Pricing newspapers back in the 1970’s…

May 18, 2026 by · 22 Comments 

pricing_issues_iiIn conversations with people about how I started this business, a common question is, “How did you know how to prices newspapers back then?” Well, the short answer is, I didn’t.

This venture started as a hobby with no thought of it turning into a business. But when I started getting too many of a similar title or date, selling off the “unwanteds” became a more common occurrence. My simple thought was, if I had $3 for it, try to sell it for $5. If I did, the price stuck for future issues; if it didn’t, the price dropped to $4.

But this became trickier years later when I was buying for resale but didn’t have enough experience to know what to pay, nor what to price them at. Nor did anyone for that matter, as there were no price guides, nor sufficient auction records to offer a clue.

I was flying by the seat of my pants. If I thought an event was historic, say a major Civil War battle, I would pay the $5 price and increase it by 50% or so. If it sold, then the next time I inched it up a bit more. If it didn’t, I reduced the price a bit.  Never knowing how high customers might go for an event, I might have “inched up” the price of an event 15 times over the coarse of 4 or 5 years until there was some resistance. I was careful to keep records of sales through the years–even in the pre-computer days–which was a tremendous assistance in assigning values to the myriad of historical events covering 300 years of history.

pricing_issues_iDid I sell some great material too cheaply in the early years? I sure did. Looking at some of my earlier catalogs I gladly pay five times the selling price of many items I sold. But it was part of the process. I remember once having a volume of a Las Vegas, New Mexico newspaper from 1881. There must have been 30 or 40 issues with a small “Reward” ad for the capture of Billy the Kid. I think I sold those issues for less than $20 each. After all, if I had 40 of them how rare could they be? Certainly I’ve learned through the years, and became smarter as well.

But we still encounter items which challenged us today. As we continue to find truly rare, almost unique issues it becomes difficult to assign values with no history or prior sales. But these are the fun challenges. As much as you may enjoy finding interesting items in our catalogs, I enjoy finding the unusual to offer.

“I have always gotten more joy from buying newspapers than selling them.”, Tim Hughes (2009).

PS from Guy: Between the internet and the surge of AI, it has never been easier to find “hidden” content and comparable pricing. For collectors who live for the thrill of discovery and have an old newspaper in hand, try using this prompt: “What noteworthy historical coverage is featured in [Newspaper Title] published on [Date]?” You might be amazed by what you find. If you turn up something unique, please share your discovery with the Rare & Early Newspapers community!

Filed under: Common Questions, Valuation of Issues
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Announcing: Catalog 366 – Released (early) for May, 2026 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

May 1, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

The May catalog (#366) of collectible newspapers is now available. The links below will help connect you with both the entire catalog and specific subsets within the catalog. We hope you enjoy.

CATALOG #366 (with access to the traditional set of focused links)

————–

DISCOUNTED ISSUES

(what remains of last month’s discounted issues – at 50% off)

HISTORY’S NEWSSTAND

(recent posts on the History’s Newsstand Blog)

————–

LEAD-UP TO A NATION

(Independence was Destiny – The Case for Independence)
Thanks for collecting with us!

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team

RareNewspapers.com

570-326-1045

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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Announcing: Catalog 365 – Released (early) for April, 2026 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

March 27, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

The April catalog (#365) of collectible newspapers is now available. This catalog is being released early due to the typical release date (April 1st) being associated with a bit of (albeit playful) foolish pranking. Somehow it just didn’t seem to fit. 🙂

The links below will help connect you with both the entire catalog and specific subsets within the catalog. We hope you enjoy.

CATALOG #365 (with access to the traditional set of focused links)

CATALOG #365 (arranged for exploration)

————–

DISCOUNTED ISSUES

(what remains of last month’s discounted issues – at 50% off)

HISTORY’S NEWSSTAND

(recent posts on the History’s Newsstand Blog)

————–

LEAD-UP TO A NATION

(Diverse Voices – Divisions of the Era)
Thanks for collecting with us!

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team

RareNewspapers.com

570-326-1045

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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Announcing: Catalog 364 – Released for March, 2026 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

February 27, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

Catalog 364 (for March): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: an issue re: the Olive Branch Petition, Hawaii’s first English language newspaper, “The Crisis” essay #9 by Thomas Paine, a first report of Lincoln’s assassination, a Civil War prison camp newspaper, an early newsbook from 1643, the historic “Funding Act”, and more.

The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:

All Catalog (all items)

Abridged Catalog (EXCLUDES wholesale lots & titles sold only by year (not by a specific date)

A PDF Version of the Catalog (printable)

Entire Catalog grouped by Era:

                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)

The following links focus on both this month’s and last months catalogs:

Become a Premium Member to receive hard copy versions of our catalogs (U.S. residents only).

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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Announcing: Catalog 363 – Released for February, 2026 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

January 30, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

Catalog 363 (for February): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: a Massachusetts Spy with the desired “Join or Die” snake engraving, a Pennsylvania Ledger with the Olive Branch Petition, one of the rarest of early American magazines, The Jew Bill: striving for equal rights for Jews, a handsome colonial New York newspaper from 1745, a fine report on the death of George Washington, and more.

