Busy shoppers rifled through the bins of Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints, Garrison, N.Y.

Review & Onsite Photos by Carly Timpson

OLD GREENWICH, CONN. — Ephemera enthusiasts descended upon the Hyatt Regency Hotel for the 45th Ephemera Society of America (ESA) Ephemera Fair, March 15-16, coinciding with the organization’s annual conference, Ephemera 45, which ran March 13-16. Michael Peich, vice president of the Ephemera Society of America, noted, “Our 45th annual conference, themed ‘Invention and Innovation,’ provides a unique opportunity to delve into the profound impact of ephemera on our day-to-day lives and offers an excellent introduction to ESA membership.” Produced and managed by Sanford L. Smtih + Associates, this year’s fair welcomed 69 dealers from New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida and as far as Washington and Oregon.

Following the show, Jennifer Stark, Sanford L. Smith CEO, said, “This year’s Ephemera Fair exceeded our expectations, with attendance up 30 percent over last year and an incredible energy throughout the weekend. We were thrilled to welcome both longtime collectors and new enthusiasts, reflecting a growing appreciation for ephemera’s role in preserving history and culture. The breadth and quality of material on display were truly outstanding, and the response from dealers and attendees alike has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s exciting to see the fair continue to evolve and expand, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the years to come.”

Ceremoniously positioned in the first booth you’d approach upon entering the show was Al Malpa Ephemera. Though Alfred “Al” Malpa passed away in 2021, his partner Cary Hull was present, carrying on his legacy for what may be the last time — the Chester, Conn., dealer had scattered several “Going Out Of Business Sale” signs around the booth. Afterwards, Hull reported, “The show was terrific. I was delighted to see so many young people shopping and exploring the show. I thought the organizers did a superlative job. It was wonderful seeing people who knew and respected Al, and it was also fun teaching people about rewards of merit — Al’s specialty — and sharing with them the book he wrote.” (Malpa’s book, Rewards of Merit: Tokens of a Child’s Progress and a Teacher’s Esteem as an enduring aspect of American Religious and Secular Education, was co-authored by Patricia Fenn and published by the ESA in 1994.) The weekend’s sales included “a great many rewards of merit, including a few of higher value because they featured beautiful hand-drawn designs by teachers of the early 1800s,” according to Hull.

The late Alfred “Al” Malpa’s partner, Cary Hull, had “Going Out of Business Sale” signs hung around her booth. Al Malpa Ephemera, Chester, Conn.

Susan Lane, a Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., dealer with Passionate About Postcards, who specializes in vintage illustrated postcards, noted that “This fair was one of the most convivial. Dealer after dealer helped each other and engaged in friendly chat. The buyers were eager to seek out their topic and stayed long enough to talk about their collection with the hope that material would be sought for them.” While Lane was only back for a second year, she reported being “so busy all three days” that she’d need some time to recover! Returning customers and those she knew from other shows were her biggest customer base at this event, but she said, “Those new to me often found a single card that appealed to them. Postcards were new to them in the arena of ephemera.”

Lane told us that postcards were not just a new collecting arena for some of her buyers, but pictorial ephemera like postcards are somewhat a new promotion for the show overall. Still, there were several other exhibitors who had selections of these items, including NCC Antiques of Dover, N.H., and Cultural Images, Portland, Ore. Nancy Craig, who is NCC Antiques, has been doing the show for about 10 to 15 years and she brings a lot more than just postcards. In her booth you could find items from books, to letters, to photography, to a “very unusual” military document signed by President Andrew Jackson in 1836. She had bins organized with labels, such as “Civil War,” several for “WWII,” “Passports,” “Art,” “Political,” “Christmas” and even “Interesting Things That Didn’t Fit Elsewhere.” One of the items she pointed out as being special was a trade card album as beautiful outside as it was inside. The album itself was “unbelievably beautiful with birds and flowers embossed.” Inside were more than 50 pages with many high-value cards. “It’s a gorgeous trade card album. Maybe not very imaginative, but neat as can be and there are some wonderful trade cards in there,” Craig said. “I’ve never seen a cleaner, neater album! And to think it is around 150 years old!” As far as the show goes, she reported, “I like it, it’s a very good show. I sell things that are more moderately priced and I see myself as someone who can help others get into it.”

Nancy Craig was offering this trade card album with more than 50 pages of high value cards. NCC Antiques, Dover, N.H.

