Defining Ephemera
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW defines ephemera as "Objects in the collecting world that were originally considered to be ephemeral by nature, i.e., not made to last. Examples include broadsides announcing political meetings, greeting cards, invitations to Hollywood film openings, buttons, bumper stickers, and the like." Here's what the president of the Ephemera Society of America has to say …
The definition of a piece of Ephemera is, traditionally, an item made of paper that was not meant to be saved such as song sheets, trade cards, business cards, commemorative paper napkins, and so forth. The purists among us cling to that definition and, of course, that is their prerogative. However, there is a trend among many collectors to include non-traditional material such as in advertising. For instance, there are many items made of celluloid that were used for advertising a specific product or event. They are often found among World's Fair collections. By the same token, a cup or spoon from that same Fair would not be considered traditional Ephemera.