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This Online Group Is Dedicated To Ephemera, And Here Are 85 Of The Most Interesting Pieces People Showed Off
We are extremely sentimental, and we are definitely not alone. Many of us hoard all sorts of odds and ends at home and at work because they evoke feelings of nostalgia and remind us of the good old days. These vintage things are often laced with bittersweet memories.
‘Ephemera’ is a fascinating online group that features photos of old-timey written and printed things that were never meant to be kept or saved. We have curated this list of their most interesting images to take you back in time and give you a unique glimpse into the past.
Ready for some time travel? We know we are!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Sketchbook From 1900
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 hours ago
I used to cut out paper snowflakes when I was a kid! Things didn't change over 80 years, apparently XD
RELATED:
#2
Found A Lincoln Campaign Ribbon In An Old Book At An Antique Store!
Peter Bear 13 hours ago
Back when 'Republican' meant a real man of the people, and not a fàscist pig.
#3
My Grandma Kept Track Of All The Boys She Dated In 1940 And Wrote "My Darling Little Soldier" As Her First Impression Of The Man She Would End Up Marrying
They were married after WWII (my grandpa was a Jewish American POW in Germany) until he passed at age 96 in 2016.
There is a subtle but important line between sentimentality on one side and hoarding on the other. The former is healthy, grounded, and puts you in control. The latter is unhealthy, a sign of deeper emotional or mental issues, and places you in the role of the victim of your impulses.
Individuals with hoarding disorder have difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, no matter their (lack of) value.
The International OCD Foundation reports that between 2% to 6% of the world’s population suffers from hoarding disorder.
Hoarding disorder tends to affect men and women at similar rates. It is a universal phenomenon across different countries, cultures, and backgrounds around the world.
#4
The Contents Of My Great-Grandmother's Purse
Helping my parents clean out some things, and came across this purse that was in the back of a closet. It belonged to my great-grandmother, who passed away at the age of 92 in the early 70s. Best I can tell, it still had all the contents of what she had been carrying around prior to going into the nursing home in the late 60s. Contents include pantyhose, powder puffs, skeleton keys, an old toothbrush, farmers pocket ledger and workmen's time book, as well as several post cards and info on family genealogy. Just thought it was a neat time capsule of daily life that wasn't intended to be kept for 60 years. (I blurred parts that contained names and addresses).
Janissary35680 2 hours ago
The skeleton keys were a bit of a curve ball. I would not expect to find those in a GGM's purse.
#5
Some Of My Favorite Pins From My Father’s Collection
#6
Card My Grandmother Gave Her Dad As A Little Girl
Symptoms begin appearing early on in life, between the ages of 11 and 15, and can start interfering with your everyday functioning by your mid-20s. By your mid-30s, your hoarding disorder can lead to clinically significant impairment and is likely to meet the criteria for a full diagnosis.
That being said, hoarding symptoms are thrice as common in older adults, aged 55+, than younger adults.
#7
My Grandparents' Budget From 1958
Rent to income ratio of 17%.
#8
150 Unsold 1969 Woodstock Tickets
#9
I Was 8 Years Old When I Wrote An Anti-Whaling Letter To President Jimmy Carter. This Was The Reply
The vast majority (75%) of individuals with this disorder also have a co-occurring mental health condition, such as major depressive disorder, social anxiety disorder, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Roughly 20% of people who have a hoarding disorder also have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
#10
Bookmark Found In A 1951 Book
#11
Found In A Jar Of Receipts Of Bills & Receipts
Bought a large cookie jar for $5 at an estate sale crammed with every kind of receipt and bill. Lid was taped on but I could see one little part that said "ticketmaster" and rolled the dice. Very happy.
#12
Happy Caturday - 1919 Postcard
Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D., who authored The Anxiety Reset: A Life-Changing Approach to Overcoming Fear, Stress, Worry, Panic Attacks, OCD and More, explains that around one in four people with OCD are also compulsive hoarders.
Hoarding is often accompanied by varying levels of anxiety and depression, and creates “clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning.” One of the consequences is that you are no longer able to maintain a safe space.
“Their compulsion causes the hoarders' mental, emotional, physical, and financial health to suffer. Most tragically, their relationships unravel as families and friends struggle to cope with their condition,” writes Jantz.
“Neuroimaging studies have revealed peculiar commonalities among hoarders including severe emotional attachment to inanimate objects and extreme anxiety when making decisions.”
#13
This Is One Of My Favourite Pieces Of Ephemera
“I’m tough guy,sock him in the eye,I run away with his porkpie” 1946. What a character.
#14
Found In A Wall While Renovating My 1950s Home
#15
Card My Grandma Gave My Grandpa In 1943
The paradox is that hoarding has a bizarre relationship with anxiety: it both relieves and generates it.
