It's Ephemeral - The Running of the Collectors

Hundreds of collectors descended on Greenwich, CT for the Ephemera Society's EPHEMERA 31. The annual weekend kicked off with talks on The Ephemera of Magic; P.T. Barnum: The Man, the Myth, and the Legend; and The Magic Lantern, among other esoteric topics.

What is ephemera?  Visit http://www.ephemerasociety.org/ and you'll find out.


A ROMANTIC DINNER FOR 22

Friday evening, nearly two dozen valentine enthusiasts were rounded up by Nancy Rosin, President of the NVCA and a walking Valentine herself.  All were thrilled to dine with friends who share a passion for this romantic ritual.  Guests included Nancy's close friend, collage artist/designer Rosemary Warren; Valerie Jackson-Harris, Chairman of the Ephemera Society (U.K.); and Barbara Rusch, President the Ephemera Society of Canada. John Grossman, author and foremost authority on Victorian scrap and his wife, Carolyn, traveled from Arizona, while photography's elder statesman, Matt Isenberg and his wife, Elizabeth, zipped over from Lyme, CT.  Elizabeth is working on a book about the Steamboat Arabia Museum.  Cameron Nickels, a retired professor from Virginia, showed off his book, Civil War Humor, featuring a cartoon of a barechested Abraham Lincoln emerging from the shower. Also in attendance: NVCA VP and teacher, organic gardener and florist extraordinaire, Michael Russo and Queen Mary king John Sayers, and his wife, Judith from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.  Thanks to Matt Isenberg for the photos.

Nancy Rosin (standing) bought the first round.  Left side of table (from foreground): Valerie Jackson-Harris, Kathy Alpert, Elizabeth Isenberg, Jean Fisher, and Judy Sayers.  At end of table: Richard Bitterman chats with Sandy Jones.  Right side of table (front foreground): Rosemary Warren; Cameron Nickels, Barbara Rusch.

Cameron Nickels' book shows the humorous side of war.

Nancy Rosin and John Grossman peruse a collection of Valentines.

A display of Valentines a Ephemera 31.

In case you missed Nancy's Valentine's Day appearance on Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood (2/13/11), you can view the clip here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7357116n&tag=cbsnewsVideoArea.0

Meanwhile, Art Groten held a dinner and swapfast for the Poster Stamp Collector Club.


THE MAIN COURSE: A BANQUET OF PAPER

Hundreds of people drove or flew thousands of miles (collectively) to view and purchase a wild variety of ephemera and related objects.  The excitement in the air was palpable, with breathless queries ranging from "Do you have any World War II?" to "Love Tokens?"

It's hard to visit all my favorite dealers - especially since the list grows longer each year.  Didn't make it into Peter Luke's corner, but I did see the effervescent Beth Baird, Willis Monie, Leigh Stein, Peter Keyes, Dennis Holzman, and Joan and Ron Kay, who run the storied Metropolitan Postcard Show in New York City.  Others are featured in photos below.

My finds included a Screen Stories magazine from 1951 with Clark Gable and Ava Gardner on the cover and an ad with this image:

Appearing soon on a greeting card or calendar near you.

And then, a copy of Nugget, from March of 1957, featuring "Salvador Dali Predicts":

You just can't make this stuff up!

Kathleen Murray of Vintage Charmings has a wonderful selection of French ephemera.

These American made Halloween masks were spotted at the booth of  Bartleby Books, located at 1132 29th Street, NW in Washington DC's Georgetown neighborhood.  Bartleby's is closing soon.  Bargain-hunting bibliophiles from the Mid-Atlantic, take note.

Richard Thorner, shown with his daughter, Katherine, sold copies of a book of posters from  Dartmouth's Winter Carnival, dating back to the early days.  His shop, Resser-Thorner Antiques, is located in Manchester, NH.

A shout-out to these first-time exhibitors - their branding, upbeat attitude, and neatly displayed merchandise.

 

Lauren Sodano of Rochester's Strong National Museum of Play, is the ESA's social media maven. Her interviews with people at the conference will appear on the ESA's website.  Lauren's Sunday morning talk, The Other 362 Days: Ephemera Enthusiasts and Social Networking, was excellent and it was packed.

Kit Barry of Brattleboro, VT has a super organized booth.  In addition to trade cards, letterhead, and other ephemera, he sells acid-free sleeves and other materials used to preserve paper treasures.

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