Beyond Rare - Ives Paper

I can't stand the word "rare". It gets butchered in collecting, usually by people that aren't collectors that are looking to squeeze very dollar out of an item for sale.

But this is a bona fide rare item. The owner prefers to remain private for a little while.

This is collectible paper. Paper is a fickle thing. It can prove or disprove theories collectors have coveted for years or even decades. Catalogs, especially the one's that were given to dealers are always highly valued.

There are internal Lionel memos, stock certificates (I have one or two) but very little from the early years. Heck, even early TCA and Standard Gauge Association literature is interesting, it captures a spirit that is just plain not there today.

Ok, enough of yesteryear, what the heck is that thing!
It's a cover letter from CR Johnson, President of The Ives Manufacturing Corp.. You know, the guy that replaced Harry Ives and ran Ives. It looks brand new, like it was typed yesterday. Pretty amazing being that it was from July 6, 1928. It was locked down in a bank vault and was saved by an employee that recognized an important part of history. It says some gobbleygook about a deposit slip. It's what else is in the folder with it that gives the tipoff. Still a positively cool piece of letterhead.

Read the next post.

Marc