & Early Newspapers…
October 16, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Welcome to the October newsletter from Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers. Shown below are links to an unusual (fun?) find, newly added catalog items, a fresh set of newspapers (including a handful of gems) discounted by 50%, newly listed Nast/Homer prints at a bargain, links to our most recent posts on the History’s Newsstand blog, and We hope you enjoy.
Newly Added Catalog Items – a list which includes the announcement of Girard College opening to black students, Ben Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette at a reduce price, a front page printing of the Louisiana Purchase, the Battle of the Alamo, a newspaper from Carlisle (PA) that is a one-of-a kind, a report on the Liberty Bell being erected in Philadelphia, earliest (?) image of Karl Marx in an American periodical, planning the 1863 dedication and consecration Soldier’s National Cemetery in Gettysburg without even a mention of President Abraham Lincoln, election fraud in 1840 – perhaps the first “October Surprise”, the death of John Lennon from where a was shot, and more.
October’s Discounted Newspapers – a Boston newspaper from 1768, a confederate newspaper with a report on the Battle of Antietam, the death of James Garfield, a North Carolina newspaper from 1861, Adolf Hitler’s call for the extermination of the Jews, the death of Jesse James, a patent by George Washington, Superman debuts in the Macy’s Day Parade – along with a host of others.
Recent Posts on the History’s Newsstand Blog
An Unusual Find – Foxes that glow in the dark! Operation Fantasia
At a Bargain – An updated list of key stand-alone Winslow Homer & Thomas Nast prints
Links to the October Catalog (#371)
- The Complete October Catalog (INCLUDES al catalog items)
- Combined Catalogs (October’s, w/ remnants of September’s)
- PDF Version
As always, thanks for collecting with us!
A “whispering” report presages a significant event in American history…
October 12, 2026 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
One of the joys of collecting early newspapers and magazines–as I’ve mentioned several times before–is discovering little gems buried inconspicuously within an issue but would later gain considerably more significance. Huge headlines dramatically presented on the front page are always wonderful, but sometimes it’s the opposite presentation that adds to the collecting joy.
Such is the case with the July, 1753 issue of the “Gentleman’s Magazine” from London. Although one would suspect there would be no notable American content from this year, still some months away from the beginning of the French & Indian War, a seemingly insignificant item defies that assumption.
Tucked within the “America” news on an inside page, the item simply records that Philadelphia has raised: “…the great bell…with this inscription, ‘Proclaim liberty throughout all the land…’.” At the time, it was just a functional addition to the State House steeple. Yet today, this understated mention represents one of the earliest printed acknowledgments of what would become a cornerstone of American identity.
What makes the piece truly remarkable is how ordinary the installation seemed in 1753—long before the bell would crack, long before it would be embraced as a symbol of independence, abolition, and unity. For collectors, this is the Liberty Bell before the legend. Over the next century, the bell’s voice—and its silence—would mark defining moments in American history.
This issue is a gem of an item for any collector of Revolutionary War-era reports.
Fight for a Nation – Introduction…
October 9, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
During the lead-up to July 4, 2026 – as our country celebrated its 250th anniversary – we brought you Lead-Up to a Nation, a weekly video series using authentic, period newspapers to chronicle the fateful year heading into July 4, 1776.
Now that the Declaration has been made, the real struggle begins.
Starting this month, we’re launching our a monthly video series: Fight for a Nation. Join us over the coming years as we relive the American Revolution through the very pages, ink, and first-hand reporting of those who lived through this incredible period in American and world history.
Check out the first three installments below—we hope you enjoy journeying back in time with us!
Installment from July, 2026
The Declaration Proclaimed – Military Challenges + Growing Confidence (Fight for a Nation – E1)
Installment from August, 2026
A Nation at its Birth – Shaping the Future (Fight for a Nation – E2)
Installment from September, 2026
The Treaty of Jamestown – 1st Permanent English Settlement in America (Fight for a Nation – E3)
Catalog #371 (for October, 2026) – Rare & Early Newspapers…
October 2, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
|
|
As always, thanks for collecting with us! Sincerely, Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team |
A truth… a story… a myth… a discovery – What to do with a 1666 London Gazette?
September 28, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Collectors seek out “rare & early” newspapers for a host of reasons. Some use them as primary source material for research. Others collect them to grasp the contemporary response to an historical event, while others use them to chronical a non-revisionist view of an era. Framing them for display is quite common – whether it be to set a mood, or, as is quite common with museums, to aid in telling the story regarding a display of unique items. Yet another group loves to obtain them to enhance their primary collectible (ex. those who collect early sewing machines finding newspapers with matching advertisements, patents, or early commentary on various stages of development). The possibilities are almost endless.
The topic at hand was recently revived when a collector, who had just purchased a London Gazette dated August 9, 1666 containing a brief report on the week’s mortality bill from the Great Plague (shown below), informed us of his purpose in collecting the newspaper – which we found fascinating… and which eventually led to a discovery.
A Purpose – He purchased to use as inspiration for an event-tethered short story (historical fiction?). If you have a little time, I’m sure he would not mind if you took a gander: THE KING’S BAKER
A Discovery – After reading his story I decided to dig a little deeper into the 1665-6 London Plague and was drawn in by an article posted by the London Museum titled: THREE MYTHS ABOUT THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON
A MYTH – I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice to say, I need to go back to a lot of people and correct what I once thought was true. Yikes!
A Truth – For those who like to pine for the past, during the week prior to the above newspaper’s distribution in 1666, 42 people in London alone were known to have died from the bubonic plague. Life was not easy; but death often was.
September 2026 Newsletter – Rare & Early Newspapers…
September 18, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
|
|
Did it All Start with a Laugh?… Political Cartoons Across Time…
September 14, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · 1 Comment
Which of us doesn’t love a good laugh, especially when we need a healthy way to relieve a bit of the built-up pressure? The presence of political cartoons can sometimes take the sting out of the craziness of reality. While still popular today in print and digital form, political cartoons have been with us for centuries. Originally, they were not printed in newspapers but sold as individual prints, such as William Hogarth’s “An Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme” (1721), a satirical engraving which critiques the financial speculation, corruption, and public credulity that fueled the South Sea Bubble of 1720–21. Eventually, these satirical statements on society made their way into the newspapers of the day and across the ocean to the New World. Benjamin Franklin’s famous “Join, or Die,” appearing in the Pennsylvania Gazette, helped spur the colonies toward Revolution. Decades later, Thomas Nast’s work in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper and Harper’s Weekly aided Lincoln’s reelection and helped define the modern two-party system by popularizing both the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey. Eventually, these artistic gems ventured into color, impacting audiences at a whole new level. Today we are inundated with political satire, some of which is comparable to the talent of the 1700s and 1800s and much of which falls well short. Regardless, our culture would be less rich without this creative way to help us laugh our way through more stressful times.