Search
The Rare & Early Newspapers Hobby
Receive the Newsletter
Buy Historic Newspapers
Prices realized… 19th century…
September 20, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 5 Comments
This post is the 3rd installment of a series dedicated to exploring actual sale prices of historic newspapers from various periods of time. Below please find a few selections from the 19th century.
Note: If you have an issue of your own you’re trying to price, one trick/strategy is to go to the “advanced” search engine at www.rarenewspapers.com (see top left of window), enter a 2 week range of dates (one week prior to your issue’s date to one week after), and view the results. This will give you comparable issues (if available) to help you in establishing a reasonable price for your issue. Make certain to take into consideration your issues title, city of location, proximity to the location where the event (key content) occurred, condition, displayability, proximity of issue’s date to the date the key event occurred, etc.
19th century selections:
The best Lincoln Assassination issue to be had… THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 15, 1865 ($2,800, 2009)
Wallpaper issue! THE OPELOUSAS COURIER, Louisiana., Apr. 4, 1863 ($2,650, 2006)
The previous posts in this series are:
Prices realized… 16th & 17th centuries…
Prices realized… 18th century…
Presumably not a chamber of commerce sponsored event…
September 11, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This appeared in the “New York Clipper” newspaper of December 6, 1856 issue. Hopefully this “expedition” in Bridgeport, Vermont, was so successful that the town is a nice place in which to live today:
The Traveler… oh rats…
September 9, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
This week I have selected tomorrow’s date for our travel advantage. The Connecticut Mirror issue dated September 10, 1810 which on the front page carried an article entitled “Character of Bonaparte”. Mr. S. T. Coleridge had instituted a political paper in which the character of Bonaparte was handled with great severity of reprehension, and assailed with great vehemence of indignant feeling, for which Mr. Coleridge was attacked and vindicated through another newspaper. The article on Bonaparte’s character was introduced for the purpose of shewing the propriety of the epithets which he has applied to it and to be perused with interest. Inside the issue is the reporting of the “End of the Dutch Nation” with the annexing of Holland to the French Empire.
The story from Baltimore, Sept. 1 began as “Was set on fire, on Friday morning, between 2 and 3 o’clock … “ This proceeded to tell of a fire at the home of Jacob Hoffman, “the fire originated from a Rat, which conveyed a lighted candle from the fire hearth, to a closet where the hole was, the fire originated at the hole and made its progress thro the ceiling; but was happily discovered before any material damage was done… It is hoped the above will be a caution to those who are in the habit of letting lighted candles stand in low places after retiring.” By the way, it was noted that the “singular rat” was found dead after the fire was extinguished.
~The Traveler
First newspapers in Nebraska…
August 23, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The Nebraska Territory came about as an important event in American history, repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowing new territories to be slave or free as their citizens desired. It happened in 1854 and within the year three Nebraska newspapers were established, all in towns on the west bank of the Missouri River: Bellevue, Omaha City, and Nebraska City. Curiously, none of these towns had a printing office. Each newspaper was printed across the river in separate Iowa towns.
The first was in Bellevue, titled the “Nebraska Palladium” which began July 15, 1854 printed in St. Marys, Iowa. But in November of the same year a printing press was set up in town and on the 15th the first newspaper printed on Nebraska soil was issued.
The first newspaper in Omaha was the “Arrow“, printed in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It began just two weeks after the “Palladium” and only continued through the end of the year, succeeded by the “Nebraskian” which was printed in Omaha beginning January 17, 1855.
The Nebraska City “News” started in the fall of 1854 and was printed in Sidney, Iowa although the printing office would be moved to Nebraska City on Nov. 14.
The first daily newspaper in Nebraska was the “Telegraph” which began on Dec. 11, 1860.
First newspapers in Montana…
August 19, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Similar to other eventual states in the western portion of the country, it was the search for gold & other precious metals which took some of the earliest adventurers to the Montana Territory.
Gold was discovered in Montana in 1858 and a “town” immediately sprang up, named Bannack. A newspaper, title the “News-Letter“, was started but not being successful only lasted a few numbers. (Given its format and short life it is not considered Montana’s first newspaper by some, that honor given more commonly to the “Montana Post“.)
The following year a richer strike was made in nearby Virginia City, where the first issue of the “Montana Post” was printed on August 27, 1864. Its publisher, John Buchanan, sold the newspaper just two weeks later to Tilton and Dittes, and 4 years later when Helena became the state’s capital the newspaper moved to that location where the first issue from Helena was dated August 25, 1868.
The next Montana newspaper was the “Montana Democrat“, printed in Virginia City from 1865. It would be followed by a few more in the 1860’s: the “Montana Radiator” in late 1865, the “Rocky Mountain Gazette” in 1866 and the first daily newspaper titled the “Herald” from Helena late in the same year.
Collectors prize issues of the “Montana Post” from Virginia City, although those with a Helena imprint are the more commonly found.
The Traveler… a ghost of a dog…
August 12, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
This week I did not select an issue of today’s date, instead I found the Connecticut Mirror dated August 13, 1810 instead. The front page of this issue begins with providing to the public the celebrated secret message of President Jefferson, on the 6th of December, 1805. This message was in respect of the relations of the United States with Spain and France concerning Louisiana. When I first saw this, I thought back to the 1970’s when Watergate occurred with the “missing minutes” of tape. Here they had secret messages that finally were revealed to the public five years later.
