I keep coming across collections of Ephemera in public libraries and museums.. and want to bring them to your attention.

The most recent one I found is at the Tamiment Library at the Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives (NYU Libraries). Here’s a description from their site:

The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University form a unique, internationally-known center for scholarly research on Labor and the Left. The primary focus is the complex relationship between trade unionism and progressive politics and how this evolved over time. Archival, print, photograph, film, and oral history collections describe the history of the labor movement and how it related to the broader struggle for economic, social, and political change.

In 1977 the Robert F. Wagner Archives was established as a joint program of the New York City Central Labor Council and the Tamiment Library. The Wagner is the designated repository for the records of the Council’s more than 200 member unions. Today the Library has an extraordinary research collection documenting the history of organized labor in New York and the workers who built the City.

Tamiment has one of the finest research collections in the country documenting the history of radical politics: socialism, communism, anarchism, utopian experiments, the cultural left, the New Left, and the struggle for civil rights and civil liberties. It is the repository for the Archives of Irish America, the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, and a growing Asian American labor collection.

You can Read more about the history of the Tamiment Library through this link.

The collection that caught my eye is called the Tamiment Library Printed Ephemera Collections and consist of some 1 million items, including broadsides, leaflets, flyers, manifestoes, reports, reprints, serials, clippings, pamphlets, and internal documents generated by a wide spectrum of labor and left-wing organizations.

Two of some 350 or so items are shown here. Looking through the rest was very interesting and I recommend that you take a look. I’m sure you will find it interesting.

There are a number of other Ephemera collections at the library which I again recommend you peruse. You will hopefully find it as interesting as I did.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Have a look at my eBay Ephemera store
or at my Bonanzle Booth
or at my Zen Cart

I’ve even got an eBay Auction site for collectibles

Technorati tags: Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, Ephemera Network

The Alameda Library in California has a very interesting video in its Ephemera section entitled “Neptune Beach Revisited”. It’s narrated by a fellow named Dan X. Solo who apparently is one of a very few living people who can remember and reminisce about the famous amusement park of the depression days. He also talks a bit about the signage at the park.. and the wish that he had collected some of it – what we would surely call Ephemera! I’ve embedded the video here, but be sure to visit the site as it has a lot more to offer than this video.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Have a look at my eBay Ephemera store
or at my Bonanzle Booth
or at my Zen Cart

I’ve even got an eBay Auction site for collectibles

Technorati tags: Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, Ephemera Network

I think this is particularly well said:

I love antique postcards because they preserve evidence of everyday life as well as celebrations and sad events. Looking at an old postcard is like holding a single piece of a puzzle; we have to imagine the rest.

This quote comes from the About Me section of the “Daily Postcard” a blogspot page that I ran across recently. The author of the blog, a lady named Christine Heycke from the Pacific Northwest has put together a terrific site with some great vintage postcards. For each one she tells a little of what she knows about the card, and in some instances does a bit of research on either the sender… or more often the recipient of the card.

Here is a card that is appropriate at this time of year.. a lovely Valentine card dating back to 1913. As Christine says, “It’s quite lovely and romantic, but I’m not sure how the pipe fits in.” But then again, smoking a pipe in 1913 was probably the in thing to do.

As you page through Christine’s site you will find many many wonderful old postcards, not all from the US either. There are a number from France, South Africa, Monaco, Sweden, Korea and who knows where all else.

There are also a number of humorous postcards.. how do you like this one? The wording is what got me… “Having the time of my life…enjoying every minute. P.S. Have behaved myself up to now”.  Up to now?  What does that say of the future??

You will also probably want to take a look at the one marked “The Whole Dam Family“… if you are in to humor that is.

And finally, let me mention the “Streetcar” collection of cards. This appears to be the largest set in the collection and she has many from around the world. Reading through her narrative you will find that she devotes Sundays to the Streetcar collection dubbing it “Streetcar Sunday”.

So if postcards fall into your area of ephemeral interest.. and even if they don’t… give The Daily Postcard a look… You’ll enjoy the visit.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Have a look at my eBay Ephemera store
or have a look at my eBay Auction site
(Due to travel, there may not be any items listed at this point in time)

Technorati tags: Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, Ephemera Network, Daily Postcard

Over the last few months I have spent a great deal of time reviewing some of the newer (at least to me) Ephemera sites that I have uncovered across the world wide web.

But I have (somewhat intentionally as he was building and updating his site) skipped over the site of a fellow I met over the internet… who I am pleased to call a friend. Cliff Aliperti is the owner of a terrific site entitled “things and other stuff” located at, not surprisingly, www.things-and-other-stuff.com.