“The more hoarders accumulate, the more insulated they feel from the world and its dangers. But of course, the more they accumulate, the more isolated they become from the outside world, including family and friends. Even the thought of discarding or cleaning out hoarded items produces extreme feelings of panic and discomfort,” Jantz warns.
#16
I Found A School Atlas From 1854, And It Had Some Drawings Made By Schoolchildren Over 150 Years Ago
#17
My Grandpappy’s Last Driver’s License: Born In ‘89…that’s *1889*
This is my grandfather Luther W. Carter’s actual driver’s license, which expired in 1975, just one year before he passed away—This license was issued when he he was about 85 years old. His birthdate? 7-13-89 (no need for four digit year dates, yet!). No picture needed, and no restrictions despite his age!
He only completed the 4th grade and remained illiterate his entire life. The signature on the back isn’t his—it’s my granny’s. She had to sign his name for him because he couldn’t write it himself.
Despite his age, he still drove a truck and worked on the farm. I remember sitting with him on the porch as a kid in 1969, shortly after the Apollo moon landing. He looked up at the full moon and told me, “See how bright it is? It’s like the sun. No way a man could walk on that. They’d burn up.”
He truly believed the moon was a ball of fire—he never learned otherwise.
This little plastic card feels like a time machine. He was born just 24 years after the Civil War ended and lived to see color television…
#18
High School Pics From 1928
“It can be difficult to determine whether someone is a hoarder or just a pack rat, someone who just likes to hang on to things. The main determinant of whether a behavior is just a personal preference or a disorder usually has to do with whether, and how much, that behavior has begun to negatively impact daily functioning.”
Hoarding disorder may arise from traumatic events, persistent difficulty making decisions, and having family members who are hoarders. What’s more, hoarders tend to be socially withdrawn or isolated. They may start hoarding as a way to find comfort.
#19
1945 Postcard The Sweater Girls
Salty-Yak-2505:
The term “sweater girl” was originally from a publicity campaign used to describe a young Lana Turner in the late 1930s—the studio released a (somewhat dubious) story that the then teenage Lana was spotted on the street in a “sweater” and an entire movie scene was written to recreate this alleged event.
Afterward, it became a term used to describe young, voluptuous ingenues (similar to the term “bombshell” which was originally coined for Jean Harlow, and then became ubiquitous with busty blondes in the industry till this day).
Upstaged75 13 hours ago
I didn't know they used me as one of the models! 😂 (Second from right on the bottom row)
#20
My First Paycheck
#21
My Mom’s Receipt From When She Was Born
It’s amazing how much hospital costs have changed since 1954.
Elladine DesIsles 13 hours ago (edited)
Dear American pandas, I cannot resist pointing out that this 1954 Minnesota birth cost more than my son's 2011 Canadian birth. Comprehensive prenatal care with licensed midwives, hospital birth including epidural, overnight stay, meals, and six weeks of at-home follow-up midwife visits. The only thing we paid for was hospital parking (and there is a movement to eliminate those fees). Is this what MAGA means when they accuse us of being socialists/communists living without freedom? Because American parents still paying off their hospital bills when the baby in question enters kindergarten (typically a year older then Canadian kids are when they start, too), doesn't sound very free to me.
The ‘Ephemera’ community has been intriguing, entertaining, and providing nostalgia trips for everyone online for nearly a decade and a half. It was initially created in mid-2012 as a way for internet users to feature written, printed, and other recorded matter that was never intended to be kept or saved.
The friendly team of moderators who run the group invites everyone to share their “advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, matchbooks, postcards, ticket stubs, old certificates—anything someone else might find interesting, enjoyable, or discussion worthy.”
The goal is to show off “interesting bits of historical detritus.”
#22
I Volunteer At A Used Book Store. I’ve Been Collecting The Bookmarks We Find In Donations For Months And Finally Got Around To Making This Display
#23
After My Mother Passed Away I Found A Box Of Old Coupons And Green Stamps She Had Saved
Jay Scales 1 minute ago
If she had bought that doll back in the day it would've been worth £££s now
#24
Antique Scrap/Sticker Book Full Of Incredible Pieces
Upstaged75 12 hours ago (edited)
That's so cool. We had sticker books in the 80's too and it was my most prized possession.
According to the mods of ‘Ephemera,’ items should have writing on them, be printed, but they do not have to be paper.
“The item must have been created for a TEMPORARY purpose, with the express or implied understanding that it would serve no practical future use.”
What this means, in practice, is that most books, some souvenirs, and special commemorative items do NOT count as ephemera.