Next to Craig was David Thompson Antiques & Art of South Dennis, Mass. David and his wife Jane have been dealing at the Ephemera Fair for 10 years and said, “We always love this show because things are recognized that might not get noticed elsewhere. People are very knowledgeable and interested.” Early on during the Friday night preview, Thompson reported the sale of what looked to be a poster of a teddy bear to a Midwest institution. Upon closer inspection of the framed poster and its detailed label, the sheet, which was labeled “Teddy Bear Party / Feed The Teddy Bear,” contained a “Rules” section indicating blindfolded players should attempt to pin berries inside the bears mouth with one hand. The 1907 game was lithographed on muslin by the Saalfield Publishing Company in Akron, Ohio, and it sold with eight of the 24 original “berries.”

Several dealers mentioned having the fair in conjunction with the ESA conference is a bonus for them in terms of sales and personal education. Doylestown, Penn., dealer Stan Gorski said, “The fact that the fair coincides with the yearly meeting of the Ephemera Society supports the attendance and makes for enjoyable interaction with the customers who like to share their interests and knowledge. It is a fair that I always learn something at as well.” This was Gorski’s third year exhibiting at the Ephemera Fair and he had many great things to say about it: “The fair is well organized and promoted. The attendees are plentiful, knowledgeable and they are eager to buy. I bring a variety of ephemera, and there is not a subject area that is not of interest to someone. This year my big sales were in sports, Victorian trade cards, Nineteenth Century photographs and Twentieth Century military.”

Kevin J. Brown, owner of Geographicus Rare Antique Maps, Brooklyn, N.Y., shared similar sentiments regarding the show’s organization: “It’s always a fun, social show. I like the way it is self-contained in a single venue. The connection with the Ephemera Society conference also means there is solid institutional attendance.” Brown’s specialty is “mostly rare maps,” and he specified that customers were drawn to things that were visually striking.

Don Lindgren had this circa 1853-60 wine list from the St Denis Hotel in New York. Rabelais Inc, Portland, Maine.

“All things considered, it feels like a low key, less stressful fair to do. I feel like its connection to the ephemera society draws a customer base dedicated to the material sellers bring to the fair,” was what second-year dealer Richard Erdmann had to say about the Ephemera Fair. Owner of Mare Booksellers in Dover, N.H., Erdmann said he specializes primarily in zines, including “LGBTQ+ zines, third-wave feminist zines, Riot Grrrl zines and punk zines.” He also carries “a variety of ephemera relating to LGBTQ+ and the Black power movement.” Like Brown, Erdmann reported visual appeal being a draw for customers. “I brought several posters and those seemed to be the biggest sellers. Otherwise, the zines and ephemera relating to LGBTQ+ subjects seemed to draw the most interest. I also sold an OSPAAAL (Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America) poster relating to African American Liberation.”

One of the more niche booths was that of Don Lindgren’s Rabelais, which specializes in printed and manuscript cookery — “Just food and drink material and ancillary stuff, like the politics and history of food.” The Alfred, Maine, dealer has been attending these shows and specializing in food and drink for about 20 years. His offerings included menus and wine lists, cookbooks, banquet programs, advertising items and more.

Kurt A. Sanftleben of Virginia Beach, Va., had an assortment of history spread across his tables. “We do a lot of historical items — all American. We have some diaries, ledgers, business journals, documents, photographs… We try to get things that tell a story — either interesting or important — each item for itself, but also within collections.” He’s been doing the show on and off for about 15 years and had items in carefully organized bins and some full collections in binders. One of the best collections he pointed out was a 1797-98 archive of documents relating to the capture of an Alexandria-based merchant by French privateers, one of several such incidents that led to the Quasi-War with France.

This handwritten 1865 sharecropper’s labor contract between two landowners and a freedman was offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, Virginia Beach, Va.

“I just sell history!” exclaimed Bill Subjack of Neverbird Antiques. The Williamsburg, Va., dealer exemplified this by listing off some of his notable sales: “a needlework map of America, a letter from a Virginia-born slave to an abolitionist, the original 74-page manuscript from George Washington’s memorial mass in December 1799, and a Jack Kerouac letter.” Other notable items included a letter from Patsy Cline, Revolutionary War General Andrew Lewis’ plans to capture the last British stronghold — “one of the best Revolutionary War letters I’ve ever seen!” — and an Eighteenth Century letter from a young girl who was away at school in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia-based Robert Langmuir said he’s been dealing at the Ephemera Fair since it started, though he took a few years off here and there. “I have so much respect for these dealers and I don’t see them a lot, so these shows are good. You get to see old friends and make new memories. It’s really not about the stuff, it’s about emotions. The stuff is a medium for the connections we make.”

For information, www.ephemerasociety.org and www.sanfordsmith.com/esafair.