I truly enjoy finding and researching antique ephemera. I realize that may sound strange to some folks. By definition, ephemera is something meant to be used in the short term and then discarded. Our landfills are overflowing with the stuff. I have no interest in digging through today's garbage though. The items I like to find are the little things that make their way into keepsake boxes, hope chests and even junk drawers.
I have sort of an informal ritual that I never plan, but that happens like clockwork. At least once a year I find myself looking for some missing receipt or some other small item that has gone missing. Invariably, I end up digging through pockets and looking in drawers throughout my house. At some point I always end up standing in front of the dresser I've had since I was a young boy. I start going through the drawers looking for whatever item I've misplaced that day. When I get to the smallest drawer in the middle of the top row, I always end up slowing down.
This is the drawer where I've got my collection of ephemera from my own life. I don't really think of it as a special drawer. It just happened. It is anything but organized and it isn't very well arranged. Others are much better at carefully tending such things. Even though I realize that what I started looking for probably isn't in there, I take the entire drawer out and carefully start working my way through its contents as I sit on the bed. Taking the items out one by one, is like watching home movies for me. There is my Dad's fishing license from when I was ten. That was the year he died and the last time I got to go fishing with him. There is a note from my Mom, who also died when I was young, saying that she was proud of me for my grades. Old ticket stubs from Pittsburgh Pirate games, concerts, and movies with my wife before she became my wife. Pictures of my kids when they were just babies...You get the picture. Some day I'll be gone and it will be a "box of old junk" to someone, unless my kids want it. When I go to estate sales and find old boxes of papers, THAT is what I see. It always sort of bothers me when I see people tearing through things at these sales and cursing that there is nothing by junk.
You see, I make a LOT of large estate sale purchases, so I get to see my fair share of very old items. Some, I keep. I personally like to check it all out. I can spend hours sorting through this stuff! I also enjoy browsing through old ephemera at flea markets and seeing what is available online. My wife thinks I'm a bit strange, but I even like to research some of it.
In my mind, each piece holds some memory. What some see as junk, I see as a small treasure that brought back cherished memories to someone. It was important enough to them that they hung on to it for many years. When I look through old ephemera, I can't help but imagine the circumstances that might have surrounded each item I hold in my hand. An old dance card might have been from the first date of a couple who went on to share half a century of memories together. A military Bible with notes scribbled in it may have been the only thing some soldier had to get him through combat. I can’t keep it all or be an expert on all of it. Now, I've just accumulated too much vintage ephemera and other assorted antique items. That is why I’m setting up this website. I’ll share information when I can and I’ll offer many items up for sale at low prices for specialized collectors. When I come across other items that look interesting, I'll show them off here too. If I make a few dollars from my hobby, that's a bonus. Hopefully, you will find this site interesting and worthwhile. I constantly have new supplies of great old stuff because I find myself going to estate sales pretty much every week. Thank you for stopping by. I hope you find something you like and that you will stop back often!
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