ephem-era | \ i-ˈfe-mər-ə , -ˈfem-rə \
plural ephemera also ephemerae\ i-ˈfe-mər-ē , -ˈfem-rē \ or ephemeras
Definition of ephemera
1 : something of no lasting significance -usually used in plural
2 ephemera plural : paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles
“It comes to us through Latin from the Greek epi (about), and hemeris (day)...The word, ephemera, is used to denote the transient everyday items of paper-mostly printed-that are manufactured specifically to use and throw away...Above and beyond its immediate purpose, it expresses a fragment of social history, a reflection of the spirit of its time..(Rickards, Maurice, This is Ephemera: Collecting Printed Throwaways, Grossamer Press, Brattleboro, Vermont, 1977)
At the time of his death in 1998 Maurice Rickards was working on a much more detailed work about ephemera. In 2000 his The Encyclopedia of Ephemera: A Guide to the Fragmentary Documents of Everyday Life for the Collector, Curator, and Historian was published, having been edited and completed by his associates. This 400+ page book contains over 1000 categories of ephemera with detailed descriptions, histories, and examples. This new volume reflects an expansion of the “categories of ephemera that have emerged since the 1980s” but, as pointed out by the authors, is by no means a complete list. “Another important aspect of ephemera…is the fascination they hold for the collector, either for their content, their appearance, or both. There is, of course, a link between the use of ephemera as evidential material by historians and the interests of collectors…..Collectors provide a useful service in preserving items and, thereafter, making them available for historians to study.”
As with many collection categories there is an organization for collectors of ephemera. In 1975 The Ephemera Society was founded in the UK by Maurice Rickards. http://www.ephemera-society.org.uk/
In 1980 the Ephemera Society of America (ESA) evolved “to serve as a link between and among collectors, archivists, researchers and dealers, and to encourage interest in all aspects of vintage paper.” https://www.ephemerasociety.org/. The organization hosts an annual conference and Ephemera Fair in Old Greenwich, CT. Checkout this link for some great examples of ephemera and other information. https://www.ephemerasociety.org/definition/
How, what and where to collect?
Where can you find ephemera? Check out your local antique shop, flea market, online auction site, or specialty collector’s fair.
With so many choices how could one get started collecting? Think about a particular topic.
If you love gardening how about collecting gardening or flower related items. For example,
seed packets, catalogues, trade cards, or cigarette cards.
Of course, many of the specific categories have their own collecting organizations. Paper and postcards have a huge following with shows throughout the country with several shows a year in Manhattan and the tri-state area. There is also a Long Island Postcard Club.
What do you like to collect? Search the internet for your favorite collection topic and look for organizations or collector’s groups.
From the obvious to the obscure, ephemera has something for everyone. Among some of the categories that are readily identifiable:
Advertising material including posters, trade cards, labels, etc.
Broadsides & posters
Business related items including billheads, bills & receipts, letterhead, stock certificates, etc.
There is some wonderful artwork found on old billheads, stationery, stock certificates, etc.
Business cards and calling cards
Catalogues
Cigarette cards
What is a cigarette card? Learn about them and the huge variety of topics and themes within this category. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_card
Greeting cards - holidays, birthday, etc.
Magazines, Newspapers, etc.
Matchcovers
Menus
Whether it is a restaurant menu, the menu for a banquet or other special dinner or celebration, whether handwritten or printed, or perhaps from a European cruise, think of the information that can be gleamed by the historian or the researcher- changes or trends in cuisine, the evolution of ethnic foods and culture, food costs, and even the artwork on a menu. The New York Public Library has a collection of over 17,500 menus which are currently being transcribed and indexed “dish by dish”. Check out their collection at http://menus.nypl.org/
Postcards
There are so many topics to choose and a category for everyone, from your hometown to those of your ancestors, holidays, animals, people, transportation, specific types of buildings i.e. hotels, outhouses (yes, even outhouses), etc. Most dealers will have their cards arranged in categories for easy browsing. For some ideas on how to get started and what to look for https://www.wikihow.com/Collect-Postcards
Real Estate brochures
School items - report cards, graduation programs, newspapers, etc.
Seed packets
Sports-programs, tickets, etc.
Tickets-transportation, movies, concerts, theater, sporting events, etc.
Trade cards
1000s of topics to choose from for specific products, companies, occupations, illustrations, comic themes, nursery rhymes, etc. There were stock image cards which individual businesses could choose from and personalize with their own business name, etc. such as the Willis & Snow and Stryker cards below. Therefore, you can find the same design used by multiple businesses from multiple locations. Large companies such as J. P. Coats had their own specific designs. These cards were often collected at the time they were produced and pasted into scrapbooks. Cards often came in a series so collectors look to complete the set. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_card
Transportation related items-time tables, maps, travel brochures, automobile brochures, etc.
And countless other topics....