You either die a hero or live long enough to publish this post.

Before the days of the widely accessible inter-nets, the want to trade and sell was sometimes done via campy newsletter (see left). A collector would self-publish a pamphlet (usually they were only a few folded & stapled pages) of what they had/what they wanted and then mailed it out to other collectors. This kind of system was much harder than using eBays and Amazons to do thy bidding, and it also required using many stamps. Stamps? Oh, they were  these little squares that people use to affix on letters they mailed. I vaguely remember them, myself. I recall them being very 'neat' looking.

These Pamphlets were much like Fanzines (A Fan created Magazine. Get it?) in that they were directed at certain kind of clientele before they were mailed. The pamphlet that I've featured was created by a man looking to trade or sell Batman & Captain Action figurines and collectibles. Folks who entered their address into a comic book store directory (or even a friend of a friend who knew somebody) might have walked out to their mailbox one day to find that they'd magically received a booklet full of things they didn't even know they wanted! People would respond, in kind, and thus go on to create a geeky, little social network of their own.

These kinds of things still exist but they do so in a different kind of format. If I were to direct you to my eBay Shop, you would find tons of magazines, books, and comics all up for grabs, most geared toward the collector, but the method of listing these items is far less arduous. Anyone with an internet connection can view the things I list for sale. 

As much as I try to make this experience as 'human' as possible it will never be as personal as it once was. I'm fighting a digital age while being totally immersed in a digital format. Eventually, even I'll go the way of the stamp (see above joke). 

"Wave harder, Boy Wonder."