I was looking on eBay and came across a guy’s eBay shop and stopped to look at these newspaper. I’m a huge fan, especially since I found one from my birthday exactly 200 years before I was born and also exactly 2 months before the Declaration of Independence was inacted. Are these worth what he’s asking or not?
For example: This one
I know some things are subjective, but is he pretty much accurate in charging this amount for these or am I gonna be “scammed” if I hit “Buy It Now” ?
Thanks
A thing is worth what someone’s willing to pay for it. If you’re willing to pay $375 for a piece of paper that you think is worth $375, then you’re not being scammed.
That said…
The Cynic Speaks: Gee, I see that he’ll print out a Certificate of Authenticity for you after he prints out your “authentic” newspaper on PrintArtist and stains it with tea. [insert moderately sized rolleyes emoticon here]
Seriously, why would you even consider buying something like this from a stranger on the Internet? If he walked up to you at the mall, opened his coat, and showed you a handful of crackling old newspapers and told you they were authentic colonial newspapers, would you immediately fork over hundreds of dollars?
If you want to collect this kind of stuff, do it through reputable dealers, who can give you provenance.
Which doesn’t mean a “certificate” of as dubious origin as the goods.
Consider yourself spanked. Now go back to your room.
Intentional fraud is not the only risk. Copies of old newpapers have been a collectible for a long time. So something that appears to be a genuine newspaper from the mid-18th century might actually be a mid-19th century replica.
Well guys, I would imagine that SOMEONE would’ve mentioned in his thousands of positive comments (specifically 15 thousand positive comments) by now that he is selling fraudulent newspapers, don’t you?
Per the listing the guy appears to be legit, but is it worth 375 if real is the question. Do they make price guides for such things? If so check one, or ask another dealer if the price is fair. But as said upthread, the guy could think they’re legit, when they really aren’t.
What makes a paper collectable? I had (I think my ex-wife got them when I moved out, which means they are destroyed now) a pile of newspapers I had gotten from a friend that were A sections of papers touting the moon landing, RFK’s death, and a host of other events from that era.
They were in pretty good shape when I got them… would those be worth anything, assuming they weren’t wrecked by being in my ex’s loving care?
