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“Collecting Newspapers – The Basics” (Part V) – Reprints…
April 5, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
While “fakes” in collectibles, depending upon the item being sought (stamps, coins, Hummels, etc.), can be common, thankfully such is not the case with Rare and Early Newspapers. Furthermore, the common “fakes” (called “reprints”) are well documented and were rarely done with nefarious motives. Part of the reason for the rarity of reprints is likely the price-point of most collectible newspapers (still quite low) in comparison to the cost of creating a fake which would be good enough to pass as authentic to someone who is familiar with the collectible. Printing methods, ink, paper, era-specific (“tell-tale”) environmental impact, and more have varied so significantly over time, the cost and effort it would take to create profitable forgeries cost/effort prohibitive. Still, there are exceptions – and being “in the know” can save one from being duped out of their hard-earned savings.
The issue-specific attributes which help to distinguish a reprint from an authentic issue would fill a book to rival Tolstoy’s War and Peace – making an attempt to do so within a single post absurd. However, over the past decade we have created over a dozen posts in an effort to cover as much as possible – specifically targeting the most common. Hopefully you will find them helpful:
POSTS REGARDING COMMON REPRINTS
“Collecting Newspapers – The Basics” (Part IV) – Setting Values…
March 25, 2024 by TimHughes · 532 Comments
We are often asked “What’s my newspaper worth?” in phone calls and email messages. As one might suspect, there are many factors which determine value and much like a jeweler cannot give a value of a diamond by an email or telephone inquiry, our ethics do not permit us to place values on newspapers without seeing the issues in hand.
Many factors determine value. The more important include condition, desirability among collectors, extent of coverage, completeness of the issue, proximity of the city of publication to where the event happened, time lag between the event date and the reporting date, dramatic appeal (more so with 20th century issues), and location of the report within the issue (front page? page 3?). Other factors come into play with more significant events but those noted are the prime determinants of value.
From a personal perspective setting values has been an interesting process, as no guide book of values existed 30+ years ago when I started the business. I priced an item in my catalog for $10 and if I had twenty orders for it I knew the price was too low. If no one ordered it the price was too high. Through the years, and by data basing sold prices (on index cards prior to the computer!), I’ve honed my own “price guide” based on actual sales, and it is this now-sophisticated database which we use to set values for new inventory as it arrives.
Do values continue to rise? In general, yes, but we are careful to never recommend the purchase of early newspapers for investment purposes. As is true of most collectibles, rarity and desirability determine where prices will be for the future.
But providing an historical perspective from our own files, back in October of 1981 we sold in our catalog #26 the NEW YORK HERALD of March 5, 1865 reporting the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, very nice condition, for $70. In 2018 we sold another issue of the NEW YORK HERALD of March 5, 1865, also in very nice condition, for $745. If we had a similar issue today, it would likely go for around $1,000 – and even more if offered through a prominent auction house.
So, what do you do if you have a newspaper and would like to know its approximate value? One resource is this Blog – not for posting questions, but for exploring. We have many posts which provide specific examples of issues and their prices. Perhaps a better resource is the Rare & Early Newspapers website which provides 10,000+ examples (best to search by date and look for a comparable – see image below). Once you’ve explored these avenues, you are always welcome to contact us directly by email (guy@rarenewspapers.com). We would need the exact title and exact date of each issue to get started. Sending only photos does not work for us.
What two resources are not helpful?
1) Ebay. Why? Just because someone is asking for an amazing price doesn’t mean they’ll ever sell it at that price. “Previous Sales” are what matters.
2) Posting a question on this Blog. Why? We rarely monitor it.
Feel free to send any additional questions concerning the valuation of newspaper to us at the same email shown above. We’ll do our best to answer any that come our way… and who knows, perhaps they show up in a future post. 🙂
“Collecting Newspapers – The Basics” (Part III) – Newspaper Care…
December 11, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We, (Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers), have been collecting and offering old and historic newspapers to the collecting community since 1976 (Tim’s first purchase was in 1975). For those who are either unfamiliar with or new to this amazing hobby, today we are kicking off a series of posts, “Collecting Newspapers – The Basics”, to serve en masse as a Primer for those interested in learning more about the collectible. This is the 3rd installment. Enjoy.
Additional information about the hobby can be found through this Blog and on the Rare Newspapers’ website.
“Collecting Newspapers – The Basics” (Part II) – What to Expect…
December 4, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We, (Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers), have been collecting and offering old and historic newspapers to the collecting community since 1976 (Tim’s first purchase was in 1975). For those who are either unfamiliar with or new to this amazing hobby, today we are kicking off a series of posts, “Collecting Newspapers – The Basics”, to serve en masse as a Primer for those interested in learning more about the collectible. This is the 2nd installment. Enjoy.
Additional information about the hobby can be found through this Blog and on the Rare Newspapers’ website.
“Collecting Newspapers – The Basics” (Part I) – Eras, Topics, and Titles…
November 27, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We, (Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers), have been collecting and offering old and historic newspapers to the collecting community since 1976 (Tim’s first purchase was in 1975). For those who are either unfamiliar with or new to this amazing hobby, today we are kicking off a series of posts, “Collecting Newspapers – The Basics”, to serve en masse as a Primer for those interested in learning more about the collectible. The first installment (below) may appear to be a bit self-serving, but the heart behind it is simply to let seekers know the span of topics and types of newspapers which can be found. Enjoy.
Additional collecting themes can be found through this Blog and on the Rare Newspapers’ website.
The (2024) May Newsletter from Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers…
May 17, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Welcome to the May Newsletter from
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