I would love to peruse newspapers from the Civil War era up to around WW1. But I won’t.
Some of them are actually pretty inexpensive considering their age.
I once spent $50.00 for two New York Times newspapers. They were from May 20, 1927 and May 22, 1927. I bought them for my father who’s hero was Charles Lindbergh. Lindbergh had left NY on May 20, 1927 and by May 22, the French were going wild. He was only 25 years old. Still, an amazing accomplishment.
In any case, some incredibly OLD newspapers are relatively cheap. I won’t part with my papers. On the 1st anniversary of 9-11, those papers were selling for upwards of $50 each. A year later, they are down to $5.00. If you are interested in newspapers as an investment, you have to bide your time carefully. But here’s the thing: 9-11 newspapers are actually 9-12 newspapers. So fanatical was I, I saved the 9-11 newspaper as well!
A newspaper is unique because it places a historical era in context: You have the news, the economic, social and political situation for a given DAY. It’s ALL there. It really gives one a COMPLETE picture of the times.
And while my papers take up a HUGE amount of space, to me, they are priceless.
Check On-Line. There are a number of web sites that specialize in newspapers.