Cliff comes from a small town on Long Island, NY, not far from where I grew up, and as he puts it has been selling collectibles pretty much his entire life. Starting out with baseball cards (don’t all LI kids collect baseball cards?) he has moved through a number of different collectibles until he fell into his current specialty… Movie Cards and Collectibles. His collection ranges from what was referred to as the “Silent Period” through the 1950′s, and then into the present. Cliff sells pretty much full time and things-and-other-stuff.com is just one of his collectible related websites… such as the VintageMeld where he discusses “general collecting and collectibles, the objects and the pursuits” (he has recently incorporated the Vintage Meld into the main things-and-other-stuff website).

As mentioned above, Cliff has spent a lot of time, and missed countless hours of sleep, redesigning his website…. and it looks great! He has a ton of information all neatly and conveniently arranged on the various pages. He even has a section dedicated to the birthdays of the stars. Did you know that W.C. Fields was born January 29, 1880 … or that he died Christmas day, 1946?

One of the other things I like a lot about Cliff’s site is how he has tastefully incorporated a number of tools and gadgets into the site. He has an array of YouTube videos placed throughout the site, but also has links to his MovieCardsForSale.com page on Facebook and a few “Gadgets by Google”. The site has three basic sections ../movie-collectibles, ../vintagemeld, and ../magazines. More recently Cliff has been working on a Zen store which is located here.

Regardless of your Ephemera interests, you owe it to yourself to visit Cliff Aliperti’s home on the world wide web.  You’ll find lots of interesting items and links that will keep you busy for quite some time… and who knows, you may just find that “something” you’ve been hunting for.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Have a look at my eBay Ephemera store
or have a look at my eBay Auction site
(Due to travel, there may not be any items listed at this point in time)

Technorati tags: Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, Ephemera Network, things and other stuff

One of the many sub-categories of Ephemera of course is Vintage Postcards.

I have only recently started to explore these.. and the websites that discuss them, but today found one that I thought was well done and worth pointing my readers to. More specifically it answers the question that is the topic of this article… “What makes a vintage postcard valuable?”

Their answer to that question comes in five specifics:

• Age
• Condition
• Subject Matter
• Photo vs. Printed
• Postmark

Each of these is explained in more detail on the about page of “the old postcard” website. Have a look.

You will also learn from this site that a deltiologist is a postcard collector, i.e. a person who collects postcards as a hobby.

Perhaps an even more interesting item from the Old Postcard website is this…

The Old Post Office (pictured on the left) is actually just that, a beautiful and majestic three story building constructed of Indiana Limestone and completed in 1916. The building was originally home to the Western Nebraska Federal Court and Post Office for McCook, Nebraska. The Federal Court was moved to North Platte, NE in the 1950s when other State and Government agencies took up office space in the building. In the 1980s a new post office was built several blocks to the West of the original building. The building sat vacant for a number of years before being purchased by Nathan’s parents, David and Sharon Huegel. It is now our residence as well as our Antique and Postcard Shop.

If you are a postcard collector.. or simply interested in this very interesting hobby, I suggest you give the Old Post Office a visit

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Have a look at my eBay Ephemera store
or have a look at my eBay Auction site
(Due to travel, there may not be any items listed at this point in time)

Technorati tags: Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, Ephemera Network, The Old Post Office

Upcoming events you may not be aware of

The Ephemera Society of America’s 30th Annual Conference and Paper Show

March 19–21, 2010 Old Greenwich, Connecticut
Event hours: Varies
Cost: $50 members, $60 non-members

Web page (URL): http://www.ephemerasociety.org/conferences.html

Other information: The Ephemera Society of America’s 30th annual Conference and Paper Show (March 19-21, 2010) will once again convene at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Old Greenwich, CT. The Conference will feature expert speakers on a variety of transportation topics, such the the Titanic tragedy, as told through ephemera. On Saturday and Sunday nearly 80 ephemera dealers will offer colorful and historic paper items for sale from five dollars to thousands of dollars.

This event is a club or hobbyist event and expects 101-500 people.

Litchfield Antiquarian Book and Ephemera Fair

March 27, 2010 Litchfield, Connecticut
Event hours: 3:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Web page (URL): http://www.bookfairs.com/

Other information: None

This event is a commercial show and expects 21-100 people.

Long Island Book and Ephemera Show

March 27–28, 2010 Garden City, New York
Event hours: Saturday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Cost:$6/$3

Web page (URL): http://liabda.com/bookfair.htm

Other information: The highly respected and long-running Long Island Book & Ephemera Fair – An Affordable, Proven New York Tradition For 29 Years! Plus the Original Garden City Antiques Show! Exhibitors from across the United States will be presenting the finest in Fine Rare Old Books, Maps, Prints & Ephemera alongside formal Antiques, Orientalia, and one-of-a-kind Decorative Accessories!

Appraisals by TV Personality John Bruno and Book Authority Tom Congalton Sunday 12-3!

This event is a commercial show and expects 101-500 people.

The Manhattan Book & Ephemera Fair – The ABAA NY City Shadow Show!

