The Pre 1977 Rare Newspaper Collection

The Original Newspapers printed on the day, covering news events from the 17th and 18th Century as printed in the earliest news sheets and papers to emerge in Britain.

These newspapers are original (not copies), and cover the news as it happened, and as reported in the early newspaper titles of the 17th and 18th Century.

The Evolution of the modern format Newspaper

Before the invention of the printing press, single hand written news sheets were known. With increasing literacy rates and print technology, newspapers in the 17th and 18th Century slowly emerged into the format and style familiar today, with regular editions. Before the 17th / 18th Century, newspapers were more like information sheets printed usually on two sides of a single sheet and printed only for key news events.

Early Times Newspaper

The London Gazette began publication in 1660 and is considered to be the newspaper that decisively changed the look of English news printing, echoing the coranto format of two columns, and a clear title and clear date, developed in Holland in the early 17th Century. It was issued on a biweekly basis. Other English papers began issuance on a tri weekly basis and eventually dailies began, partially because of a change in the postal system.

Newspapers in this period in general included short articles, ephemeral topics, some illustrations, service articles (classifieds), dates, they were printed, were unbound, were often written by multiple authors (although the authors' identities were often obscured), they began to contain some advertisements, and they did not yet include sections. Mass market papers emerged, including Sunday papers for workers to read in their leisure time. Newspaper titles familiar today came into being in the late 18th Century including The Times which began publication in the 1780s and adopted new technologies, and set the standards for other newspapers.

The Pre 1799 Rare Newspaper Collection

1689-1798

Newspaper Title Dates Quantity Comments Total Cost
London Gazette 28 March and 1,22,25 April 1689 4 Original newsletters from the reign of William & Mary @ £50 each £200.00
London Gazette 2,13 May and 3, 6, 13, 20,24 27 June 1689 8 Original newsletters from the reign of William & Mary @ £50 each £400.00
London Gazette 1,11, 15,18 July and 12,22,26 August 1689 7 Original newsletters from the reign of William & Mary @ £50 each £350.00
London Gazette 9,12,16,30 September and 10,14,17,24, October 1689 8 Original newsletters from the reign of William & Mary @ £50 each £400.00
London Gazette 11,18,21,28 November and 5,9,12,26 December 1689 8 Original newsletters from the reign of William & Mary @ £50 each £400.00
London Gazette 2 November 1756 1 Admiral Watson captures Geriah £50.00
Weekly Advertiser & Inspector 4 June 1757 1 Loss of the Doddington (ship) & loss of Bengal (garrison) £25.00
London Gazette 19 July 1757 1 Colonel Robert Clive & Admiral Watson recapture Calcutta £75.00
The General Advertiser 7 January 1788 1 Original newspaper @ £10 £10.00
The World 24 May 1788 1 Original newspaper @ £10 £10.00
The Morning Herald 5 June 1788 1 50th birthday of George III £10.00
The World 24 June and 3,23,24,28,31 July 1788 6 Original newspapers @ £10 each £60.00
The World 5,9,11,14,19,25,26,28,30 August 1788 9 Original newspapers @ £10 each £90.00
The World 20,26,27 September and 7,9,11,13,14,16 October 1788 9 Original newspapers @ £10 each £90.00
The World 4 November 1788 1 Illness of King George III £25.00
The World 5 November 1788 1 Original newspaper @ £10 £10.00
The World 8,13 November 1788 2 Madness of King George III @ £50 each £100.00
The World 18 November 1788 1 Madness of King George III £25.00
The World 26 November 1788 1 Madness of King George III £50.00
The World 12 December 1788 1 Madness of King George III £100.00
Morning Chronicle 5 November 1792 1 Treaty of Seringapatnam £25.00
Morning Chronicle 22 January 1796 1 Original newspaper @ £10 £10.00
The Daily Advertiser 19 May 1796 1 Original newspaper @ £10 £10.00
Times 22 February 1797 1 Original newspaper @ £25 £25.00
The Gentleman's Magazine June 1797 1 Original magazine @ £10o £10.00
The Evening Mail 9 October 1797 1 Original newspaper @ £10 £10.00
Times 30 July 1798 1 Original newspaper @ £25 £25.00
TOTAL £2,595.00
Offer Price £750

The offer price shown is based on selling the collection as a whole, but individual offers for parts of the collection will be considered.

This collection is owned by Historic Newspapers an established archive business of over 25 years. Historic own the largest private archive of British Newspapers and today have over 7m in stock dating back to 1680s.

Please call John McMillan on 01988 402 132 if interested in these or any other key dates, from Nelson’s victory at the Nile and Trafalgar, Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, Jack The Ripper, Queen Victoria’s coronation and funeral to more recent events such as Kennedy’s assassination, the lunar landings, and 9-11.