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Finds and Interests
Our WorthPoint Price Guide updates daily, with thousands of new items streaming in from our Industry Partners. I like to try to single out a few of my favorites to share with our followers. There’s usually a good story behind so many of these pieces, and sharing my passion for antique and vintage items is the best part of my job. Let me tell you about an interesting item that one of our partners recently auctioned.
Many of my favorite pieces to collect are documents or other written materials that document some part of history. From letters written by Civil War soldiers to pamphlets on social issues, these pieces can reveal more about history than just names and dates. A document about women’s rights in Ireland caught my eye this week, as it made quite a splash when it was first published.
Our Industry Partner Purcell Auctioneers, in Offaly, Ireland, recently auctioned a document prepared and distributed by the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement. Entitled “Irish Women: Chains or Change,” it called for five significant changes in Ireland that would benefit women. The organization cited equal pay, equal treatment under the law, widows, single mothers, and deserted wives.
The document gained notoriety in Ireland because of a chat show. On March 6, 1971, the treatise was read on national television, on The Late Late Show, hosted by Gay Byrne. The demands of the document initially horrified many Irish citizens, but the movement was dedicated to creating more opportunities and rights for a marginalized population of women.
There were thousands of copies, as feminist organizers would distribute them publicly; however, finding any of them now is difficult, as few original copies still exist. Commonly, handbills and other materials distributed at events or on the street get thrown away, so finding an original copy for sale is rare. The final price for this historical artifact was $1,316.72, indicating that the history of feminism in Ireland remains highly relevant to collectors and history buffs.