Home >> Collecting >> Other Collecting

How to Test the Age of a Newspaper

Newspaper front pages usually indicate the issue's date, month and year. Because some newspapers and souvenir shops reprint significant issues, the printed date is not always a reliable indicator of the newspaper's age. Though only an archiving expert can discern the exact age of a newspaper, you can estimate its age and authenticity by examining the paper's content and newsprint.

Instructions

- 1
  Inspect the newsprint. Most newspapers were printed on rag linen and cotton prior to 1876. If your newspaper is sturdy, pliable and white or off-white, it is likely genuine and printed before 1876. After 1876, most papers and reprints were printed on acidic wood pulp, which is prone to brittleness and turns brown with age.
- 2
  Hold the paper up to the light. Paper made in the 17th and 18th centuries has a chainlike pattern. Paper made after the 1800s, though still made from rag linen and cotton, shows no chains and looks smoother.
- 3
  Examine the paper's content. If it highlights a historically significant event, such as a president's assassination or the winning of a war, the paper is likely a reprint. Most papers have mundane, everyday content and older issues describing significant events are rare to find outside of collections. Also look for the presence of modern advertisements or formatting combined with older articles.
- 4
  Look at the paper's page numbers. Prior to the 1960s, many papers numbered their pages continuously throughout the year -- only the first page of the first newspaper of the year would be page 1. Later papers typically number each issue separately, so the first page of every issue is page 1.

Other Collecting