What Is The Term "Ephemera"?

I saw someone collecting it, but couldn't find it at the glossary.

The word "Ephemera" comes from the term "ephemeral" which has the definition of "brief, fleeting, momentary". So Ephemera are things that are very short lived philatelically speaking.
So Ephemera is about "collection" and they are collections that have a short time-span. In this case it might be things like a particular type of cancel, or covers. Can be almost anything, but it's "short lived".

To me, ephemera are items that were "disposable," and never really intended to be collected (unlike stamps, etc., that are known as collectibles). For example, I also collect German postal advertisements and order cards.

Thank you both for your answers.
Do you think this term should be in the forum's glossary, or is it not a commonly used and agreed on term?

Stamps are printed ephemera, even if a collecting culture has built up around them.

Rob Roy, yeah, I think it's a term that deserves a glossary entry.

There's a glossary???

Cool never looked at it before, thanks learn new things every day

found it.


Ray

Despite any formal derivation relating to ephemeral ... I have always thought of the word "ephemera" as used by stamp collectors to refer to physical objects which are tangential or collateral material to a main collection emphasis ... as in "I collect stamps and related postal ephemera" ... items which may not be directly postal, but weave additional storyline. The fleetingness seems to have less connection here. It may be impossible to craft a definition that suits the majority.

I agree with John Becker, in that usually in the philatelic arena, this refers to collateral material.

This is the second definition I pulled for the word from an online dictionary:




Things like notices, and pamphlets, tickets are often exactly the items considered ephemera for an exhibit or collection that may primarily include stamps or covers.

In that case, we can either formulate a definition that will be added to this forum's glossary, or add a definition that includes the main usage, like:
Ephemera:
1) stamp related collateral material, like x, y, z.
2) Short-term items like pamphlets, tickets, a, b, c.
I saw this term at Rod's description of his collection, maybe he has a third meaning of it.

The Ephemera Society of American has a fairly lengthy definition/discussion on their webpage.

http://www.ephemerasociety.org/def.html

A word that wears many hats.
My personal understanding is anything that is not within the general defines of Philately, but an adjunct to it.
Material that enhances the stamp / discipline to which it has some relationship. Information that adds mood, time, history, ownership etc.

My usage often crosses the line into philately, but is used to broadly describe a collection / display of random items "Hodge Podge" etc.

John, if I understood correctly, according to this, stamps are ephemera too, since they too were meant to be discharged after usage.

Rod, does it mean that watermark trays and different hinge producers are included?

Rob, I cannot define the true word, it is up to the individual. We all have different takes.

But Yes indeed, I would personally include Hinge Packets, printed Glassines, receipts, philatelic advertising fragments as Ephemera.

Watermark Trays, Hinge tins, stamp machines, may be Ephemera, but not for me, my feel is that the item be able to be mounted on an album page.

Just to contradict my previous statement,
I have a few years of Huge posters, from Australia Post Window Displays.
I consider them Ephemera, but why I collected them? who knows,
but a hundred years down the track, if the planet has survived, they would be very much sought after, I would think.
A collecting and storage nightmare. Currently in tubes.

I collect ephemera. My collection includes old railway tickets, maps, club entrance passes, tourist brochures, event programmes and receipts.

I always took the meaning to be something that wasn't necessarily going to be kept for the long term, ie: something disposable. You could probably include postcards and cigarette cards but like postage stamps, a collectors market has grown around these products.




So would I, but I don't collect this sort of material.