Collectible Ephemera & Antique Advertising

Antique advertising typically includes ephemera such as calendars, postcards, trade cards, almanacs, leaflets and flyers. During the Victorian era, broadsides were commonly used for outdoor advertisements and were printed for placement on walls, sides of buildings, and fences. This wide range of collectable items was originally designed to be short-lived and cover all aspects of everyday papers from bookmarks to birth certificates and marriage licenses. Disposable paper items such as trade cards, die-cuts and greeting cards were collected by both children and adults and pasted into Victorian scrap books. These decorative albums were composed of "scraps," collectible cards, and trade cards, which were sometimes arranged quite artistically on a page.

Read About:

Collecting Victorian Expressions of Love
Nancy Rosin tells of her collection of Victorian love ephemera.

Corset Advertisements from 1900-1914

Collection of Colorful Victorian Greeting Cards 
Several 19th century greeting cards, including Raphael Tuck.

Love and Romance
A limited edition 2007 love card, embellished with pure silver glitter,
and adorned with an antique image, circa 1850.

Calling Card Etiquette  
Learn the proper etiquette for using calling cards in the Victorian era.

Silver-plate Ads
Compare your collection of silverplate serving pieces with these advertising images.

The Valentine - A Tribute to Love
Nancy Rosin explores the history of the Valentine.

Victorian Valentines:  Three-Dimensional Cards Captivate Americans   History of Victorian Valentines.

Victorian Treasury
The history of valentines, research, articles, posters and handmade
reproduction cards.

The Annuity Museum

The Dance Card Museum

English Playing Card Society

The Ephemera Society of America

International Playing-Card Society

Trade Card Collector's Association