Mark your calendar for what will undoubtedly be the finest celebration of all things ephemera in North America this year! The Ephemera Fair will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Old Greenwich on Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20.
Ephemera are items made from paper that were not made to stand the test of time, and have since become collectible. Popular categories include correspondence, advertising materials, historical documents, posters, tickets, scores and scripts, cards, and many others.
The Ephemera Fair – the largest show of its type in the country – is worth a trip from anywhere, and is a family-friendly, exciting, and unique destination for browsing, shopping, and learning. And there will be some absolutely amazing items on display as well. Can’t miss highlights include five pages of Braille pages typed by Helen Keller on a Braille typewriter; 100 pages of food themed sheet music from the 1900’s; and an archive of materials, including a blood-stained suicide note, from pyramid-schemer Philip Musica, also known as F. Donald Coster. Coster, who could be compared to Bernie Madoff, is the man behind the 1938 McKesson & Robbins scandal. He stole $3 million (about $50 million in today’s dollars) from the drug company through forgeries, duplicate books, and massive fraud.
The Ephemera Fair features an international group of sellers who specialize in items ranging from A to Z. Care to learn more about Valentine cards or documents signed by presidents? Or perhaps posters or vintage advertising call to you. Attendees interested in entertainment will enjoy the fair’s selections of original movie scripts, manuscripts, and music scores. Photographers will appreciate the daguerreotypes, stereo-views, cabinet cards, and photos on offer. Other areas include broadsides, maps, catalogs, and design related materials, among practically countless others.
According to Marvin Getman, producer of The Ephemera Fair, “Even people who don’t “officially” collect ephemera will love this event. And odds are, they will leave with at least one item that catches their fancy! Walking through this fair is walk through history. Visitors get to see how people lived before the digital age – long before our smartphones and computers shaped the way today people define friends, correspondence, and communication.”
The Ephemera Fair will be held at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich, located at 1800 East Putnam Avenue, Old Greenwich, and is open to the public on Saturday from 10:00am-5:00pm and Sunday from 11:00am-4:00pm.
The hotel offers free parking. Tickets at the door for the two-day show are $14 for adults; college students with ID and children under 18 are free with an adult admission.
For discount two day tickets or half price Sunday only tickets, please see www.bookandpaperfairs.com/
This event is held in conjunction with the Ephemera Society of America’s annual convention, Ephemera36.
This year’s theme is “Politics, Patriotism & Protest,” and examines the use of ephemera in promoting political, patriotic, and protest movements, emphasizing issues as race, gender, and war.
For more information on Ephemera36, see www.ephemerasociety.org.