A Return Visit to the Ephemera Fair
Just like last year, there were tons of beautiful vintage collectibles — and a very strange pricing format.
Note: This post includes a small grouping of photographs that are NSFW. — Paul
A little over a year ago, I drove up to Old Greenwich, Connecticut, for the Ephemera Society of America’s annual Ephemera Fair, where I saw loads of cool vintage stuff. I was looking forward to going back for this year’s edition of the Fair, especially once I learned that it would be taking place on March 21st, which happens to be my birthday. Perfect!
Just to clarify our terms here: In the collectibles world, ephemera usually refers to paper artifacts. That can mean postcards, print ads, books, magazines, catalogs, scrapbooks, diaries, brochures, ticket stubs, photographs, matchbook covers, stock certificates, report cards, menus, marriage licenses, business ledgers, passports, matchbook covers, receipts, wills, maps, and a lot more.
Just like last year, I saw loads of interesting items. Here are some of them:
Animal-Based Matchbox Label Collection
One of the first things that caught my eye was a scrapbook filled with vintage matchbox labels — with each page featuring a different animal! The photo above shows the “lion page,” and there were similar pages for elephants, reindeer, horses, and more (you can click on the thumbnails to see larger versions):
Horse Hair Scrapbook
Speaking of animals, I was blown away by this scrapbook featuring locks of hair from various horses — with beautifully handwritten notations to boot. What an interesting obsession to have! Here are some additional pics: