Ephemera collage from The Ephemera Society of AmericaOn Michele Behan's list of "The Top Ten Reasons to Profit from Ephemora (In a Tough Economy)", she states that paper collectables are perceived to hold their value better than paper dollars due to incendiary inflation which started in the 1970s. The worth of ephemera is related to many factors - its condition, its completeness if part of a set, etc.... However, the most important of these factors is the legacy of the event to which the material is tied. If the reputation of the event and associated persons increases over time, the worth of the ephemera will increase as well. Unfortunately, this is the one factor that is also far beyond individual control. Nevertheless, a keen eye and sense of history can give a person predictive powers. Either way, a return - even if it is minimal or only sentimental - is almost always guaranteed, as ephemera costs nothing to own and little to store.
The Ephemera Society of America lists different types of ephemera on its website:
| advertisements air transport labels bank checks baseball cards billheads bonds bookmarks bookplates broadsides brochures business cards calendars cameo stamps chromos cigar box labels & bands clipper ship cards die-cuts greeting cards indentures invitations labelsletters magazinesmaps | menus newspapers packaging pamphlets paper dollspasses photographspostcards poster stamps posters programs rewards of merit seed company ads Shakers sheet music songsters stocks tickets timetables trade cards trade catalogs valentines watch papers |
For a more complete list there is a 402 page Encyclopedia of Ephemera which lists more than 500 categories from bookmarks to fruit wrappers to posters to theater tickets.
Air transport label for Delta (1929)
Valentine card (American, 1825)
1301PE Poster for Jorge Pardo exhibition (2009)
Poster for Baldessari exhibition at the La Jolla Museum of Art (1966)
New Order poster designed by Baldessari (1987)
