Exactly what is “ephemera,” anyway? You may have spotted that subcategory under our “Antiquarian and Collectibles.” Well, according to Merriam Webster, it is “ephemera plural: paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles.”
According to Mothergooseberry Books, it is some really neat old pieces of history! We have newspapers, photos, vintage ads, playbills and programs, tickets, etc. And postcards. LOTS and LOTS of postcards. Basically, if it’s made of paper and has some kind of artwork / photography to look at, or words printed to read on it, it qualifies as ephemera in our “book.”
We have a lot of that, and we get really excited when we come across something so scarce that we wonder if it has to be a one-of-a-kind find! One example is this postcard for which we could find no other example anywhere on the internet. It is a photographic postcard of a very historical event: The entry of Kaiser Franz Josef into Berlin on May 4, 1900. It is so scarce that we even watermarked our photo to discourage pirates from borrowing it and trying to sell if they don’t really own one. Just browse our “postcards” category and enjoy the trip back in time!
Entry of Kaiser Franz Josef into Berlin on May 4, 1900.