Defining Ephemera

I'm often asked, "Just what is this Ephemera stuff anyway?" by non-collectors.

Ephemera refers to written and printed matter published with a short intended lifetime or something transitory or lasting a day. In the world of collectors common types of ephemera include letters, advertising trade cards, cigarette cards, airsickness bags, posters, postcards, baseball cards, tickets, greeting cards, stock certificates, and photographs. The word is derived from the Greek meaning of things lasting no more than a day.

Libraries and information sciences use the term ephemera to describe the class of published single-sheet or single page documents which are meant to be thrown away after one use. It includes postcards, event-oriented posters, transportation and show tickets, baggage stickers, stock certificates, motor vehicle licensing forms, business cards, printed wedding invitations, trade cards, and other similar printed materials.

This field of collectibles is sometimes misunderstood and often has items lumped into or described as ephemera that really aren't. From the definition the item should be something that was meant for use for a short period of time and then discarded. A book of matches could be considered ephemera but a piece of sheet music should not be. The sheet music was intended for use for an extended period of time. I always wonder how photographs are classified in this category of collecting as I don't know very many people who discard their photos after looking at them one time. (But then again....I'm a packrat!)

Ephemera is a fun area to collect in and can easily be combined with other collections. A collector can pick one type of ephemera or create a collection of many forms of ephemera that fall into their favorite theme. Perhaps it could be printed matter that has to do with old buses, a specific holiday, or even political parties. The opportunities and examples have no end.

We are proud to offer many types of ephemera on our website The Paper Trail