April 9–10, 2010 New York, New York
Event hours: Friday 5-10pm & Saturday 9am-5pm
Cost: Adults $12, Young Collectors 12-21 $6, Under 12 free w/ Paid Adult

Web page (URL): http://www.flamingoeventz.com/

Other information: Exceptional vintage book and ephemera dealers from across the Northeast – many of them ABAA members themselves – will gather to offer fine, rare, old books alongside a wide range of vintage paper and ephemera.

This event is a commercial show and expects 21-100 people.

Source: http://www.collectorsweekly.com

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Have a look at my eBay Ephemera store
or have a look at my eBay Auction site
(Due to travel, there may not be any items listed at this point in time)

Technorati tags: Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, Ephemera Network

I ran across what appears to be a new Ephemera site today… entitled as the headline above… “Historical Ephemera“. Given that the site still seems to be in the early stages of construction (note the incomplete footer) I’m not entirely sure where it’s headed… but I’ll be sure to keep an eye on it.

The above image is one of the current postings… it’s entitled “Niblo’s Garden” and we are told that

“Niblo’s Garden was built in 1828 and Niblo’s Theater in 1834 and was located in New York on the Northeast corner of Broadway at Prince Street. The house was built by William Niblo as part of an entertainment complex that included an outdoor garden, an open air saloon, and eventually the Grand Saloon, or Theater.”

There is a lot of information on the site.. although it appears a bit disorganized to me. Each time you click on a prior article or reference, a new item come up at the top of the page (a rotation?) and the article you are looking for is below it. Confusing to say the least.

Reading the “About Me” page – actually it’s the “About HE” (Historical Ephemera) page we learn that

“Historical Ephemera is a project designed to present ephemera from a variety of historical sources. … This project is a collaborative effort completed by students in a graduate class on digital history at North Carolina State University, spring semester 2009.”

This poster on the site also caught my eye .. with it’s interesting caption: “Enemy Ears are Listening”. You are referred from there to a whole load of WWII posters with captions like “Loose Lips Sink Ships” and “Keep It Under Your Stetson”. How about this one: “Free Speech Doesn’t Mean Careless Talk” or finally “Keep Mum Chum.”

As I said, I am not sure where the site is going.. or if it is going at all, as it is appears to be a University class project… but in any event, it’s worth a look. They have uncovered a lot of very interesting Ephemera!

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Have a look at my eBay Ephemera store
or have a look at my eBay Auction site
(Due to travel, there may not be any items listed at this point in time)

Technorati tags: Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, Ephemera Network, Historical Ephemera, North Carolina State University

I was recently invited to join a group within the Ephemera Network that focuses on business, trade & calling cards. More specifically the group says that it

“Celebrates the use and collection of all business, trade & calling cards in this new electronic age… Antiquarian to contemporary.”

While there are currently only a dozen or so members, it promises to be a very active and growing group of interested parties.

Frank DeFreitas, who started the group, is a Collector, Curator/Archivist and Researcher. Most of all he is a Holographer (3-dimensional laser holograms) and has had a laser and holography studio in Eastern Pennsylvania since 1983. While he has been collecting holography-related ephemera for over 30 years, he is also a published author. He wrote an article in 1988 entitled “Antiquarian Holographica” and co-authored a classic holography book entitled “Shoebox Holography”.  You can read Frank’s blog here

The group has already uncovered a number of very colorful and interesting name cards such as the one here on the right. This particular one came from a fellow named Chuck Whiting who has been one of the more active participants.  Chuck is a Texas bookseller specializing in used, out-of-print, and rare books.  His blog entitled Bibliophemera is here.. This particular image is actually what is called a trade card – used by booksellers to advertise the bookseller’s business.  Chuck did not date it, but it is perhaps from the 1940′s or 1950′s.

I contributed a link to a site called “Words and Eggs” – (“Words and eggs must be handled with care. Once broken they are impossible things to repair”) – where I found this colorful card.  It’s from a company in Camden, NJ named Samuel P. Wright and Company which specializes in printing ink.  A brief Google search seems to lead to a company named “JK Wright Printing Ink Company” which was apparently a follow-on to Sam’s company.

So if you have any interest in business cards, calling cards or trade cards, I’d suggest a visit to the Ephemera Network and to Frank’s group.  I think you will find it to be very interesting, informative, and with lots of wonderful cards on display.

How about YOU?  Do you have any interesting antique or vintage cards you’d like to highlight?  Or perhaps you even have a current card, yours or someone elses that you think is either interesting, colorful, well designed, or just plain nice.  Let us know or make a posting on the Network.  Showcase your collection for others to enjoy.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Tom

Have a look at my eBay Ephemera site
or have a look at my eBay Auction sites
(Due to travel, there may not be any items listed at this point in time)

Technorati tags: Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, Ephemera Network, Frank DeFreitas