09/06/2016
HOTEL METROPOLE
SOUTHEND ON SEA
Published by
J. ADAMS FINE ART DEPOT, Southend On Sea
This fantastic hotel is still standing although now called the Palace Hotel and painted entirely in white. A friend of mine had her wedding reception here and the view out and along the pier is fantastic.
If you look to the left side of the photograph you can see a statue, raised up on a plinth, of Queen Victoria on a throne chair pointing out to what is the pier and the River Thames. This statue was moved some years ago and now resides much further along the cliffs well away from this position.
This particular copy was posted in February 1905.
08/06/2016
MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY
Many may be the greetings.
From loving hearts to thine,
But none could be more real,
Than this hearty wish of mine
Published by
The Regent Publishing Co., Ltd., London N. W.
The REGENT Series
Photo by Madame Lallie Charles
For every postcard that is worth a few pounds or more there is another 1000 worth less than 50p, or almost nothing. Amongst the many postcards that can be found in the cheap boxes there are the ‘Birthday Greetings’ style of postcard which although popular at the time of issue, many, many thousands were sent, hold little value now. A bit of a shame really as some can still be attractive and they are a ‘Postcard Type’ which every attendee of any postcard fair will know of.
This one here is very typical of the output (although no flowers, which are probably the most featured item on these cards)
DODGER
A book by
TERRY PRATCHETT
Book Published by
DOUBLEDAY
PHOTOGRAPH
Cover of book
Next to postcards and food my favourite things are books. Every weekend they hold a book fair under Waterloo Bridge on the South Bank in London and I have visited it many times and bought some nice books here. I was there yesterday having a look when I came across a Terry Pratchett book. I have been a massive Pratchett fan for thirty odd years and have read all of his Discworld based books, and a number of his other stories but somehow I never got around to picking up ‘Dodger’, a story based in Victorian London (described as Dickensian London in the blurb on the back cover).
Here at the fair I saw a copy but to be honest it was the sticker on the front that drew my attention:
LIMITED EDITION
POSTCARDS INSIDE
EXCLUSIVE TO
TESCO
PHOTOGRAPH
Close up of the sticker on the cover
I was aware of these but they had sold out in my area before I had had a chance to grab a copy and I had kind of been looking out for copies. I saw a copy on eBay last year but the seller wanted way too much for the package in my opinion. But here on the stand was a copy of the book with the sticker! Would the postcards still be inside? I doubted it but was delighted to be wrong. There they were, still attached as originally sold which would seem to indicate that the buyer was not in least interested in them.
The book cost me £10 and I think it was worth every penny of that, in fact, I think I got a bargain.
PHOTOGRAPH
Here you can see the postcards still sealed to the inside cover. There are four postcards – the other two are sealed up under the top two. The Postcards depict people who appear in the story with quotes on the reverse side which are also from the book:
HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA
“’If I was you, sir, I would take the advice of your lady’. She glanced at Prince Albert and added, ‘As all sensible husbands do’”
MISTER CHARLES DICKENS
“A sharp cove, he is, sharp as a razor, sharp as a snake, so they tell me. They say he can take one look at you and he’s got a perfect study of you, from the way you talk down to the way you pick your nose”
SIMPLICITY
“They called me “Simplicity”’ but I am rather more complicated”
MISTER SWEENEY TODD
“Mister Todd was definitely not a naturally cheerful personality; the gloom was apparently laminated to him and he was obviously more built by nature to be someone like an undertaker’s mute, whose job it was to follow the coffin of the deceased, looking respectably mournful but not saying a word because that would cost tuppence extra”
05/06/2016
DOCTOR WHO
VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED
Starring David Tennant and Kyle Minogue
BBC One, Christmas Day. 6.50pm
Official BBC WALES publicity postcard
Just a quick single post today as I have just got back from a long day in London where I went on a ‘Doctor Who Walking Tour’, which, although possibly sounding sad, was actually a very entertaining 2 ½ hour trip. It was packed with information and some very interesting back street locations were visited. I learnt a lot, not just about Doctor Who filming but also about London history and some other filming locations as well, but the main topic was the good time lord himself so I could only really pick one logical postcard theme for today – so here it is.
