What is "Ephemera"?

Ephemera derived from "ephemeral" meaning: 

"Lasting for a brief time; short-lived; transitory"

---The American Heritage Dictionary 

Collecting "Ephemera" 

Most collectors & dealers refer to paper collectibles as "Ephemera" items since they were in general meant to be discarded once they were used.  

 After over a year of utilizing various resources I've found that many ephemeral items exist today and are fairly easy to locate once you know what to look for.  You'll find that there are numerous categories you can to collect under and may cross over from one subject to another.  Keep this in mind if you're searching for information an item and cannot locate anything related to it.  

As an example, someone may collect railroad timetables regardless of the railroad, while someone else may collect items related to a specific railroad such as the DL&W.  

When researching your items identify all the information on your documents such as signatures, advertisers, content, etc., this will better help you to determine the actual value.  

Rules...

The key to collecting is easy and has some basic rules which if followed will prove to be a valuable resource...

Condition - Depending on the age of the items try to collect pieces which have no visible defects such as tears, creases, etc, the older the document the more lenient you can be.

Cost - Do not spend more than your wallet can afford. Expect to pay a "Fair Price" for items in good shape, which means the price you pay relates to a common agreement between the buyer and seller so that both of you do not lose out.

Content - The content of a document can increase the value in some cases.  As an example, a letter written by a soldier during the Civil War talking about a daily life and how he misses home may not be worth as much as one written about a battle that took place. Content is the key.

Last but not least - As most collectors will tell you... "Collect what you like, and like what you collect!"

The statements above are based upon what I've learned over the past year or so and may not be 100% accurate but I believe they are reasonably fair.

Have fun collecting!