ESA-46 is Reported to have drawn enthusiastic crowds
The American Society of Ephemera’s annual event, known as ESA-46, wrapped up on the March 22nd and is reported to have drawn an enthusiastic crowd to Greenwich, Connecticut to talk about, hear about, sell or buy this niche category of collectible paper. The fair had about 60 exhibiting dealers. Many will be exhibiting in New York at the end of April in the ABAA or neighboring fairs.
This year’s theme, America’s 250 Years: Ephemera Shapes America, was well suited for a history-oriented audience.
Here’s a list of Notable and Reported Sales & Items.
Civil War Valentines: These were a major highlight of the fair. Rare "pop-up" and hand-painted examples from the 1860s reportedly moved quickly, with some reaching the mid-to-high hundreds ($500–$800+).
Black Liberation Posters:Mare Booksellers offered a rare Support Black Liberation, Free Assata Shakur poster. Institutional collectors (libraries and museums) are often the buyers for these types of high-impact social history archives.
The Shell Oil "Peepshow": A 1928 seven-panel promotional item by Barnett Freedman. These are highly sought after by design collectors and usually command $1,000 to $2,500 depending on condition.
Vernacular Photography & Archives: Small archives of personal letters and photos, such as a 1970s drag performer’s archive, were popular. Prices for these types of "unique story" items generally ranged from $300 to $1,500.
Entry-Level Treasures: Dealers reported strong "volume" sales of items priced between $10 and $50, such as vintage trade cards, 19th-century banknotes, and real-photo postcards.
The Ephemera Society of America encourages and needs fresh membership. When you contact them, think of them as the future of the past.
This is where you can find membership details, the Ephemera Journal, and recaps of the recent Ephemera 46 conference in Greenwich. If you join quickly you can get a discount on tickets for the NYIABF that opens on April 30th.
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 28th May 2026
Forum, May 28: Book of Hours.- Heures de nostre dame a l'usaige de Romme, Paris, Antoine Chappiel pour Germain Hardouin, [1504]. £6,000-8,000
Forum, May 28: Colonna (Francesco). La Hypnerotomachia di Poliphilo, second edition, Venice, Sons of Aldus Manutius, 1545. £15,000-20,000
Forum, May 28:The Christ Child holding a crystal orb and surrounded by banderoles with devotional exhortations, on a leaf most probably from a Book of Hours, [Southern Netherlands, last decades of the fifteenth century]. £2,000-3,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 28th May 2026
Forum, May 28: Jackson (Shirley). The Haunting of Hill House, first English edition, signed presentation inscription from the author to Claude Fredericks, 1960. £2,000-3,000
Forum, May 28: Lennon (John). In His Own Write, first edition, first impression, signed by the author, 1964. £3,000-4,000
Forum, May 28: Doves Press.- Keats (John). [Poems], one of 200 copies on paper, Doves Press, 1914. £5,000-7,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 28th May 2026
Forum, May 28: Rodrigues (João Barbosa). Sertum Palmarum Brasiliensium, 2 vol., first and only edition, Brussels, 1903. £8,000-12,000
Forum, May 28: Newton (Sir Isaac). Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica…editio ultima, auctior et emendatior, Amsterdam, Sumptibus Societatis, 1714. £8,000-12,000
Forum, May 28: Kepler (Johannes). Ad Vitellionem paralipomena, wuibus astronomiae pars optica traditur, first edition, Frankfurt am Main, 1604. £5,000-7,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 28th May 2026
Forum, May 28: Tagliacozzi (Gaspare). De Curtorum Chirurgia per insitionem, libri duo, first edition, Venice, Gasparo Bindoni, 1597. £7,000-10,000
Forum, May 28: Lootsman (Jacobsz). The Lightning Colomne, or Sea-Mirrour, containing the Sea-Coasts of the Northern, Eastern and Western Navigation..., 1670. £8,000-12,000
Forum, May 28: Ribelles y Helip (José), Attributed to. An album comprising 33 finely executed watercolours of Spanish costume, bull-fighting scenes, and other genre subjects, [circa 1830]. £10,000-15,000
