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.
Sotheby’s, July 14: Henry De La Beche. "Awful Changes," 1830. $6,000 to $9,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 11]. Flight Plan, Complete Original Printing Signed by Buzz Aldrin. $5,000 to $8,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: Thomas Alva Edison. Documents Establishing and Ending the Edison Electric Railway Company. $20,000 to $30,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: Richard P. Feynman. Feynman's Lectures on Gravitation 1-16, Including the Original Transcriptions of Lectures 12-16 by Morinigo and Wagner, With Richard Feynman's Manuscript Notations, 1971. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 9]. A Group of Manuals and Mission Documents used by Stuart Roosa as a member of the Astronaut Support Crew. $5,000 to $8,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [BYTE: The Small Systems Journal]. A collection of early foundational issues of Byte: The Small Systems Journal, with rare hardcover editions. $5,000 to $8,000.
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Inundation papyrus. P.Michael 4, the ‘Inundation papyrus’, a geographical account of the Nile near Canopus, in Greek, remains of two columns from a manuscript scroll on papyrus, Egypt, second century CE. £12,000-18,000
Forum, July 16: Book of Hours, use of Sarum, manuscript on vellum, 6 full-page miniatures, with famous Middle English inscriptions, Southern Netherlands for the English market, [c.1430]. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Qu'ran, Arabic manuscript on burnished, stencilled, and gold-flecked paper, 447ff., Sultanate Gujarat, Ahmadabad, [after 1411 but no later than 1442]. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Turner (William). A New boke of the natures and properties of all wines that are commonly vsed here in England, rare first edition of the first English book on wine, By William Seres, 1568. £20,000-£30,000
Forum, July 16: Spenser (Edmund). The Faerie Queene. first edition, Printed [by John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, 1590. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Shakespeare (William). The Comedie of Errors, extracted from the first folio, Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, 1623. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Fleming (Ian). Casino Royale, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1953. £40,000-60,000
Forum, July 16: d'Agoty (Jacques-Fabien Gautier). Anatomie de la Tête, first edition, Paris, chez le Sieur Gautier, 1748. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 16: Martial Arts.- Lee (Bruce). 'Praying Mantis style' Kung Fu book, containing numerous annotations, diagrams and graphs in Bruce Lee's hand, c. 1960. £50,000-70,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Warre (Capt. Henry James). Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory, first edition, rare hand-coloured issue, 1848. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Norie (John William). The Marine Atlas, or Seaman's Complete Pilot for all the principal places in the known world..., 1826. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Mao Tse-tung.- Kim Il-sung.-[Note book for visitors from China to Korea], signed by Mao and Kim, [Beijing, 1954]. £10,000-15,000
