Newsletter Archive - Dollars & Sense
Follow-up on First Phone Book Auction
09/25/2008 - Back in June’s YP Talk newsletter, I advised industry members that the first known printed directory was going to be auctioned off by Christie’s (link). The directory was printed by O.A. Dorman for the Connecticut District Telephone Co. in November, 1878.
While the expected auction price was anticipated to be in the $40,000 range, it actually went for a whopping $170,500.... Not bad for phone book where there are actually no phone numbers and only 40 pages (you didn’t actually dial a number in those days – instead a real person linked you to the party you wanted)
A great three and a half minute video at the IEEE Spectrum (link: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/video?id=541) has a clip about the auction and what’s inside the book.
And some people believe their print directories have no value, aren’t used, are pollution problems, clog our landfills, etc., etc., etc.. Clearly that’s well, donkey dust….
Print Yellow Pages – they truly are the original search engine.
For more current industry news and events, see this week’s Editors Corner where I discuss the feedback on the recent Kelsey Conference which focus on the current status of the industry and its future direction.