04/06/2016
MUHAMMAD ALI ….. RIP
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr
17th January 1941 – 3rd June 2016
“The Greatest, The Louisville Lip, The People’s Champion”
Considered as one of the most significant heavyweight boxers in the sport of boxing. Also one of the most recognized sports figures of the past 100years, both inside and outside the ring. Crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by ‘Sports Illustrated’ and “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC.
First won the heavyweight championship title in 1964 aged 22yrs. He won the title again in 1974 and 1978 and remains the only three-time lineal world heavyweight champion.
Clouded Tiger Cards 1982
Ref: RS32
“The Fall of Ali” by Ralph Steadman
04/06/2016
KILIMANJARO SAFARIS FUN
ANIMAL KNIGDOM THEME PARK
WALT DISNEY WORLD, FLORIDA
LARGE SHAPED POSTCARD
“Mickey and Minnie explore 110 acres of African savannah, but maybe they shouldn’t have given Goofy the map!”
(Text from reverse side of postcard)
My copy of this postcard has, rather strangely, been posted from Doncaster, South Yorkshire in 2006!
I have ridden the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride many times but this year, only recently, they have opened up this attraction for night-time safaris tours. I am really looking forward to trying this ‘later’ safaris when I go back in November.
This is a nice postcard which has not been around for a number of years and was definitely not on sale on my two previous trips in 2013 and 2015 (and as a sideline, am I the only person who thinks that baby elephant is very, very small?).
04/06/2016
CANADIAN PACIFIC
“SUPER DC-6B”
FOLDED LETTER CARD
Printed by
FOLKARD – Company of Canada Limited, Drummond, Montreal
I have posted a few ‘Letter Cards’ before but these have all been early postal stationery styled versions without image(s). This is a far more modern one, although still some years old now, depicting a Canadian Pacific ‘Super DC-6B’. The painting of this airplane is superb and makes this a very collectible ‘Aviation’ themed item, and one that I suspect is not too common. The information text on the postcard styled top half explains all about the Canadian Pacific’s air routes. This is clearly therefore an advertising item and may even have been a free piece of stationery provided by the company (it would be nice to think that was handed out to customers flying with Canadian Pacific – if anyone knows if this was the case it would be nice to hear from you – please leave a message below).
This item has rounded corners all around and you can see the perforated edges on the inner boarder. The outer boarders around the picture of the airplane are gummed on the inside and these would be licked to then stick the two halves together. The receiver would then tear along the perforated edges to access the hidden sealed message written inside. This copy here is clearly unused and was a recent addition to my collection (many thanks to William Allen in Western Australia who sent this to me).
04/06/2016
LION BAR (Nestle)
“It’s a Beast of a Bar”
Published by
AVANTCARD AUSTRALIA
Ref: #1548
(Issued 1997)
Before I became diabetic I used to love these bars and ate rather too many of them especially the King Size version they made (thus the diabetes!)
The bar was originally designed by Alan Jane Norman for Rowntree’s in the 1970’s (Norman was an ‘Experimental Confectioner’ – which sounds like a dream job). If you lived in Dorset in 1977 you might have been lucky enough to have obtained one of the very first Lion Bars as they were trialed here first before the general UK circulation. I was also interested to read that in some areas it was called the ‘Big Cat’ bar but for me it has always been the Lion Bar.
Nestle acquired the brand in 1988 and changed the packaging apparently (although I suspect not greatly as it still retains the lion’s head and the word LION in similar, if not the same colours!).
As this Australian postcard shows the bar was available there but according to the internet only in European import shops which seems a bit strange and would not explain why the bar was being promoted via this card! Apparently the bar is also available (occasionally, or so they say) in the US, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan.
04/06/2016
STATE POLICE BARRACKS AND BROADCASTING STATION
AT JASPER, INDIANA
Manufactured by Wayne Paper Box & PRT. Corp., Fort Wayne. Indiana
Ref: N-428
Jasper is apparently a city in Dubois County, Indiana (US) and was in 2010 the 55th largest city in Indiana and is the county seat of the Dubois County and has been since 1830. The area is sometimes called the ‘Wood Capital of the World’ because of the number of furniture companies located here.
The police station depicted here has not changed much on the outside and is, I believe, still being used although the mast has been changed and is now a much more modern design.
04/06/2016
GO AHEAD MAKE {UP} MY PAY!
EQUAL PAY DAY
Novelty Tattoo attached to front of postcard
Published by
AVANTCARD AUSTRALIA
Ref: 13622
Issued 2009
Attached to the bottom right corner of this postcard is a detachable ‘tattoo’ which reads ‘EQUAL PAY DAY’. The same tattoo can be seen on the arm of the woman depicted on the cards image.
