The Fascinating World of Collecting Vintage Magazines
Vintage magazines are more than just bundles of old pages stashed away in dusty lofts.
They’re far more than that.
For starters, they’re a link to the past, offering fascinating peeks into the trends, events and culture of bygone years.
Vintage magazine collecting is a hobby that brings together a combination of history, art, and nostalgia with an enthusiastic following worldwide.
This article explores the enchanting world of collecting vintage magazines and explains what makes it such a fantastic pursuit:
The attraction of Vintage Magazines
Collecting vintage magazines is a hobby with several aspects to it. It appeals to various interests and passions:
1. The Nostalgia: This is a key appeal for vintage magazine collectors. They can bring back memories of when they were young, their family, or special times in their past. Looking through these magazines gives them that warm and sentimental feeling.
2. The Art and Design features: Vintage magazines, to their collectors, are works of art. Their cover designs, drawings, and photos are a reflection of the arctic styles of particular times in history.
3. Time Bundles: Vintage magazines are like carefully-cocooned ‘time bundles’. Unwrap the bundle and you will discover well-preserved stories, advertisements and photographs. You’re taken back in time and you’re able to share the reading experience of people from past eras.
4. Great sources of research: In this high-tech era, vintage magazines can still play a role as great sources of research offering insights into topics ranging from fashion trends to important events from past years. As a collector, you will be playing a very important role in preserving the past for future generations.
The types of magazines to collect
Vintage magazine collecting covers a wide variety of topics and genres ranging from music to fashion.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
1. Fashion Magazines: Publications like “Vogue” and “Harper’s Bazaar” provide a history of fashion and beauty trends throughout the years.
2. Entertainment Magazines: Magazines such as New Musical Express(NME)
and Empire offer up a glimpse into the past for those interested in the music and film industries
3. Hobby Magazines: These cover a wide range of topics from railway modelling and cross-stitching to gardening and photography. Titles such as Model Railway Constructor and Amateur Photographer are very popular amongst collectors.
4. Sports Magazines: Titles such as ‘Match’ and ‘Sporting Life’ provide a window to an array of sports from the 60s, 70s & beyond. Such magazines hold a special place in the hearts of sporting enthusiasts who have ventured into the world of vintage magazine collecting.
5. Lifestyle Magazines: Harpers & Queen, Cosmopolitan UK, and Tatler offer a glimpse into high society, fashion, lifestyle and more from past eras.
So just how do you go about building your collection? Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Decide on your Interests: Try to pin down the types of magazines that interest you and fine-tune this by honing in on a particular era. This would enhance your journey on the road to vintage magazine collecting.
2. Conduct Research & Network: Find out as much as you can about the world of vintage magazine collecting. This research doesn’t have to be confined to reading books or internet research. You can widen your horizons and deepen your knowledge by visiting collectors’ fairs and networking on forums.
3. Source your Magazines: Vintage magazines can be sourced in a variety of ways, such as charity and antique shops, auctions and online retailers such as UsedMedia.co.uk. Vigilance is the key when deciding to purchase vintage magazines. Reputable online retailers would provide a plethora of images and information to help you to make an informed decision.
4. Preserve your collection: With the above advice, you should be ready to purchase high-quality magazines. It’s important to maintain their current condition by ensuring you store them in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. Also, store them in acid-free sleeves or you could see the condition of your newly purchased magazine deteriorate very rapidly. You can see the consequences of poor storage here.
5. Keep track of your collection: A simple way to keep track of your collection is to create a cataloguing system. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, just ensure it has key information such as dates of publication, issue numbers, or edition details.
Hopefully you’re now ready the venture into the fascinating world of vintage magazine collecting. Or you’re already a well-established collector.
Please share your thoughts below on the topic with fellow collectors
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