Newspapers & Ephemera | Collectibles & Collectors Items

Old newspapers are a unique resource in reconstructing the past, for on the pages of each is preserved the newsworthy events of a single day of history. Newspapers form a reasonably faithful record of what actually happened, and how events were perceived by those who experienced them. Their impact on history, when they were the only communications medium, cannot be overstated. It is noteworthy that societies reveal themselves most completely through their popular culture. If we are to understand other cultures, there is no better way than to listen to them speaking in their own words, and refrain from assessing them as if they were part of current social and value systems.

Just about everyone has been tempted to save an old newspaper from a special date. A child's birth or memorable occasions, such as weddings and landmark anniversaries, make for personal news dates worth conserving. Some collectors go beyond personal events, collecting other issues documenting tragedies and commemorating historic events. Knowing what to save when collecting newspapers may seem like a mystery, but in possession of the relevant facts, it needn't be.

Value
Most widely distributed paper items are rarely worth until a substantial time has passed. Once some of the issues perish and become harder to find, then there's a decent chance that the "survivors" will increase in value. Many collectors saved a newspaper from 1963, when John Kennedy's assassination shocked the world, or the outbreak of the Second World War. The value of these isn't currently high, due to the sheer volume available. Of course, owning these items remains important to the people who saved them regardless of the current value, but more scarce headlines are now in demand, and are hence worth more.
A newspaper from April 15, 1912 in good condition might prove more fruitful. Far fewer people are likely to have saved the Titanic issue of a newspaper and finding one would definitely be on a collector's dream list.

What to Collect
If deciding to keep a few newspapers for posterity or pleasure, keep complete papers. Graphic headlines depicting the type of news have grown in importance over time, so keep a look out for these. Major sports events, the outbreak or ending of wars, the death or assassination attempt of a world leader, and unusual tragedies all have the makings of news collectables. Also, bear in mind that Sunday papers are rarer and hence more valuable. A "mistake" edition, like the famous "Dewey Defeats Truman" issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune, would also be the pot of gold at the end of a news hunter's rainbow. Air-sealed boxes suitable for framing newspapers, along with other collectors' supplies aimed at protecting fragile items, are readily available.

Reproductions
Reproductions of many national 20th Century newspapers appeared as free inserts for various weekly magazines in the 1960s and 1970s; usually these were to illustrate major historical events outlined in the publication. The editorial content of the magazines consisted of various disasters or triumphs, especially the World Wars. The inserts were British and foreign papers with major headlines. Usually it is quite easy to spot a reproduction from photographs, especially if the genuine newspaper originally had a coloured logo and this is lacking.

In the Second World War:

The Daily Express had a red crusader and this continued post war.
The Daily Mirror/ Sunday Pictorial usually had red title letters, post war the letters are white in a red box.

The Daily Mail had a red edition logo to the right of its masthead.
Other titles often had coloured cachets e.g. Stop Press associated with them e.g. Daily Herald and Daily Sketch.

Local newspapers seldom used colour, so a coloured logo/cachet is a bonus. There are also national daily papers that rarely or never had a coloured logo. Therefore, a coloured logo/cachet is a good indicator. However, to make life difficult, recent reproductions sometimes include coloured titles (even occasionally when the original title was in black and white), but these are a different shade and brighter, compared to the original. They are generally produced in packs, with a common theme e.g. Royalty, Disasters, 60's etc.

For those papers that usually do not have any coloured markings associated with them, it is difficult to decide from a photograph if they are genuine, especially early 20th century papers, also the Daily Telegraph, the Times, Observer and News Chronical, but there are still markers to look for:

Look at the centre of the paper, as many early reproductions were essentially photocopies so you can see an image of the fold mark of the original paper and this will disrupt the text on the front page and subsequent pages.
In addition, the edge mark of the original paper is obvious as a black line at the top or side of the page, but generally, this is something you can only judge with the papers actually in your hand.

Likewise, the print and paper quality cannot be judged from photographs, modern reprints are printed on much finer paper than the originals, which often appear dull in comparison.
If seller has lots of major headlines, check them carefully.
If the photograph of the masthead is incomplete, be suspicious.
Remember that papers produced in the 60's and 70's will, by now, have an aged look to them.
Some of the reproductions are not even in a newspaper format e.g. being separate sheets or with the pages out of order.
Some anniversary editions actually have "reproduced by permission" printed on them!
Remember too that these were free with the magazine or special issue, so do not pay an exorbitant amount for them.

There is something quite special about an original newspaper, holding a little piece of history and reading about a unique moment in time!