Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004

Americana refers to antiques, mostly of home value, like hand-quilted rugs
made in the 1800's.

The word ephemera is rarely used in the sale of old stocks, old paper money,
etc.  Such items would be called "paper."

An old deed, stock certificate, etc., would be called "paper."

Check out ebay.com (the U.S. version) for "stock certificates," and you'll
see a lot of them.

Let me know how it goes, ok?

              Jim  (remove 8888 to reply)

From Chapter One of "The House of Mirth", by Edith Wharton (an
American). The conversation is between New Yorkers and takes
place in New York City late in the 19th century.

=====================================
"And Americana--do you collect Americana?"

Selden stared and laughed.

"No, that's rather out of my line. I'm not really a collector,
you see; I simply like to have good editions of the books I am
fond of."

She made a slight grimace. "And Americana are horribly dull, I
suppose?"

"I should fancy so--except to the historian. But your real
collector values a thing for its rarity. I don't suppose the
buyers of Americana sit up reading them all night--old Jefferson
Gryce certainly didn't."

She was listening with keen attention. "And yet they fetch
fabulous prices, don't they? It seems so odd to want to pay a lot
for an ugly badly-printed book that one is never going to read!
And I suppose most of the owners of Americana are not historians
either?"

"No; very few of the historians can afford to buy them. They have
to use those in the public libraries or in private collections.
It seems to be the mere rarity that attracts the average
collector."
============================================

\\P. Schultz