Newspapers thrown onto porches and sidewalks often show abrasion marks. These kinds of marks often show on the ends of centerfolds or on the bottom halves of front pages. (Regardless of their admitted carelessness, newsboys always tried to deliver papers face-up.)

Address labels

Address labels can take a huge range of forms. Some were small pieces of paper (normally colored) with one-line of type showing customers' names. Some were black ink impressions with names and addresses (usually three lines) stamped by machines. Some were handwritten names in ink or pencil. They are exceedingly common and usually appear on the tops of front pages.

It is common to find articles clipped out of newspapers, particularly in sports sections. Many do not appear unless the entire issue is examined. It is actually very common to find articles clipped out of previously bound issues. I do NOT check every page of every paper, because the pages are too easy to destroy. Please contact me if you discover a clipped article that I missed.

It is very common to see brown stains on newspapers. If the rings are the sizes of coffee cups, the identification of sources are Isolated droplets, though can represent just about anything from coffee to tea to tobacco juice or blood. In the interest of political delicacy, I call brown spots coffee(?).

It is essentially impossible to handle and read large pieces of paper without creating small tears. The more a paper is exposed to sunlight, the easier it is to tear. The first edge tears tend to appear on the right edge near the horizontal centerfold. Pick up a brand new, typical-sized newspaper and spread it out on your dining room table. You will probably create edge tears on the first reading and certainly on the second.

Newspapers were commonly bundled in stacks of 25, 50, or 100 pieces and tied with string or wire. This bundiling always caused edge tears on the top and bottom few issues.

Prior to the manufacture of cheap plastic bags, newspapers were often rolled to smaller sizes and held with rubber bands. The rubber bands almost always caused edge tears.

This is my term for holes that appear at the intersections of horizontal and vertical folds. These holes usually develop when readers flip the wrinkles out of a papers during reading or when they fold papers backwards and forwards for reading in sections.

Pencil marks

It is common to find handwritten arithmetic, names, or phone numbers on the fronts or backs of newspapers. Occasionally, you'll see grocery lists or addresses.

Essentially all newspapers were printed in vertical formats (narrow and tall). However, they were almost always (and I mean maybe 99.999%!) folded in half to horizontal formats (wider than tall). That last fold is what I call the "horizontal centerfold."

It is extremely common to find gray or black mildew spots on papers stored for extended periods in humid environments. If the spots are very new, you can usually brush or rub away a large percentage of the spot. Normally, however, mildew spots extend into the body of the paper and cannot be removed. Fortunately, their effects seem more cosmetic than deleterious.

It is very common to find newspapers with six to 10 needle holes through spine edges. This usually indicates papers have been previously bound in volumes and then disbound decades later.

These are edge tears that extend into the body of the paper more than an inch or so.

The breaking of paper along prominent folds, usually at the ends.

I refer to the vertical folds on the left side of newspapers as "spines", even though they were not really bound like books.

The breaking of newspaper along a prominent fold, usually in the middle. As mentioned elsewhere, splits may result from bundling with wire or string. Oftentimes, split are the result of careless opening after paper has aged.

It is very, very common to see edge splits along the spine edges of newspapers that display some degree of yellowing or sunburning.

Newsprint with substantial pulp content often turns tan or yellow after exposure to sun, even if the papers themselves are not subjected to direct sunlight. Stacks of newspapers, stored just about anywhere, ultimately turn yellow along exposed edges. Papers on tops of stacks often acquire an overall yellowish tone which extends inside for several pages. Sun toning is normally more pronounced on one side than the other and depends on the orientation when the paper was stacked.

The serious yellowing of paper, often accompanied by paper brittleness. Sunburn is a common trait for newspapers that were left laying in sun for hours before owners picked them up. Probably the worst examples are newspapers displayed in store windows or those displayed in the fronts of sidewalk newspaper boxes.

"Touched by water"

The simple occurrence of a rainy day may have meant that most papers sold or delivered that day show some effect of wetting. Often, papers wetted on the day of delivery show the effect of water by a slightly rougher surface texture. Be cautious in being overly picky unless you know the local weather conditions on the days in question.

No matter the original sizes of printed newspapers, they were commonly folded in increasingly smaller sizes until they were easy to hold and carry - about the size of a normal piece of typing paper.

Newsboys (such as myself) often delighted in folding newspapers in half and then thirds to fit in mailboxes, mail slots, screen doors, delivery bags and dogs' mouths. Those innocent creases remain today to decrease prices. (Little did I know!)

It is exceedingly common for home-delivered newspapers to show effects of rain and snow. Sometimes the effects are simply felt as rough surfaces. Sometimes the stains are more pronounced. The worst stains appear when newspapers were stacked and covered with dust and then wetted by some manner.