#25
I Bought A 1980s Yves Saint Laurent Exhibition Catalog At The Strand Bookstore, And While Leafing Through It I Discovered A Piece Of Diana Vreeland's Personal Stationery. She Co-Authored The Catalog, So Maybe It Was Her Copy At One Point
#26
I Found Some Old Medical Equipment In The Trash, And Inside The Box Was Apparently The Pen Used To Sign The Mental Health Act Of 1966. I Found A Photo Of The Event And It’s Definitely The One. What A Strange Thing To Come Across
#27
Old Gold Cigarette Ad I Found In The Walls Of A House I'm Renovating
After you’ve enjoyed these images and upvoted your favorite ones, we’d love to hear from you! Share your perspective, stories, and photos in the comments at the very bottom of this list.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how sentimental would you say you are? Do you save and keep lots of ephemeral things?
What are the most sentimental items that you have that you could never part with?
Where do you personally think the line between sentimentality and hoarding lies? Let us know.
#28
Slightly Unhinged Early 1900s Postcard
#29
Company Reply To Customer Letter (1956)
#30
How Do We Feel About Making Art From Ephemera? Cool Or Sin?
I made this button pin from an ad I found in an old almanac from 1910 that was falling apart in a thrift store. I just thought this little bull was so cute and wanted to be able to appreciate him better and keep him from being damaged like the rest of the book already was.
#32
Subtly Sapphic Postcard Sent In 1905
#34
Peak 80's Graphic Design
LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 hours ago
I've always loved that small "crunch" sound that these things make when you break the capsule that starts the chemical reaction inside!
#35
Pin And Ribbon From My Father Who Lived In NYC In The 60’s And 70’s
#36
Baby Care Instructions From 1934
Upstaged75 13 hours ago
It's not that different now. Although cod liver oil and orange juice aren't recommended!
#37
Letter From My Aunt Found In My Moms Things
#38
Protest Flyer From The Disastrous 1966 Beatles Concert In Manila. They Never Returned Afterwards
Kabuki Kitsune 12 hours ago
In The Philippines, the Beatles witnessed what happens when seemingly an entire country turns on you, due to the reported "snub" of the First Lady, after the group was requested to make a personal appearance before their shows at a luncheon featuring children at the Presidential Palace. Manager Brian Epstein never told the band about this, as he had a habit of denying such requests. 80,000 people did show up to the concert, far less than was expected, and after the show ended, the next day at the airport, a large crowd had gathered, and the band members were pushed, kicked, and even Ringo was pushed to the ground, while the security did nothing to stop them. Brian passed away roughly a year later in 1967, from an o******e, though self-end was suspected.
#39
Burned Book Page Found In My Yard After Los Angeles Fires
I had to evacuate my home on Wednesday due to the massive fires happening in Los Angeles. I returned today and found my home intact, but all kinds of soot, ash, burned leaves, tree branches, etc. littered around my house. I found this piece of a book page though, and I thought it was kind of beautiful and extraordinarily sad. I got incredibly lucky that myself, my boyfriend, and our dog got out unscathed, as well as our home. This burned page undoubtedly traveled to my yard, from the home of someone who lost everything in the fires.
#40
Roy Teleh, "The Greatest Detective" The Complete 1910 Detective Series Written By A French Child, Secret Codes And Hypnotism Included
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 hour ago
I used to make "books" like this when I was a kid too! My series were "Robowolf" (basically a rip-off of Robocop, but with - you guessed it - a wolf), "The Golden Crusaders" (Indiana Jones rip-off, but... with... wolves), and "Bloodspawn" (a genetically-engineered vampire wolf capable of human speech and created in a laboratory to be.. a... weapon?? I don't know what I was thinking, lol.) Look, my excuse is that I was terrible at drawing humans, so everyone got drawn as a wolf XD
#41
Found This Stuck Behind A Picture Frame. My First Concert
#42
My Dad Traveled The World With A Millionaire Named Minford Bond In 1965. Here Is Part Of His Bill From A Hotel In Rome. The Man Was Consistently Spending Todays Equivalent Of $2,100 At The “Cantina”
Ace 15 hours ago
Headline doesn't make sense. the big expenses are for the room and for telephone calls, around US$150 per night for the room and the same for the phone calls on one day. The numbers in the 'Saldo' column are a running total, indicating that he'd probably been there for a week or two by this point. (note the total reduces when a payment was made).
