ephemera
 

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

   Recently, a collector informed me that she had visited an antique mall and when she went to purchase a card, which was a three-part foldout, the woman at the desk tore it into three pieces, placed it in an envelope, and said, “That will be $18 please!” To you and I it seems almost comical that anyone would do such a dastardly deed, but it made me stop and think about all the items that are destroyed each year through stupidity and callousness.
   The dealer who priced the card at $6.00 was not to blame, as they had no idea that the person working in the shop was so mindless. Would they have taken the cover and handle off of a teapot and expected to sell them separately? Would they have taken a quilt apart and sold it by the square (assuming they could do it with great speed so as to stun the bewildered buyer)? The same people who are shocked to see a set of china or chairs broken up and sold separately don’t think twice about taking apart a calendar or a book or a card. The difference is, when you break apart a set of something, each item retains its wholeness. When you divide a two or three, and yes there are even 12 part cards, you are ruining the item. Would they break off the handle of a basket and try and sell it separately? Of
course not, and yet thousands of books have been robbed of their illustrations so that they can be matted and sold separately. It no longer is a book. Of course, if the book is in terrible condition from years of abuse, by all means salvage what you can but don’t take apart an item and sell it piece meal, if it is in good condition.
   This is my New Years resolution article which is to do what Mario Cuomo says, “Reason with them; it will drive them crazy.” The basis of all my columns has always been to make people think about what I’m saying, not necessarily agree with me. A few times some of you have even been kind enough to correct me, and even send me additional information on a topic. My resolution this year, besides becoming rich, famous, beautiful, skinny and younger -- is to plead with people to preserve items that have been entrusted into their care. Whether it is an item in your collection, an item you are selling for someone else, or an item you own -- it has survived this long. Let’s make sure that generations to come have the chance to enjoy these items that we covet and enjoy.
   Years ago, I blasted the Israeli government in a letter to the Jerusalem Post about the improper care of the mosaics at Tabgha (where the fish and loaves were multiplied to feed many). They had excavated this incredible Roman mosaic and then they had allowed it to be covered by water and algae. What had been preserved for centuries was exposed to decay and ruin because they hadn’t done anything to preserve it. They should have left it under the ground rather than open it to the elements.
   In a lesser way, because the items are not so old or so historic, we are responsible for those items that pass through our hands. Accidents do happen, and there is nothing one can do to avoid these quirks of fate. Carelessness and sheer disregard for the integrity of an item is another story indeed. The Victorians spent hours putting together scrapbooks. This was all before the days of TV. They sat around a table and decorated pages with cards and die-cut scraps. On the whole, most of them used their glue and pasted in items quite artistically with out damaging the item. Unfortunately there were those who got hold of scissors and cut them up, cut items out of books, and magazines, and altered the shape of the item to fit a particular area. These items, if taken out of the album, are of no value. In the album, they form a document of someone’s leisure efforts. For years, I soaked out the trade cards and other great items and threw away the rest. I’m embarrassed to say this but, mea culpa.
   Hopefully, on our travels through life we learn, and don’t continue to repeat the same mistakes. I hate to think how many hundreds of albums I destroyed this way. Today there are collectors who have a very difficult time finding those documents of Victorian pastimes intact.
   Today, the same thing is happening with magazines. Covers and ads are ripped out with merry abandonment and sold separately and all the stories and information in them is lost. When I finally came to my senses and realized what I and thousands like me, had been doing. I even stopped buying ads and covers with great Halloween designs on them. I now only buy intact items, unless it is coming out of a collection or estate and is already in that condition and is part of a group.
   I have learned that in those magazines are small recipes and little stories and bits of information that have a charm and usage all of their own. It’s like leaving the beading on a flapper dress and enjoying the dress for what it is. It is difficult for dealers to keep an item intact as they can sell certain items to different people, realize a larger profit, and get their investment in the item back quicker. It is a dilemma. On the other hand, there is no excuse for tearing apart beautiful botanicals to sell separately. I have map books and poster books sitting in my back room, which I know eventually someone will come along and take apart and disperse to the four corners of the continent. It seems so sad that something in such good condition, should be treated thus.
   One thing most postcard people come across is what is sometimes referred to as the Philatelist’s disease. They see a stamp on a card and no matter how invaluable the stamp is, they just cut it off. I once was offered a lot of cards including Muchas, Kirchners, and other Art Nouveau artists that were totally worthless as the corners of each card was cut off. For a penny stamp, this man had cut off the corners of cards worth $40 and up! It's like cutting off your hand because you want to change the color of your nail polish!
   Dealers setting up at shows place framed pictures in the sun -- where the heat causes the moisture to rise to the glass -- and the paper sticks to the glass, which eventually lifts the surface. Collectors will place beautiful posters or prints in a position in their homes where they will be faded by the sun. These items cost you good money, and even if they didn’t, you obviously thought enough of them to acquire them. Never glue paper items onto cardboard. Dry mounting or a canvass backing needs to be done by people who know what they are doing and the wrong glue can ruin a print. Also, if not put down correctly, it can ripple and wrinkle.
   Lastly if you will write on ephemera and paper items Do Not write in ink, Do Not use a sticky ticket, Do Not write large and dark. Use a soft pencil, write small and lightly so that when erased it doesn’t leave a mark. Some items have been written on so hard that the writing is impressed on the opposite side. What a tragedy. Never put sticky tickets on the cover of a book especially leather ones, as the glue will lift the surface when removed. Use a soft eraser to remove marks and prices and be gentle, as if you were petting a butterfly.
   This is not a soap box oration on “2001, a paper Odyssey.” Rather, this is a request for us all to resolve in the New Year to consider the integrity of items, their historic value, and their scarcity in years to come. It is also time for us all to consider what the social history documentation of today will be considered in years to come. Will it be the plastic “Do Not Disturb” signs they hang on your door in hotel rooms, grocery store cardboard displays, or holiday cookie boxes? Each of us should hoard a grouping of items to see if they become collectible 20 years from now. Around here we call it “futures.” We hope all of these items survive and have a future, as it is our future too when we look back nostalgically and say, “Glad I put that away.”
   Merry Christmas, A Cool Yule, and Happy New Year from the Englishman and me!