Engraved by Paul Revere...
Item # 694372This item is currently up for auction on eBay (item #110588487331). You’re welcome to bid there, or email us at info@rarenewspapers.com if you’d prefer to buy directly at the web-price. If it remains unsold, we’ll be in touch.
April 14, 1785
THOMAS'S MASSACHUSETTS SPY, OR THE WORCESTER GAZETTE, April 14, 1785
* Paul Revere masthead engraving
* Post American Revolutionary War
The prime feature of this issue would be the masthead as half of it, that which includes the words "Massachusetts Spy", was engraved by the famed Paul Revere. Revere created the masthead designs for just a few newspapers in the Boston area, this being one of them. And this newspaper was published by Isaiah Thomas, arguably the most famous printer during this period of the 18th century.
Four pages, very nice condition. This issue is from the private collection, selected because it was in the best condition of the several issues we once held.
Background: This museum-grade 1785 specimen is a breathtaking collision of American legend and Revolutionary artistry, featuring a masthead hand-engraved by the Patriot-silversmith Paul Revere. Printed by Isaiah Thomas—the "founding father" of American publishing—this issue represents the pinnacle of 18th-century media, where Revere’s iconic craftsmanship meets the bold journalism that fueled a new nation. Beyond its rarity, the document’s remarkable preservation on high-quality rag paper offers a tactile connection to the Confederation Period, a time of high-stakes political transition following the Revolution. To hold this newspaper is to hold a physical artifact of the Enlightenment, boasting the DNA of two of America’s most celebrated figures in a condition so pristine it belongs in a private vault or a premier institutional gallery.
* Paul Revere masthead engraving
* Post American Revolutionary War
The prime feature of this issue would be the masthead as half of it, that which includes the words "Massachusetts Spy", was engraved by the famed Paul Revere. Revere created the masthead designs for just a few newspapers in the Boston area, this being one of them. And this newspaper was published by Isaiah Thomas, arguably the most famous printer during this period of the 18th century.
Four pages, very nice condition. This issue is from the private collection, selected because it was in the best condition of the several issues we once held.
Background: This museum-grade 1785 specimen is a breathtaking collision of American legend and Revolutionary artistry, featuring a masthead hand-engraved by the Patriot-silversmith Paul Revere. Printed by Isaiah Thomas—the "founding father" of American publishing—this issue represents the pinnacle of 18th-century media, where Revere’s iconic craftsmanship meets the bold journalism that fueled a new nation. Beyond its rarity, the document’s remarkable preservation on high-quality rag paper offers a tactile connection to the Confederation Period, a time of high-stakes political transition following the Revolution. To hold this newspaper is to hold a physical artifact of the Enlightenment, boasting the DNA of two of America’s most celebrated figures in a condition so pristine it belongs in a private vault or a premier institutional gallery.
Item from last month's catalog - #364 - released for March, 2026.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
