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The Onion has published a request for readers to identify and offer specific missing print issues for its archive. The list includes complete volumes from several years and individual issues from others; the paper says its archivist will contact people whose collections may fill gaps. No prices, purchase terms or deadline are provided.
The Onion is asking readers to offer print issues that could fill gaps in the publication’s archive, listing requested volumes and individual issues dating from 1988 through 2013. People who have a match can submit information through a Google Form, after which the publication says its archivist will contact them if the collection is of interest.
The request, published on The Onion’s website, covers both complete annual volumes and selected editions. The paper is seeking all issues from Volumes 14 through 19, covering years listed as 1988 to 1991, as well as all of Volumes 47, 48 and 49, corresponding to 2011, 2012 and 2013. The list also names particular issues from several other volumes, including selected editions from 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
The Onion instructs potential contributors to check the volume number, issue number and date printed on the front page. It says the location and format of those details can vary, and that some special issues may show a number such as “22-01” rather than spelling out the volume and issue. The request includes example dates and numbering formats to help readers identify an issue.
Issues offered must be in good condition, clean and readable, according to the page. The publication asks people to submit as much information as possible through its form. It says the archivist will reach out if a collection is of interest, and that any issue sold to The Onion becomes its property and cannot be returned.
How Readers Can Fill Archive Gaps
The request gives collectors and former readers a direct way to help preserve specific gaps in The Onion’s print run. Because the list combines entire volumes with narrowly targeted issues, someone with even a small collection may have an edition the publication is seeking. The organization’s statement that interest increases with the number of gaps a collection can fill suggests that broader collections may be especially useful, though it does not promise a purchase.
For readers considering an offer, the practical terms matter: the requested copies must be readable and clean, and a sold issue will not be returned. The page does not specify prices or other sale conditions, so people should not assume that submitting a form guarantees a transaction or establishes a particular value for their copies.
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The Listed Issues Span Decades
The requested material ranges across more than two decades of publication. The earliest complete runs named are Volumes 14 to 19, associated on the page with 1988 through 1991. After selected issues from intervening years, the list again requests full volumes for 2011 to 2013. Between those periods, it identifies particular editions rather than seeking every issue from each year.
The issue list is specific. For example, it requests Vol. 22 Issues 4, 5, 7 and 16; Vol. 44 Issues 49 through 52; and Vol. 46 Issues 3 through 52. It also seeks Vol. 45 Issues 1 through 20 and 33 through 43. These details make checking the printed issue information important: a year alone may not show whether a copy matches the request.
The solicitation is framed as a request for material to help with the archive, rather than as a general call to buy any old Onion newspaper. The page does not explain how the archive will be used or whether the sought issues are unavailable elsewhere.
Prices and Purchase Terms Not Listed
The request does not state how much The Onion may pay, how it will decide whether to acquire a copy, or whether every person with a matching issue will receive a response. The page says an archivist will contact people if their collection is of interest, but provides no response timetable or deadline for submissions.
It is also not clear how many copies of each listed issue are needed, how the publication plans to use the acquired material, or whether it is seeking originals only. The page specifies condition and readability but does not give more detailed grading standards or explain shipping and payment arrangements. Those details would need to be clarified directly with the publication.
Submit Issue Details for Review
People who think they have a requested edition can compare its volume and issue number with the list, then complete the Google Form with as much identifying information as possible. The Onion says its archivist will follow up if the collection is of interest; any further evaluation, price discussion and transfer arrangements would take place after that contact.
No closing date or next public update is given. Until The Onion provides more information, prospective sellers should treat the form as an initial inquiry, not a confirmed offer to buy, and should keep in mind that copies sold to the publication cannot be returned.
Key Questions
Which Onion print issues is the publication seeking?
The list includes complete volumes from 1988–1991 and 2011–2013, along with selected issues from other years between 1992 and 2010. The archive request gives the specific volume and issue numbers.
How can I check whether my copy matches?
Check the volume number, issue number and date printed on the front page. The Onion says their placement and format vary across issues, including some special editions.
Does submitting the form guarantee a sale?
No. The Onion says its archivist will contact people if their collection is of interest. The request does not promise a purchase or provide a price.
What condition do the issues need to be in?
The publication says issues must be in good shape, clean and readable. It does not give a more detailed condition scale.
Can I get an issue back after selling it?
No. The Onion states that an issue sold to the publication becomes its property and cannot be returned.
Source: hn
