A Community Site for Anyone and Everyone Interested in Ephemera

September 2008 Blog Posts (16)

Why Do People Collect Old Magazine Ads?

Rather than me answer that question, let me point you to a recent blog by "Alana" at Alana's Books and Magazines.

She starts off with

Long before there were pop up ads on the internet, commercials on the television and radio, merchants used print media to get their message across to the consumer…

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Added by Tom Murphy on September 30, 2008 at 11:30pm — 2 Comments

Digital Scrapbooking

Another way to enjoy ephemera is through digital scrapbooking. I appreciate the opportunity to incorporate treasured pieces with favorite photos, yet retain the integrity of the originals - no cutting or gluing involved that might prevent me from using them in real scrapbook designs.

I've included an example of a digital scrapbook page. The three children are my maternal grandfather Leo, his sister Deda, and his brother Paul. His parents are Charles and Rhetta Johnson. They are all… Continue

Added by Daena on September 28, 2008 at 12:31pm — 2 Comments

"The Estate Sale" or "Lessons In Etiquette"

There she was, that grand victorian house that had stood guard over the old town district for so very long. Paint faded and peeling as one who has outlived her time, but she must have been a sight to behold in her glory days. The sign out front, Estate Sale, was viewed with mixed emotions from those who gathered around it talking in the early morning light. Some talked of a life well lived, some reminisced of distant memories and simpler times, while others speculated on what treasures must lie… Continue

Added by Kyle Boyd-Robertson on September 28, 2008 at 2:00am — 3 Comments

750 pieces of Ephemera at Bonanzle

As most of you know, selling at eBay - whether it be Ephemera or Pez dispensers - is becoming more and more expensive for the casual seller. In fact, the site is becoming overrun by the "big boys" - folks like the "Best Buy Outlet Store" and the "HP Marketplace".

Several alternative auction venues have turned up in the not too distant past - among them Delcampe Auctions which has already been discussed here - and where I am very likely to be… Continue

Added by Tom Murphy on September 23, 2008 at 6:00am — 4 Comments

Digital Libraries

The more I search, the more I find.

It may not be new news to many of you... but to me it is. A large number of our Colleges and University Libraries are putting together "Digital Libraries" and within those libraries they often have "Digital Collections".

The one I ran across most recently is at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Today's find was their "Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850 - 1920"

This collection presents…

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Added by Tom Murphy on September 22, 2008 at 8:33am — 1 Comment

Out Of Chaos Comes Order

Ike was on the hunt, the Gulf Coast was the target and it appeared as if we may be the bullseye. With the clock ticking and now under mandatory evacuation orders there was little time for organization, so in a whirlwind of chaos boxes were filled with invaluable historic documents, billheads, photos, postcards, books and letters from a time long forgotten to all but a few.

Seconds, minutes, hours ticked away as we huddled around the television, watching the endless drone of talking… Continue

Added by Kyle Boyd-Robertson on September 18, 2008 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment

Collecting Old Vintage Ephemera Souvenirs

"Do you remember when the circus came to town? When the President came to town? When Elvis came to town?"

That's the title and lead in line to Alana's most recent blog article. Alana is a lady from Wisconsin who runs two online websites selling vintage collectibles, used and rare books, back issue magazines, postcards, ephemera and other antique and retro cherished treasures of days gone by.…

Alana's collectibles

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Added by Tom Murphy on September 18, 2008 at 7:00am — No Comments

Cigarette Card Collections at the New York Public Library

In my most recent blog article I mentioned that I had done some traveling of late and wrote of the Bata Museum in Toronto. What I failed to mention is that our travels also took us briefly home to New York City - but that was an Ephemera-free visit.

NYPL Digital Cigarette Card Collection

Today I ran across references to the New York City Public Library's (NYPL) Digital Collection of tobacco cards, which now numbers more than 125,000 individual items, including more than 3,000 complete sets.

