In 1989 a friend and I were in the parking lot of Jack's Pizza in San José, California. We were to meet other friends to munch, drink, and watch the first game of the World Series. And the parking lot began to undulate — the movement then to terraform everything in sight to resemble the far side of the moon. After-earthquake reporting was that San Francisco received significantly more damage than Saratoga in Santa Clara County where I lived. Power outages were nearly total in San Francisco and much of the Bay area.

The following day the San Francisco Chronicle, published as though a freebie circular, was printed from elsewhere in the state. Its front page top-of-the-fold headline was HUNDREDS DIE IN HUGE EARTHQUAKE. The San José Mercury News' "Section A" had similar reporting. I have both that San Francisco Chronicle and "Section A" of the San José Mercury News. . . . And finally, to my query.

While I have kept them away from any sunlight or other direct lighting, the Chronicle shows its ramshackle distribution. The Mercury News is in good condition. I've kept the doggone things as historical documents for more than 30 years and am tired of having them around. Have they monetary value beyond historical? If not, please recommend what I should do with them, kind've for posterity.

They have personal significant to you.

Maybe if they are kept for another 100 plus years they might have value.

Other then that news paper make good fire starter.

Might want to donate them to a museum or library if you feel so inclined.

I have/had a wall calendar from 1929 that was in an old farmhouse on a place we had leased about 35 years ago. It had about a 2' square top that had a picture of the earth/globe with cameo photos all around showing the leaders of the world at that time. My vet collects vintage signs, etc. + has them in his practice so I gave it to him so others could see it too. His plans are to donate everything to a local museum when he closes his practice.

Oh + I know about saving a newspaper for years. I kept the 'Austin American Statesman' the day John Wayne died. It eventually turned to dust.

I saved the one with the 135 candidates for governor when Gray Davis was recalled...

About 15 years ago the place next door rented to a young couple of " Scrappers".
They pulled a beat up OLD trailer in the alley and cleaned out a good sized p/up load of old papers and trash. Then moved and left it there.

Wind started blowing it around. I went out to see about getting it under control. Found some really old newspapers and other things.

A generals basic tests, first pilots license and bunch of his training and flight records. I sent them to the local aircraft museum. They contacted his family and they flew out here from back east to pick them up. OF course I got no thanks at all.

Two of the OLDest papers were from 1860 I think it was. Talk about HISTORICAL!!!

There was a letter to the editor written by
A. Lincoln before he was first elected. No shit!

When I saw that, I just about did! I turned it over to the local County Historical Society. They have it on display.

There was also a hand written letter from a new recruit in the civil war stationed off VA? shore on an island military post to his uncle in CO. I turned that in too.

They contacted the local historical outfit there and ended up sending the letter by courier to them. That time I did get a great thank you from them and the two letters were printed in the Pueblo County Hist. monthly paper: The Lore, it's called.

Sure I could have listed some of those on ebay or such and no doubt gotten a bundle of money by selling to some collector. Things like these need to be preserved by outfits that know how.

Contact your local Historical outfit. Bet they'd like to have them.

George

Renovated an old house once and found an autographed copy of this book in a wall. A nice keepsake and the husband of the people I visited in the Yukon had worked for the outfitter in question. They had a copy as well. Apparently Bond did presentations and sold his books there.

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Yuk...m-Bond/dp/B001FOZ5YQ

Grizz

I'm afraid saving newspapers might be a waste of time. 30 years from now no one will know how to read. Maybe if its in a algorithmic format and has a built-in translator.

I would like to keep a history of what is taking place in our country today so the kids could say " look at this" that crazy old man was right.

Yeah, I saw that video of these millennial kids who couldn't figure out how to use a rotary phone. Hell, when I moved out here in the middle of nowhere in 1970 we still had crank telephones. Most don't believe me but I don't care. I remember it well. I don't want to go back there but I'm thankful for the experience.

My Dad worked in a museum when I was a kid, I had to go in with him a few times a week during the summer so he got me a volunteer job working in "Fossil Preparations" with a guy who did the various skeletons of virtually anything imaginable, and for the summer I glued together dinosaur bone fragments into bigger recognizable pieces. It was from a site excavated in the 30's and they wrapped all the bone pieces up in newspaper as they were collected and when it got boring the newspapers were pretty interesting to read. I don't remember much except I knew that when my grandad met my grandmom he had a Stutz Bearcat and I found one in a classified section for sale once for $795.

Finding old newspapers lining old silverware drawers can be quite entertaining as well.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
Finding old newspapers lining old silverware drawers can be quite entertaining as well.

Newspapers were used as house insulation at one time as well , amazing what you can read about in old walls.

Grizz

I was working on a job at Southwester University in 1974 when they were renovating Mood Hall. The last renovation there had been done in 1942. The were housing navy troops there prior to being shipped overseas. The floor had been torn up replaced on both occasions. Under the floor I found many empty old beer cans (the churchkey style) that were in prefect shape as they had lain in the dark for 30 years; also a couple of "Tijuana Bibles." The sailors must have sneaked them all in.

quote:

"Tijuana Bibles."

I had to look that up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tijuana_bible

Grizz

My God, I'm showing my age when the old vernacular has been forgotten. Along those same lines, does anyone remember "Little Orphan Annie" + her adopter, "Daddy Warbucks" so named because of his profiteering in WW1.

I sure do! Remember Pogo? Brian

"We have met the enemy + it is us."

A fellow I know has years worth of titty calendars stuck on the dash of his truck. Never throws out the year before, just adds to the stack until the truck is traded!

well, that is unique.

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
A fellow I know has years worth of titty calendars stuck on the dash of his truck. Never throws out the year before, just adds to the stack until the truck is traded!

Companies still give out titty calendars.

They have all disappeared in this area.

I'm sure that they do. The ones I got a kick out of were the Rigid tool calendars that the supply houses used to send us. The girls weren't naked (usually in bikinis) but in provocative poses, straddling pipe reamers, threaders, etc. I always found those hilarious.