How to Collect Black Americana Memorabilia
Collecting Black Americana memorabilia, the bits, pieces, documents and historical characterizations of African Americans in the United States, is wildly popular. As awareness of an entire generation of Americans emerges, detailing their struggle for equality, the value of these items increases. Be prepared to hunt for desirable items and pay a premium price. Read on to learn more.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Look for ephemera items; objects meant to have a short-lived attraction, such as offensive caricatures and illustrations. Printed on sheet music, lithographs, labels, posters and on old postcards, a number still survive. They poked fun at the black race. Many of these used racial slurs and characterized black people in derogatory ways. They are highly sought after by collectors.
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Collect slavery documentation. Papers that detail the buying, selling or trading of slaves is popular. Very few slaves could read or write so their owners, ship captains, or slave traders wrote most of these documents. Marriage and birth records (when they were kept) and death journals are valuable not only for their collective nature, but for tying together African American genealogy.
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Watch for early Black Americana memorabilia from the entertainment industry. Photographs, especially signed ones, of black jazz musicians, tap dancers and early recording artists bring top dollar. Pre-1940s memorabilia is very collectible. Early movies, record albums and entertainment posters fit into this category.
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Search out collectibles of Black American pioneers in leadership positions. Since there were relatively few before 1960, they bring a good price from collectors trying to establish a historical record.
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Start hunting for Civil Rights-era memorabilia. Although these items are not bringing the high prices the older ones are, they are easier to locate and you can begin a collection of the historical events. In time the monetary value will likely increase as fewer and fewer of these items survive.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't buy Black Americana memorabilia without developing a good eye for fakes. As the demand for this genre has increased, so have the reproductions.
Don't let the offensive nature of Black Americana memorabilia keep you from collecting. You will run across racial slurs and derogatory depictions, but they are a part of history and the people who lived those lives deserve recognition.