Text on the reverse side gives details of the 2009 ‘Equal Pay Day’ (see below image). An interesting postcard and a very topical subject which it is nice to see has been the subject of a postcard promotion. I also wonder if anyone did wear the tattoo?
04/06/2016
FLOTTA LAURO
TURBONAVE ROMA / TURBONAVE SYDNEY
“FLEET LAURO”
The FLEET LAURO was a shipping company which did run cruise liners and which was based in Naples.
Two of their cruise ships were the ROMA and the SYDNEY which looked identical although the ship depicted here on this postcard is the ROMA. Both ships had a fascinating history.
The ROMA was laid down in 1942 at Tacoma at Seattle-Tacoma SB, Corp and was launched under the name ‘GLACIER’ on 7th Sep 1942. On 31st July 1943 she was commissioned by the Royal Navy and served during the war as HMS Atheling, an auxiliary aircraft carrier.
Her sister ship the SYDNEY was laid down in San Francisco as a C3 cargo ship to be called ‘CROATAN’ but she too was completed as an auxiliary Aircraft Carrier like her sister the ROMA. The SYDNEY was named HMS FENCER and became the Royal Navy ship on 27th Feb 1943. This change over to aircraft carrier design came about as part of the ‘Lend Lease Agreement’ with the US and they were completely redesigned to become escort aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy.
Both ships operated successfully and at the end of the war, in December 1946 were returned to the US Navy who designated them as part of the reserve fleet located at Jacksonville, Florida. Here they stayed rusting away for many years.
Both the ATHELING and the FENCER were eventually bought by LAURO LINES and rebuilt into modern fancy passenger liners and re-named ROMA (Atheling) and SYDNEY (Fencer).
They then both moved into the Italy – Australian route service in 1951 and became popular and set some high standards for cruising.
Although both ships moved around a bit the story then becomes even more confusing as the ROMA was sold and scrapped in Savona in 1967. But then the SYDNEY was renamed ROMA (see what I mean about confusing – so the image here could be the SYDNEY renamed ROMA!). Having been re-named ROMA the Sydney then had a very unsuccessful period where she was pretty much sold on every year:
1969 – sold to ARETUSA SpA di Nav
1970 – sold to SOVEREIGN CRUISE SHIPS Ltd
1971 – sold to Mediterranean Cruises and renamed again to GALAXY QUEEN
1972 – sold to G. KOSZOVILLIS who renamed her ‘LADY DINA’
1973 – sold to MARIMINA SHIPPING Co and renamed ‘Cariba 2’
1974 – sold to ship breakers Terrestre Marittima who commenced breaking her up in Sep 1975 (she was then 33yrs old)
I don’t know about you, but I found this an amazing history and one I only discovered because I looked into the story behind the ship pictured on this postcard.
04/06/2016
ANIMAIL
(see what they did there with the spelling? Very clever idea – ANI-MAIL)
ROYAL MAIL PHQ/STAMP CARD SET
Stamp set (sheet) issued 17th May 2016
When this set was released it caused a lot of consternation with stamp collectors with a lot of discussion as to whether these were stamps or stickers! As a result, there was quite a split amongst them with people very much either in the ‘Hated’ or ‘Liked’ camp (with quite a few in the hate camp). Myself, I was very much in the ‘Like’ camp, in fact I love these shaped animal stamps and could not wait for the PHQ Stamp Cards to arrive so that I could post them here. It may be because of my love of the novelty item (I have posted a number of novelty postcards across this webpage so some might not be too surprised).
The stamps were issued on a sheet in a line and have been designed to appeal to the younger collector. Because of the cut out shapes they look quite unusual on these postcards but with the actual stamps applied on the front (cancelled first day of issue with a special hand-stamp look great – this is how I now collect my PHQ cards).
So here are the six animals individually depicted on their own postcard and two cards which depict the entire stamp sheet but because the sheet is so long it has been cut in two and half of the sheet attached to each of the two ‘Sheet’ postcards (with the larger sheets this is how these have to be done to collect them as first day cancelled – you may remember that this was the case with the Queen’s birthday sheet posted recently).