The story that was the eye-catcher was found on the back page, entitled “Ghost of a Dog”. This comes from a Dublin paper reporting of a lady who was scratched by a neighborhood dog, but she viewed it as a “breach of hospitality” that she demanded an order of execution on the dog. This was done, in a strange manner, and the dog’s body was retrieved by some friends. With some very unusual tactics over a course of about three weeks, the dog was able to run about as usual, make his rounds to visit his old friends, including meeting up with the lady he had scratched. She was so terrified that she fell into fits and at the time of the report was near death. Now… what’s the old saying… what goes around, comes around???
~The Traveler
The Traveler… Preferred seating…
July 29, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today’s travel is taking us back 200 years. However, I was not able to find a publication for the exact date of July 29, 1810, therefore, I selected a Columbian Centinel dated July 25, 1810 (the closest I could find). On the second page of the issue I found a header “Unfortunate Ship Margaret” which immediate intrigued me as to why it was unfortunate. This is a lengthy report of the Margaret, which we discover that while on voyage from Naples, had upset and part of the crew were saved on the long-boat while 31 others were left adrift on the ship. The article proceeds to give details of what they endured during the 23 days at sea until they were rescued by a passing ship, it being the fourth ship they had seen (ouch).
I also enjoy looking at advertisements, especially within 18th and 19th century issues, as they are often quite interesting… and at times, unique. Some also contain woodblock illustrations – and this issue is no exception . However, I found two advertisements that were a bit different. The first was a “Stop a Runaway“, which was a notification of a runaway apprentice boy. The other was quite intriguing as it was “Pews in the First Church — For Sale”, not to take home for use but for use during the worship services! Now — we joke at our church about “my pew” or “their pew”, but this takes preferred seating to a whole new level!! 🙂
~The Traveler
First newspapers in Missouri…
July 19, 2010 by TimHughes · 3 Comments
It was in 1808 when the first printing press arrived in what is now the state of Missouri, which was the Territory of Louisiana at the time. That was in St. Louis, which had about 1000 inhabitants at the time. Previous to moving to St. Louis, Joseph Charless, the printer, worked on a newspaper in Lexington, Kentucky in 1803, and then 4 years later was involved in the “Gazette” of Louisville. And it was on July 12, 1808 when Charless printed the first edition of the “Missouri Gazette“, the first newspaper in Missouri. He had 170 subscribers at the time, many of whom paid in flour, corn, beef or pork to the value of the $3 annual subscription. He changed the title to the “Louisiana Gazette” in 1809, but then when Congress created the Missouri Territory in 1812, the paper again became the “Missouri Gazette“.
Not uncommon to early printers, Charless had made many enemies through his newspaper, prompting opponents to head a movement to bring another printer into town. It was in 1815 when Joshua Norvell arrived in town, and in May of that year printed his first issue of the “Western Journal“. He sold it within two years, when the new printer changed the name on May 17, 1817 to the “Western Emigrant“. It again changed hands & title again in another two years, to the “St. Louis Enquirer“.
Value for an “Ulster County Gazette”…
July 12, 2010 by TimHughes · 28 Comments
If there is any one newspaper about which we receive the most calls as to value, it would have to be the “Ulster County Gazette” issue of January 4, 1800. This Kingston, New York, newspaper documents the death of George Washington, hence the appeal.
Anyone who has been collecting newspapers for more than a few years has likely encountered at least one of the more than 60 varieties of reprints which have been documented and which exist by the hundreds of thousands. The Library of Congress has an informative sheet which will allow one to distinguish a reprint edition from the original.
As of this date, only two genuine issues have been discovered, now in the hands of the American Antiquarian Society and the Library of Congress. Although the history of the reprints, going back to 1825, is an interesting subject in itself, my thoughts with this blog post are on the value of a genuine issue should a third one surface.
Keeping in mind that historical significance is perhaps the single most important determinant for value, The report of Washington’s death does not rank–in my opinion–on the “top shelf”. The “Ulster County Gazette” issue is a relatively late report with a Jan. 4, 1800 date (he died Dec. 14, 1799), and there is no particular significance to the city in regard to Washington; he wasn’t born there, didn’t die there, perhaps never even visited there (although during the Revolutionary War he was in that vicinity). The Declaration of Independence & Constitution rank high on the “top shelf”, and these documents in Philadelphia newspapers would be premier issues for such reports commanding values well above $100,000 each. As such, the “Ulster County Gazette” issue is famous for being a reprint and not much more.
So, the question is, should a third genuine issue surface, how much should it be worth? Yes, it is a rare newspaper as only two are known to exist, but I’m sure there are other small town newspapers from the era which are equally as rare. In our catalog 177 we will be offering a Providence, R.I. issue of January 1 for less than $2000, it being a first report also with front page mention and much inside page text regarding Washington’s death. But six institutions have this issue with perhaps a few more in private hands. I think some collectors believe the U.C.G. would be worth $100,000 or more, but I would disagree. Yes, it is “famous” as a reprint, and finding a 3rd issue would be neat, but how does this affect value? It’s a late report of Washington’s death in a small town, upstate New York newspaper which has no significance to the life of Washington. Perhaps add some premium for the notoriety of the issue, but I’m not sure I’d want to pay more than $3000 or $4000 for the issue. Step beyond the small circle of serious newspaper collectors and attempts to legitimize a hefty value would fall on deaf ears. Better reports, closer to Virginia, with earlier dates can be purchased for less.
So what are your thoughts? Feel free to share.
How bad do you have to dress to offend a horse?
July 10, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The “Boston Commercial Gazette” of February 12, 1818 has an interesting tidbit about a man who walked from Concord, Massachusetts, to New Orleans. I was struck by the comment that: “…His appearance on the road was a great annoyance to women, children and horses.”