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From the Vault – So you collect old newspapers!
May 15, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment 
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In social situations when asked “What do you do?” I (Tim Hughes) have to be careful how I respond. I’ve learned through experience that stating: “I’m a dealer in rare newspapers” is usually responded to with a pause, then “What?”, followed by a ten minute discussion on just what I do.
Being quick to get the questioner beyond the thought that I’m in the recycling business or that I clip interesting articles upon request, my more detailed response invariably intrigues and fascinates and seldom ends up being a short conversation. There is often a hint of pity in their voice & expression, thinking I have yet to find meaningful employment. But when I mention there are five full-time and several part-time employees, interest in the occupation piques.
If I don’t have the time or interest in a lengthy conversation, I’ve at times answered with “I’m an antiques dealer”, which although truthful is also a bit evasive, however it’s also an answer others can understand with limited interrogation.
You, being a collector of rare newspapers, might have had similar experiences when speaking to others about your hobby. Do you have any interesting stories?
Note: The History’s Newsstand Blog went live for the first time in 2008. Since then our goal has been to provide informative of interest to both novice and well-oiled collectors of Rare & Early Newspapers. The focus of the “From the Vault” series is to introduce the current generation of collectors to posts from the past (with occasional updates as appropriate). The original post shown above can be viewed at:
So you collect old newspapers!
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Hidden Gems within Rare & Early Newspapers/Magazines… 1792 edition…
May 12, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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We recently listed a Massachusetts Magazine from 1792 with the following description:
Benjamin Franklin’s Will…
The bulk of the issue is taken up with a wide range of eclectic articles as noted on the full title/contents page.
The issue begins with: “Extracts from Dr. Franklin’s Will” which takes over a full page and provides many details on various beneficiaries.
Also within: “Thoughts on Dueling” “The Child Trained up for the Gallows” “A Description of the Dismal Swamp in Virginia” “The Distresses of a Frontier Inhabitant” “Fourteen Causes which Enrich a Country” “On the Climate of South Carolina” and much more.
Near the back is a: “Collection of Publick Acts Papers, etc.” including 3 Acts of Congress, each noted as: “Approved by the President…”, and also: “Abstract of the Proceedings of Congress” taking several pages. Then: “Domestick Chronicle” with news of the day, state-by-state and which includes much on Indian troubles.
Based on only the abbreviated list of articles we included within this issue’s listing, if you could only read one article, which one most attracts your attention? For me it would be Ben Franklin’s will, with “The Child Trained up for the Gallows” and “Thoughts on Dueling” a distant second and third choice. But what if I was from Ohio… perhaps even a region steeped in history related to westward expansion and the Northwest Territory? Well, one such collector fits this description, and without providing the title of the article, perhaps you can guess which captured his interest.
One never knows what one may find within the pages of Rare & Early Newspapers.
PS Food for thought: Viewing the past through a romanticized lens may not always provide the most accurate view.
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Highlights from Catalog 330 (May, 2023)…
May 8, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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At the start of each month we (RareNewspapers.com) release a catalog of newly discovered rare & early collectible newspapers. Whenever possible, along with the announcement of the catalog’s availability, we also like to include a brief video highlighting a selection of the key issues along with a few examples of interesting newspapers for those on a tight budget. This month’s video is shown below. We hope you enjoy.
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The Birth of a Holiday… Mother’s Day Becomes Official!
May 5, 2023 by LauraH · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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As I was researching a collector’s Mother’s Day themed request this past week I happened upon a striking Rotogravure Section with a front page image of a mother and her 2 children. The image, titled “MATERNAL LOVE”, by Hughes Merle, perfectly captured the warmth, innocence and depth of a mother’s love for her children and her children’s trust of and love for her. Completely taken with the image, I checked to see if there was any correlation with Mother’s Day. This Rotogravure was not only published on Mother’s Day but more specifically, the 1st official Mother’s Day.
History.com notes the following:
“The official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.
After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.
Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.
By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.”