The stamps were designed by Osborne Ross
ANIMAIL
PHQ 415 (1) 5.16
WOODPECKER
“Animals – Designed for Children” Birdie Close, Birmingham cancel
03/06/2016
JANINE VAN MOOSEL
Freelance Artist and Illustrator
Illustration
Comics
Portrait
Fan art
I met Janine on her stall at a Memorabilia fair at the NEC Birmingham last year. She had some very interesting cards on which were depicted some of her artwork pieces. I have a great interest in films and comics and her artwork fitted nicely into my themes. I bought five of these cards and Janine very kindly signed all of them for me. The cards do not indicate what their titles are but the content on the front is obvious. I depict here all five signed cards.
03/06/2016
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TOUR
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD
FAR LEFT – ‘THE COLLAPSING BRIDGE’ – ‘Once your tram is on the bridge there is no turning back!”
Ref: 120084
NEAR LEFT – ‘A clap of thunder, a torrential downpour, “Watch Out!” It’s the Flash Flood at Universal Studios Tour’
Ref: 120085
Two tourist postcards from the Universal Studios park in California (Universal City) in Los Angeles. The area obviously originally opened as a film studio way back in April 1912 and has been, and is a working film studio. It also opened as a theme park on 15th July 1964 and it is from here that these special effect tram ride tour images come from. The bridge used to collapse as the trams crossed and rivers used to spray up and I believe the tram used to tilt as well. These cards are not as popular as those showing the Disney park but they are still of interest to those who have visited the park (I have not been California so I am not amongst those, I just like theme park postcards in general, Disney in particular)
03/06/2016
LONDON
HORSE GUARDS, WHITEHALL
Published by
J. Arthur Dixon
Ref: Lon. 425
“The front of the Horse Guards, Whitehall, is one of the most famous sights in London. Through the archway, over which rises the clock tower, the way leads to the Horse Guards Parade – the scene of London’s greatest pageantry”
(Text from reverse side of postcard)
This is a nice photograph of a building that has hardly changed at all since this photograph was taken, which was probably in the early 1960’s (possibly even the late 1950’s). Two Horse Guards can still be seen mounted on their horses outside here to this day and I have seen them often as I have walked past here too many times to even consider. I wonder how many photographs have been taken of the Horse Guards here? It must be millions.
03/06/2016
KEEP HOLLAND CLEAN, 1953
Painting by CHARLES BURKI (1909 – 1994)
Published by
ART UNLIMITED, AMSTERDAM
Ref: C 7186
This postcard goes to show that you truly can find just about anything depicted on a postcard, even a Dust Cart, or if you like, a Bin Lorry as we would call it here in the UK. What-ever your feelings towards a bin lorry appearing on a postcard you must surely admit that the image itself is extremely well drawn and it is an excellent and unusual transport themed postcard.
03/06/2016
WALSALL SECURITY PRINTERS
14p and 19p Machin Head definitive stamps
1963 – WSP – 1989
“After 25 years of stamp production for over 60 overseas governments. Walsall Security Printers are proud to have been asked by the British Post Office to produce Definitive Postage Stamps.
To commemorate this event we have produced a Postcard featuring an enlarged reproduction of the stamps taken from the original artwork designs used by Walsall Security Printers”
(Text from reverse side of postcard)
The above text explains just about everything you need to know about why this postcard was issued and although it is a lovely postcard for postcard collectors it is even more collectible to philatelic and stamp collectors.
REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD
Copies of the two Machin head definitive stamps depicted on the front of this card, and printed by Walsall Security Printers, have been applied here. They have been cancelled with a special handstamp:
FIRST BRITISH STAMP PRINTING
WSP
WALSALL SECURITY PRINTERS
25 APRIL 1989
WALSALL
02/06/2016
CELLIE CROSS, HINDHEAD
(Celtic Cross)
Published by
INGE’S SERIES
Ref: 200118
Celtic Cross, Gibbet Hill, Hindhead Common, Surrey, Great Britain
This Celtic Cross was apparently erected on the spot where three murderers were hanged in chains for the murder of an unknown sailor who had been travelling along the Old Portsmouth Road on 24th September 1786. The three murderers were Edward Lonegon, Michael Casey and James Marshall. The unknown sailor had stopped at the Red Lion Inn in Thursley where he met the three others, also seafarers, and treated them to drinks. They all left the Inn together and walked over Hindhead Hill where the three attacked the sailor and killed him and took all his money and cloths.
