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Posted By: CarltonHendricks

I saw this thread on broadsides a while back but was working on other stuff....Broadsides are one of my favorite areas of collecting. When I first started 20+ years ago I was always looking for them, and they are tough....at first they didnt have to be from a big name team...but today I mainly look for those with recognizable teams, schools, individuals, etc. The classic size for a broadside is 14 x 22, but of course they come in all sizes...but I generally like them 14x22 or bigger...of course it all depends.

As many of you know broadsides come printed on cardstock or paper. And of course all veteran collectors know about the fakes that abound. I actually like a little wear and tear on them...but Ive seen the fakes with induced fatigue so you have to look very carefully before buying nowadays.

Those of you who know me know I like all athletic sports.so I could go for pretty much any athletic sports broadsides. Ill never forget a 19th century lacrosse broadside I saw at a book show once in San Francisco about 10 years agodealer had bought it there at the show for himself and wouldnt sell it (you know the type LOL)...this was before digital cameras and I didnt get a photo...but it was at least 14x22 and classic...

And theres the term broadside...I think it would take a lot of work to trace the origin of the term...I suppose its English in origin (Ive read them referred to as broadsheets)...I recall reading how in the 19th century towns in Europe had to inact laws to prevent the posting of broadsides because they were over run with themAs I understand it professional posters would go around plastering them wherever they could find an open spot on walls and fences and where ever...were talking about paper broadsides hereas I understand, posters would dip a paper broadside in some kind of adherent solution that would make them stick to a wall or such. This is exciting to me because its really the nuts and bolts process of advertising and commerce.

So whats the difference between a poster and a broadside? Well, I can give you my interpretation that satisfies me. Which is based on 20+ years of observing them.

A broadside is a poster, they are one in the same. However a broadside is the earliest form of poster, in that these early broadside style posters relied mostly on text as opposed to graphics, to relate their message. A classic example of a broadside would be a Wanted Dead or Alive Billy the Kid wanted poster. That kind would have elongated lettering, or fonts if you want to call them that...then as time passed edging up toward c1900...printing techniques improved and the illustrated poster became popular. Im speaking in general terms...they still made broadside style posters for many years into the 20th century. However, generally speaking the illustrated poster replaced the broadside over a 40-50 year period of about 1880-1930.

Today in the hobby the term broadside is regularly used to describe any sports event posters, i.e. any poster that announces an athletic event to take place. When you see the term used within the hobby it usually means it's a game poster.

And so for the sports broadside....For me, tickets and programs are nice, but theres nothing like the broadside. I generally like east coast broadsides, however Ive acquired a few interesting west coast ones I post below.

The one for the Final Rally is one I picked up at an antiquarian book show in California for $75 many moons ago...It measures only 8 ½ tall x 6 wide, printed on paper but still bound to album page...small but the content was too compelling to pass up...the Every College Man Must Come was just too campy. Im fairly sure its for the upcoming big football game between Cal and Stanford because of the reference to "the tackling bag"...its an interesting one from the standpoint that it was used only one day...as it says:

Final Rally
to burn the
Stanford Dummy
The Tackling bag
Tonight on the
Cinder Path at 8:00PM

Notice it says tonight, clearly implying it was posted and used only that one day. Note the little square artistic doodads are done in an art nouveau style betraying its era.

The football one for the Championship of Coast is another interesting one. It measures 22 1/2 wide by 14 tall, printed on cardstock, and was between high schools in San Francisco and Seattle...and its dated Nov. 17 1906...rare to have the date like that...the 1906 San Francisco earthquake took place April 18th 1906...so the game took place almost 7 months to the day after the earthquake...I guess the kids rode the train up to Seattle...cool football player with the nose guard.

The last one is a pretty early college one for Cornell vs. the Delawares of Port Jervis..15 ¼ tall by 9 ¾ wide...printed on paper...I have it shrunk wrapped to gator board (commercial grade foam board)....someone wrote in 1877 which I assume is reliable...I got it from Mark Rucker about 17 years ago...I remember haggling with him over the price and he goes...yeah that eagle...I havent shown that to the ephemera people yetof course that did it, I made the deal right there! PS, anyone with 19th century college broadsides please email me. Thanks -Carlton