On April 15, 1914, the New York Times had a small article stating… “The Federal Government is lending its assistance to the movement, and on that day the clergy of the whole country will be asked to preach sermons regarding the general welfare of the home and so help to make Mother’s Day of practical value. The celebration of this day is in no way connected with woman suffrage, although the association is friendly to the suffrage movement wherever it may benefit the home.”
While the above statement may not hold the warmth and tenderness often associated with Mother’s Day, it is nice to see formal recognition of the truth often summed up as, “the Mother is the heart of a family and home.”
With Mother’s Day merely a week away…
In addition to the various Mother’s Day themed original newspapers we have posted at RareNewspapers.com, our staff also created a Mother’s Day related video to go along with our sister-store on Etsy. Enjoy.
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The reason I collected it: Freeman’s Journal & Philadelphia Mercantile Advertiser, Oct. 21, 1812…
May 1, 2023 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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Some 47 years ago when I (Tim Hughes) started collecting and selling early newspapers, the collector part of me want to keep any issues I found intriguing, unusual, and historic. I really just wanted the “business” side of the hobby to support my “collector” side.
Once a month I will highlight one of the saved issues and will explain why. Not all will be rare, not all will be valuable, and some will be simply bizarre. But they intrigued me, and so I share with all of you.
An eagle motif in mastheads is rather common, most rather small & proportional to the type used for the title. But the Freeman’s Journal & Philadelphia Mercantile Advertiser (the Oct. 21, 1812 issue is shown below) has perhaps the largest eagle I have found, with a wingspread of nearly 7 inches. I’m glad I saved one many years ago as I haven’t seen this title in quite some time.
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Announcing: Catalog #330 for May, 2023 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
April 28, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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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.]
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Dramatic Headlines Speak for Themselves… Charles Lindbergh’s Solo Flight…
April 24, 2023 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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The best headlines need no commentary. Such is the case with the CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, Illinois, May 23, 1927 which speaks of Charles’ Lindbergh‘s famous Trans-Atlantic flight in 1927:
“LINDBERGH’S OWN STORY!”
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They Put It In Print – Everyone Aboard The Titanic Survived!!?
April 19, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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Eternally filed the bin labelled “Don’t Believe Everything You Read” is the report found in the Oakland Tribune, April 15, 1912, that all of the passengers aboard the Titanic survived. Yet another example of newspaper publishers pushing too hard to scoop all others. I wonder if they bothered posting a retraction in the following day’s issue.
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The April (2023) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…
April 15, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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Monthly Newsletter ~ Rare & Early Newspapers
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From the Vault: Best of the 20th century?
April 10, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment Email This Post
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As newspaper collectors we dream of “the event” we’d like to add to our collection. It’s the search for that issue–or issues–which make this a fascinating hobby. This is, after all, a very visual hobby. How displayable are stamps and coins? Huge headlines proclaiming a cataclysmic event or magnificent achievement lend themselves so well to display, much more so than an original document about the event.
The 20th century had a great wealth of interesting events. But what is the best? If you could only make one choice, what single headline of the 20th century would you most want to see in your collection?
I wrestle with how to approach this thought: most life-altering? most recognizable? most historic? most appealing for display? I believe the first Wright brothers‘ flight is the most life-altering; “Dewey Defeats” Truman” as the most recognizable; and a great “Titanic Sinks” report as the most displayable. Some newspapers did much with the events of the gangster era, and certainly the “careers” of Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillinger and Al Capone are well known and significant reports would be attention-grabbers on any wall. On a more positive note there are some spectacular “V-E Day” and “V-J Day” issues celebrating the end of World War II. But limiting myself to just a single issue I would take “Titanic Sinks”. ….what’s your thought?
Note: The History’s Newsstand Blog went live for the first time in 2008. Since then our goal has been to provide informative of interest to both novice and well-oiled collectors of Rare & Early Newspapers. The focus of the “From the Vault” series is to introduce the current generation of collectors to posts from the past (with occasional updates as appropriate). The original post shown above can be viewed at:
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