Sept 20, 2008 - Grab a Piece of History

Inside front cover of 1938 Mountaineer Annual. Left: copper printing plate; right: printed page. Artwork by Clark E. Schurman. (Note: This item will not be available at the History Grab.)
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[size=20pt]The Mountaineers History Grab![/size]

Before moving to the club's new Magnuson Park facility the Mountaineers History Committee is disposing of extra materials that won't be moved.  On Saturday, September 20, collectors and history buffs will have a chance to obtain some of these materials:

1. Mountaineer Annuals, 1920s-1990s

The History Committee has hundreds of Mountaineer Annuals that need to go.  We have pulled aside all the annuals we need to keep.  Extra copies will be made available at the History Grab.

2. Halftone Printing Plates, 1910s-1960s

Photos in early Mountaineer Annuals were printed using halftone plates, each made by engraving an image on a copper sheet mounted on wood.  The History Committee has pulled aside a selection of these plates that we'll be keeping, but there are hundreds more that we don't need to keep.  For mountaineering and history buffs, these plates are unique collectibles.

3. Logistics

Materials at the History Grab will be made available in several ways.  Some items will be free for the taking.  Others will be offered for sale at a fixed price and still others may be offered in a silent auction.  Details are being worked out by the History Committee and all proceeds will go to Mountaineer historical projects.

Come grab a piece of mountaineering history!

Where:
The Mountaineers clubhouse
300 Third Ave. West, Seattle

When:
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

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Thanks to Charles for permission to post this announcement here.

Where, oh where, can we get block prints of those? That is stunning!

Update:
The Mountaineers History Committee is continuing to prepare for Saturday's "History Grab" event at the Mountaineers clubhouse.

While selecting photo/printing plates that we'll be keeping, we discovered a second plate of the 1938 inside-cover pictured above.  This artwork was used on both the front and back covers, so two plates were made.  (Note that the second plate is not as clean as the one shown above.  A qualified printer would probably know how to clean it, but I have not looked into that.)

We'll be offering the second plate in a silent auction on Saturday.  The silent auction will conclude at 2:30 p.m.  If you'd like to bid on this item, make sure to come to the History Grab before the auction closes.  We may be auctioning other items as well, but final decisions haven't been made yet.

There are hundreds of photo plates of various quality for you to look at--probably close to a thousand of them.  Hundreds of Mountaineer Annuals will also be available spanning many decades--although there are no complete sets available.  If you're interested in Northwest mountaineering history, I think you will enjoy this event.

Details:
The Mountaineers History Grab
300 Third Ave. West, Seattle
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 12 to 5 p.m.
(All proceeds from this event support Mountaineer historical projects)

Today's the day!

Great way to spend a rainy Saturday in Seattle.

Do some early Christmas shopping.

Hope to see you there...

Lowell,

Thanks so much for helping put this on and making these plates available. I had a great time spending hours sifting through an incredible amount of history. I was able to get about 20-30 plates including the rougher version of the advertised one and a first edition annual from 1909. Among the beautiful mountain shots, are some amazing skiing plates. (I must have asked Lowell a dozen times about skiing shots I saw in the annuals but he grabbed most of them to save for the Mountaineers...damn historian preserving things again!

So, I am hoping to find someone or someplace that would be able to make a series of prints of these for gifts etc. If anyone has any ideas or knows someone please let me know.

James

Following the History Grab event on Saturday, I found a Mead notebook and a couple of unclaimed photo plates lying on a table. To my eyes, the notebook looks like it might be of personal value to its owner. If you can describe it to me, I'll forward it to you.

Send me a PM to followup.