The three later attended the Sun Inn in Rake where they seem to have tried to sell the sailors cloths. This was a mistake and aroused suspicion because the news of the sailor’s murder had already reached the occupants of Rake. The constable was called up and all three were arrested. They were tried for murder six months later and then, once convicted, were taken to the scene of the crime and hanged in chains on a triple gibbet as a warning to others.
The unknown soldier was buried in Thursley churchyard with his grave marked with a stone which depicts a carving of the actual murder taking place, a scene of three men attacking another.
02/06/2016
ROYAL MAIL HOT AIR BALLOON
Unknown Printer / Publisher
Royal Mail related postcard images are always collectible as the theme crosses with those who collect philatelic items and anything which relates to the movement of mail. This postcard is probably an unofficial issue as there is no text on the reverse side at all (it only has a centre dividing line and a stamp box) but it has a fantastic image on the front and only cost me 75p.
02/06/2016
FORTRYLLET
‘ENCHANTED’
“Du onskes en fortryllet jul”
(You onskes an enchanted Christmas)
Published by
GO-CARD (2007)
The film Enchanted was made by Disney and was a live action, with front and end animated segments, film which starred Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey, who appear here on this poster like design. The film came out in 2007.
This is a normal sized postcard which is actually made up of two separate pieces which are two individual posters held together by a perforated cut centre parting. What makes this an even more interesting and unusual item is the fact that each of the two separate mini-posters has its own full individual postcard reverse. So, what you really have here is two postcards! Joined together! I like novelty items and I consider this card to fit into that theme, as well as ‘Film’ and ‘Posters’.
01/06/2016
CALCITE CRYSTALS
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND MUSUM, LONDON S.W.7
SPECIMEN No. MI 19704.
Ref: MN 17375
“Crystals of almost transparent calcite (Calcium Carbonate) from Bigrigg, Cumberland: Magnification X2”
I remember the Geological Museum and visited it many times as a young child and you can still see the museums carved stone entrance despite the fact that museum has become part of the Natural History Museum and no longer lives as an independent museum. It was a museum that I was fond of and I was sad to see it all but disappear. So these older postcards issued by the museum are a nice souvenir of my early trips.
01/06/2016
HEINKEL H.E. 111H.
HISTORIC AIRCRAFT MUSEUM, SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
Printed by
FIDELITY PRINTERS, BASILDON, ESSEX
FIDELITY COLOUR CARD
“Built for the Spanish Air Force in 1951 and has featured in many films, such as ‘The Battle of Britain’. Now at the Historic Aircraft Museum, Southend-on-Sea”
(Text from reverse side of Postcard)
I remember this museum well as I attended it several times as both a child and a teenager and it built in me a love of military aircraft as many were included in the museums displays, like this Heinkel which was of a type used by the Germans in WWII, although this one is an older post war model – correct full description ‘CASA2. 111 G-AWHB’.
The museum opened in 1972 (Friday 26th May) but the planes started to be moved onto the museum’s site in 1970 when the project was pushed forward by a group of local enthusiasts who helped make this a successful prospect.
Although an initial success, and much enjoyed museum it did slowly fall out of favour over time and due to dropping attendance it finally closed after just over ten years on 27h March 1983. The planes and other exhibits were all auctioned off on 10th May 1983 – it raised £175,000.
01/06/2016
BREAD
CARLA LANE ….. RIP
Roma Barrack
5th August 1928 – 31st May 2016
BREAD Publicity card/photo hand signed on the front by the entire initial cast of this comedy sit-com:
Joey Boswell (Peter Howitt)
Adrian Boswell (Jonathon Morris)
Aveline Boswell (Gilly Coman)
Billy Boswell (Nick Conway)
Nellie Boswell (Jean Boht)
Jack Boswell (Victor McGuire)
Grandad (Kenneth Waller)
Julie (Hilary Cowson)
Freddie Boswell (Ronald Forfar)
Bread was just one of the many sitcoms written by Carla Lane which included ‘The Liver Birds’ and ‘Butterflies’ (see posting at bottom of this Blog Page). Much of her writing was based on Liverpool characters and this is where she was born and grew up. As a television collector I am aware of her contribution to TV writing and was sad to read of her death in today’s newspaper. I thought this unusual item would be a good commemorative (and a scarce little item to have been genuinely signed by the entire original series cast – not sure what the value would be but I suspect for any fan it would be an essential addition)