Ephemera

When I first heard the word EPHEMERA ( pronounced like if ) I thought it was a kind of glass. My husband the collector has since showed me otherwise. Ephemera has to do with collecting paper artifacts. Anything paper or paper related can come under the heading of ephemera, the word is a plural term. Love letters and diaries are wonderful examples and are treasured of course for their sentimental value. But when you really think about how much paper is thrown away it makes sense that something like the 100 year old Heinz pickle die-cut trade card would now be worth more than just a few bucks in this condition.
At first I laughed at how bizarre collecting paper is. I couldn't understand why anyone would care about or even put value on something so simple as a candy bar wrapper or an old ticket stub... but now I look at these items not only as art but as pieces of history. Each item is unique. Some items are common and easy to come by while others are harder to find, scarce or even RARE. The thrill is in the hunt. It's fun to find. The category is so open that inside the category are subcategories. A collector may concentrate on a specific topic for example trade cards or post cards. I'm particularly fond of metamorphic cards. These were advertisements that showed one picture but the same picture transformed into another. I have a collection of several antique trade cards that have frogs on them. Each one is different and they all are fun.

Through the years I've learned a great respect for this field of collecting. I hope this little chat has broadened your horizons. I'm not saying to save every cereal box...just one of every kind. ~wink~ Of course if you did, that would mean you are a " TYPE " collector.

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