#46
Portrait That Was Tucked Inside An Old Dictionary
#47
My Grandpa’s 1st Grade Report Card, 1953
#48
Sifting Through Some Items And Found A Photo Of Pirates
#49
1960s Fritos Mini-Monster Insert
#50
1907 Postcard “ The Moon Has His Eyes On You”
#53
First Pay Stub, 14 Years Old, Picking Blueberries At 13.1 Cents A Pound
#54
A Box Of Photos From A Long Gone Firefighter. 1970’s Aftermath Of The House Fire Of A Doll Collector
#56
Kind Of Gross, Kind Of Cool. Objects Found Stuck Behind A Built-In Cabinet In The Bathroom Of My 1910 Apartment
#57
Writing On A Old Textbook
Kabuki Kitsune 12 hours ago
*You're. One would hope this is an english text book, and whoever wrote that got something of an education.
#58
"No Man On Earth Has A Chance Against A Women Once She Has Succumbed To Another Women"
#60
Bought At A Yard Sale…
Kabuki Kitsune 12 hours ago
The first inauguration of Richard Nixon as the 37th U.S. president. Nixon won reelection on November 7, 1972. Watergate happened on June 17, 1972, then resigned in 1974.
#61
Found In A Wedding Guest Book At An Antique Store. I’ve Laughed About This For So Long
So funny that someone copied someone else’s exact note and signed their own name on it.
#62
Finished The Circulation Sheet
Upstaged75 12 hours ago
I'm surprised they were still using this card. Aren't libraries all digital now?
#63
Going Through My Old Photos. Found This One In A Junk Shop In Brooklyn. A WWII Nurse, And It’s So Worn That The Paper Is Soft. I Can Only Imagine The Story Behind It
#64
Looking Through Some Old Papers And Found A Hospital Receipt For A Birth In 1951
#65
This Was In My Great Aunts Stuff. She Was Born In 1891. The Letterhead Says A Lot For The Times
#66
Sorta Creepy Letter From Brother To Teen Sister, 1946
Upstaged75 12 hours ago
Dumbo indeed. Dude has some serious issues. I'm assuming he's military and stationed at Sam Houston, not a patient? Ick!
#67
From Under The Floorboards Of A House I Used To Rent
Bennington Vermont, the house was built in the early 1800s, this was in the back of a closet under the floorboards, I happened to see it under there when I dropped something. I've never been entirely sure if it's real or a game piece.
#68
I Kept My Movie Tickets From Highschool And College Dates
Verfin22 43 minutes ago
I've kept all my tickets from movies and sports in a scrapbook. Kept journals too. It's sad that too much has turned digital. Pictures are mostly saved now on phones or cloud sites. I guess that'll be the next generation discovering these treasures. I like keeping my tactile memories close to me. My own bedroom is still decorated from 2008. Posters of movies or sport teams I follow. (80's born). Makes me feel young when I'm not.
#70
Found In A Book I Picked Up From A Little Free Library
#71
Bugs Bunny Plastic Bag Dated 1992
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 hours ago
I remember these! I felt so cool when my mom got a box of these and used them in my lunches. I wanted to keep every single one XD
#73
My Letter From That 3 Letter Agency All Sad I Gave Them The High Hat
Laszlo Larthlanc 10 hours ago
My first summer when I was in junior college the CIA ran a full-page ad in the L.A. Times looking for students who wanted summer work. I went to the One Wilshire building and sat in the empty waiting room until a weary looking woman came out and asked me if I was there about the ad. I said. "Yes", and she said, "You don't get to be a spy". I must have looked a bit crestfallen because she smiled a little and explained that they were looking for "readers" to go through piles of printed material and circle certain words and then put those materials in an out-basket. I'm pretty sure it wasn't too long before optical character recognition made that student job obsolete.
#74
From My Grandma’s High School Scrapbook: She Was Born In 1915 And Went To Lindblom High School In Chicago. Her Calling Card Is At The Bottom
#75
1912 Titanic Disaster Newspaper - “All Women On Titanic Saved”
#76
Hallmark Noah’s Ark Paper Plate From My Moms Baby Shower In 2000
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 hours ago
I don't see a mate for the zebra, so I guess it's going to hook up with the sheep or the hippo, who are also single XD And that lioness looks an awful lot like a tiger!
#77
A Telegram From My Grandfather To His Parents, 1943:
#78
1987 Tea Garden Receipt
cecilia kilian 1 hour ago
This is for the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Entry was free in the 1960s. The last time I went back ( 2023) it was $14, and tea was extra.
#79
Advertisement From 1928 Found In An Old Used Book
#80
John Waters Polyester Scratch & Sniff “Odorama” Card
Laszlo Larthlanc 1 hour ago
Scary, considering that it was a John Waters movie and that it starred Divine. In the final scene of a different movie, Pink Flamingos, Divine actually consumed dog feces, fresh from the dog, on screen in order to prove her claim that she was the "filthiest person alive".
#82
Found This Receipt In A Book At My Local Community College Today
#85
2001 Blue Walmart Bag I Keep For Holding Stuff
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