ILLUMINATING HISTORY: EPHEMERA

 

 

"Ephemera" is an Ancient Greek word and is the plural form of "ephemeron." It entered English as "ephemera" and is defined as "short-lived things and non-permanent publications." Briefly, ephemera is a definition of short-lived, small and temporary documents of daily life. Today, it is the general name of the products that are not produced for the purpose of collecting, short-lived and nondurable, whose real values are understood in time, mostly written, printed and illustrated and made into collection materials by some collectors.

  • These products include letters, lottery tickets, business cards, diplomas, report cards, course programs, wedding invitations, passports, bank checks, bank notes, notary notes, boarding passes (bus, plane, train, etc.), tickets (cinema, theater, etc.), brochures, magazines, football cards, pools coupons, warranty certificates, driving licenses, real estate brochures, invoices, fixture lists, stock records, stock certificates, newspaper copies, maps, notices, achievement documents, wrapping papers, chocolate and chewing gum cards, title deeds, cigarette papers, photographs, postcards, posters, and theater programs. 

 

 

Ephemera collectors are called "ephemerists" or "ephemera collectors". There are collecters who doing general collections as well as those collecting materials with a particular theme.

There are large ephemera collections that illuminate certain periods of history thanks to the collectors who make the ephemera collections. For this reason, these materials should not be considered as worthless, even if they are worn, old or second-hand, regardless of the period.

The places where ephemera are kept are museums, libraries, auctions, archives, businesses, non-governmental organizations and collectors.

 

Neşe GÖRECİ- Numis Auctions Team