The December, 2025 Catalog (#361): Must-Have Newspapers for the 250th Anniversary of American Independence (1776–2026)

December 6, 2025 by  
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As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial in 2026, collectors, museums, and history lovers are hunting for the most evocative newspapers from the Revolutionary era. This month’s RareNewspapers.com catalog (priced $800 and up) is packed with exactly those treasures—original issues that let you hold the birth of the nation in your hands. Here are the top ten standouts that speak directly to the 250th anniversary celebration:

1. #703265 – Massachusetts Centinel, Boston, January 16, 1788 – $5,885

The iconic “Federal Edifice” pillar cartoon showing the 11 ratified states holding up the new Constitution. One of the most famous visual celebrations of the successful Revolution and the founding of the permanent United States government.

2. #687284 – Norwich Packet, Connecticut, December 18, 1783 – $4,275

George Washington’s emotional farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern – the moment the Commander-in-Chief resigned his commission and returned power to the people. A perfect “end of the Revolution” companion piece for 2026 displays.

3. #718898 – The Cape-Fear Mercury, Wilmington, North Carolina, June 3, 1775 – $3,995

A rare (and intriguingly forged) Southern colonial newspaper from just weeks after Lexington & Concord. One of the scarcest North Carolina titles from the fateful year 1775.

4. #703479 – The Pennsylvania Gazette, Philadelphia, August 2, 1753 – $3,925

With Benjamin Franklin’s own imprint in the masthead. Franklin, the ultimate Founding Father, printed this very newspaper—making it an ideal pre-Revolutionary artifact leading into the 250th.

5. #703307 – Connecticut Courant, Hartford, February 10, 1777 – $1,485

Prints more than half of Thomas Paine’s legendary “American Crisis” Number 2 (“These are the times that try men’s souls…”). Paine’s words kept the Revolution alive during its darkest winter.

6. #703299 – New-England Chronicle, Cambridge, January 4, 1776 – $895

Major General Charles Lee’s fiery open letter to British General Burgoyne, plus the exposure of Dr. Benjamin Church’s traitorous letter to the British—the first known act of American espionage.

7. #701110 – Boston Gazette & Country Journal, July 9, 1770 – $975

Paul Revere’s famous patriotic masthead engraving of Liberty releasing the dove of peace, combined with fiery coverage of the Non-Importation Agreement in the wake of the Boston Massacre. Pure 1770 resistance spirit.

Also noteworthy in the Revolutionary-era spotlight this month:

• The definitive three-day Battle of Gettysburg coverage is stunning, but for the 250th focus, the issues above are the true headliners.

If you or your institution are building a 2026 exhibit, creating a museum-quality timeline, or simply want to own the actual newsprint read by Patriots 250 years ago, what remains from the above are viewable HERE.

Which one will be the centerpiece of your America 250 collection? Let us know in the comments!

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