Phil Barber, Cambridge, Mass. 02139
Telephone (617) 492-4653
www.historicpages.com


Here is an index of the web pages on our site that you can visit now. On them you will find our current descriptive catalogs of genuine historic newspapers and other paper collectibles, which are in stock and available for purchase.

To begin your journey into history, simply select on the hyperlinked text (in blue) and the webpage(s) of your choice will appear on your screen.

Earliest Americana
Before 1830
19th Century Americana
1830 - 1910
The American
Civil War
20th Century
Newspapers
World War I and II
Newspapers
British
Newspapers Since 1650
Bible Pages,
Other Early Leaves
English Vellum
Indentures
Coins and
Currency

The links below lead to my online collector information pages, featuring useful info for beginners as well as advanced collectors.

A Brief History of Newspapers. An overview of nearly the five hundred year heritage of news communication, with a bibliography and references to Net resources on the topic.
Why Collect Old Newspapers? An appreciation of old newspapers and what they can tell us about the present, as well as the past.
How To Collect Old Newspapers. Suggestions based on other collectors' experiences of how to build a fine -and valuable- collection of American journalism history. At today's modest price levels very fine collections can easily be assembled to document our nation's rich and colorful heritage.
Some Collecting Categories An explanation of the terms used to headline our catalogs (see below) to differentiate papers from historical periods and places of origin.
What is Collectible Condition? The new collector may be surprised to discover the remarkably fine condition of old newspapers, which were printed on very durable rag linen paper, nothing like the poor quality paper of today's newspapers. We also define the different grades of condition here that you will see in our catalogs.
How Old Newspapers Are Valued. There can be a dramatic difference in price between "atmosphere" newspapers and issues containing historic news stories, and here we explain the hows and whys of determining what old papers are worth.
Identifying Reproductions. Reprints have been made over the years of some old newspapers. Not intended to deceive collectors, they are very easy to identify, when you know what to look for. Check here for listings of the most commonly encountered fakes, and how to determine the authenticity of suspect items.
Conservation. Here is an introductory discussion of how to store your collections in order to preserve their fine condition. The methods are simple and guarantee successful results.
How To Collect Today's Newspapers. Suggestions about what newspapers from our time are most likely to become tomorrow's collectors' items, and how to selectand preserve a fine collection to document the rich heritage of our times.
Collecting Illuminated Manuscripts. Before the invention of the printing press and paper, books were written by hand on sheepskin. Here is a history of these popular and surprisingly affordable collectibles, which date to A.D. 1250 to 1450.
What is "Incunabula"? The earliest, and most prized, printed collectors items date from the pre-1501 "Incunabula" period of printing, which is here outlined.
Glossary of Collector Terms. Some definitions of terms you will find in our and others' catalogs of paper and books.
How to Read Our Catalogs. A simple explanation of the elements in our catalog descriptions and what they mean. We strive for accuracy in our descriptions and here explain our standard bibliographic conventions.
Our Terms of Sale. Please be sure to read before ordering. We guarantee that all items we sell are genuine and correctly described, backed up by a prompt no-questions-asked refund of any item that fails to please. Also here are available shipping methods, payment acceptance, etc.

Navigate my Website:

Click here to send Phil an email
Contents ©:2022 Phil Barber.