The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:

  • Entire Catalog grouped by Era:

                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)

The following links focus on both this month’s and last months catalogs:

Become a Premium Member to receive hard copy versions of our catalogs (U.S. residents only).

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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Announcing: Catalog #361 for December, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

December 1, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 

December’s catalog (#361) is now available. The links shown below will take you to various segments of the new catalog, the History’s Newsstand Blog, and the current list of discounted issues. There is also a special announcement regarding Tim Hughes’ milestone. We hope you enjoy!

Catalog #361 (for December): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the famous “federal edifice” cartoon from 1788, Washington’s farewell address at Fraunces’ Tavern, the rare & intriguing “Cape-Fear Mercury” of 1775, “The Pennsylvania Gazette” with Ben Franklin’s imprint, perhaps the definitive Battle of Gettysburg issue, “The Oxford Gazette” of 1665 with Judaica content, and more.

The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:

  • Grouped by price…

Priced under $50

Priced at $50-$99

Priced at $100-$299

Priced at $300 and up (the best of the best)

  • Grouped by era…

Dated from 1600-1799

Dated from 1800-1899

Dated from 1900-Present

————–

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
Special Announcement regarding Tim Hughes:  From Passion to Legacy: 50 Years Strong… and Counting…

Thanks for collecting with us!

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team

RareNewspapers.com

570-326-1045

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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Announcing: Catalog #360 for November, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

October 31, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 

November’s catalog (#360) is now available. The links shown below will take you to various segments of the new catalog, the History’s Newsstand Blog, and the current list of discounted issues. We hope you enjoy!

Catalog #360 (for November): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: Washington’s Thanksgiving Day proclamation, a report on America’s first war, Gage’s account of Lexington & Concord, The Swedish Intelligencer from 1633, Lincoln’s assassination in the desired New York Times, notable broadside on the Gerrymander, and more.

The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:

  • Grouped by price…

Priced under $50

Priced at $50-$99

Priced at $100-$299

Priced at $300 and up (the best of the best)

  • Grouped by era…

Dated from 1600-1799

Dated from 1800-1899

Dated from 1900-Present

————–

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
Thanks for collecting with us!

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team

RareNewspapers.com

570-326-1045

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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Announcing: Catalog #359 for October, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

September 30, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 

October’s catalog (#359) is now available. The links shown below will take you to various segments of the new catalog and the current list of discounted issues. Enjoy!

Catalog #359 (for October): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: a great broadside on the surrender of Robert E. Lee, an early report on the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Washington’s Circular Letter on his resignation, The Gettysburg Address, the capture of Ethan Allen, “Neil Steps On The Moon” (from Neil Armstrong’s hometown), and more.

The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:

  • Grouped by price…

Priced under $50

Priced at $50-$99

Priced at $100-$299

Priced at $300 and up (the best of the best)

  • Grouped by era…

Dated from 1600-1799

Dated from 1800-1899

Dated from 1900-Present

————–

DISCOUNTED ISSUES – What remains of last month’s discounted issues may be viewed at: Discount (select items at 50% off)
Thanks for collecting with us!

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team

RareNewspapers.com

570-326-1045

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
Tagged: , ,

Announcing: Catalog #358 for September, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

August 29, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 

September’s catalog (#358) is now available. The links shown below will take you to various segments of the new catalog, the History’s Newsstand Blog, two “bonus” catalog items, and the current list of discounted issues. Enjoy!

Catalog #358 (for September): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the famous ‘tombstone edition’ of the Pennsylvania Journal from 1765, a terrific broadside on Lincoln’s assassination, ‘The Newes’ newsbook from 1663, the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War, coverage of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Emancipation Proclamation (in a Washington, D.C. paper), and more.

The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:

  • Grouped by price…

Priced under $50

Priced at $50-$99

Priced at $100-$299

Priced at $300 and up (the best of the best)

  • Grouped by era…

Dated from 1600-1799

Dated from 1800-1899

Dated from 1900-Present

————–

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
Thanks for collecting with us!

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team

RareNewspapers.com

570-326-1045

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
Tagged: , ,

Announcing: Catalog #357 for August, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…

August 1, 2025 by · Leave a Comment 

August’s catalog (#357) is now available. The links shown below will take you to various segments of the new catalog, the History’s Newsstand Blog (check out the post: “Ben Franklin’s 1st contribution to The Gentleman’s Magazine”), and the current list of discounted issues. Enjoy!

Catalog #357 (for August): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the desirable “Unite Or Die” engraving, the Battle of Lexington & Concord, the most famous of all Lincoln assassination newspapers, Hawaii’s first “regular” newspaper, an Oxford Gazette (1665), the Louisiana Purchase (on the front page), and more.

The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:

  • Grouped by price…

Priced under $50

Priced at $50-$99

Priced at $100-$299

Priced at $300 and up (the best of the best)

  • Grouped by era…

Dated from 1600-1799

Dated from 1800-1899

Dated from 1900-Present

————–

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
Thanks for collecting with us!

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team

RareNewspapers.com

570-326-1045

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
Tagged: , ,

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