I'm not a… Continue

Added by Tom Murphy on September 16, 2008 at 7:30am — No Comments

YESTERDAY'S PAPER by VIVIENNE O'NEILL

Here's an interesting new book that some of our Ephemera members may be interested in:

Yesterday's Paper features a charming collection of ephemera, reproduced in full colour and accompanied by a detailed and informative text together with succinct captions and price guides. With close to 1000 photographs spread over 19 chapters, it provides many fascinating and intriguing insights into Australian life in days gone by. The chapters, each self-contained, cover such diverse topics as…

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Added by Tom Murphy on September 15, 2008 at 11:00am — No Comments

Long time absence....

Wow, it's hard for me to believe it has been so long since my last posting here. I have been all consumed in chores, trips, events and other miscellaneous time consuming activities that have kept me away from the keyboard.. and from this blog. Sorry!

One of the trips we took was to Toronto, and while there we had the pleasure of visiting a very interesting museum... The Bata Shoe Museum. While I had… Continue

Added by Tom Murphy on September 11, 2008 at 1:17pm — 1 Comment

Protecting Present or Preserving Past

With Hurricane Ike Approaching and a possibility of a direct hit I am again left with this quandry of which is more important Protecting the Present or Preserving the Past. This very moment as I sit here wrestling with this dilemma I hear all around me the sounds of Protecting the Present, power saws cutting ply wood to the precisely fit pieces for a window or door and the hammering of boards to store fronts and houses up and down the streets. Through all this clammer a voice keeps screaming… Continue

Added by Kyle Boyd-Robertson on September 10, 2008 at 4:00am — 2 Comments

Joseph von Wachter, a history lesson from two post cards

Joseph von Wachter walked from Nome, Alaska to New York in 1914. Over 4,000 of the total 10,742 miles, were covered with a dog team. Von Wachter visited the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, CA and the Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, CA. On the back of the one cent card, Wachter himself wrote: "Remember the evening of the Sept. 29, 1915 at the Hafbrau. The next card is signed by von Wachter on the front "Yours truly, Prof. Joseph von Wachter."

*photos removed… Continue

Added by Valerie MacEwan on September 9, 2008 at 8:30am — 1 Comment

Top Value Stamp Book - Mickey Mouse

This is my first blog post since becoming a member of T.E.N. I hope to add on a regular basis blog entries of interesting piece(s) of ephemera that I have in my collection, for sale or just recently purchased. So to get things rolling...

At a recent estate sale, I purchased for only $2.00 a package that contained 5 S&H Green Stamp books, 3 Top Value Books, 1 MacDonald Plaid Stamp Saver Book and another Top Value Stamp Book. All but the last book were filled with their…

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Added by John Reese on September 7, 2008 at 9:20pm — 2 Comments

Found a Niche Auction Site For Ephemera

Hi everybody. I have been looking around this weekend trying to expand my horizons now that Ebay seems to be on the downhill slide. I found an auction site that looks promising. No insertion fee unless you want to pay for the extras. FVF is 5 1/2% for the first $1500 and goes lower the more you sell. (calculated on total sales per month rather than on each item. Looks like they have between 11 and 12 million listings. Over 9 million are postcards. I have registered but have not really looked… Continue

Added by Ray Kirchmeyer on September 7, 2008 at 5:11pm — 7 Comments

Hi Sorry I ve been absent on posting I Just bought a house!

Hi Fellow friends on the Ephemera network, Ive been so involved in working on my beautiful have I have not have much available time to work online. I hope I have not missed much. I'm so happy to be a home owner again Susan from Whimzy Treasures www.whimzytreasures.com and www.whimzytreasures.net

Added by Susan Mac Gregor on September 4, 2008 at 1:30am — 2 Comments

Ebay Paper Sellers-Is TEN a Threat??

I just joined this site last night. I have been an Ebay seller and buyer in the past but the environment there is getting to be quite hostile. I posted in the forums last night wanting to let people know about how there was a great networking site out there where collectors, dealers, and historians could get together and share their mutual interests. Two posts were promptly removed even though I danced around this sites name without actually linking or naming it. Looks like maybe you have… Continue

Added by Ray Kirchmeyer on September 1, 2008 at 11:10am — 8 Comments