01/05/2017
THE BATTLE OF STEPNEY
2nd January 1911
Two Postcards, both Published by
VALENTINE’S SERIES
Mr Winston Churchill in the Fire Zone
For many years, I collected postcards related to the Battle of Stepney, which I knew better as the Siege of Sidney Street. There are quite a few as this was during the height of postcard production and the incident was a major news item and involved a well-known member of parliament.
The incident itself was a gunfight between a combined police and army force and two Latvian revolutionaries. After an earlier attempted robbery of jewellery, which resulted in the death of three police officers, and a further two being wounded (and during which the Latvian gang member George Gardstein was also killed) the Metropolitan & City of London Police hunted down Gardstein’s accomplices and made a number of arrests. The last two outstanding people were said to be at 100 Sidney Street, in Stepney (thus the two names for this incident). The local residents were subsequently evacuated and then the police, and later the army went through a gunfight with the occupants of the house.
REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD
Used in 1911
Mr Winston Churchill surrounded by Detectives and Armed Police
The army were brought in because their weapons were not as good as those being used against them. A siege then took place which lasted around ix hours. Sometime towards the end of the engagement the house caught fire but one of the people inside had been shot before the fire took hold. The second died in the fire and when the fire brigade were damping down the ruins the building collapsed killing Charles Pearson who was one of the firemen. Two bodies were later found in the ruins.
This was the first time that the army had been requested to assist the police in London. During the incident the then Home Secretary, Winston Churchill attended the scene and as shown by these two postcard images was close to the action. The postcards, and the images, depicting Churchill at the scene are most well-known images from the incident, but, there are many others and quite a collection cam be built up.
01/05/2017
FOR INFO SEE BELOW
GOOD LUCK FROM
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
Published by
VALENTINE & SONS, LTD, DUNDEE and LONDON
Marine Parade – The Pier – Bandstand – Boating Lake
TOP CARD – (Black) – printed in “SILVERESQUE” series
BOTTOM CARD – (Brown) – printed in “PHOTOTYPE” series
My first interest here would be the fact that the images are all from my home town, Southend-on-Sea, in Essex. My second interest would be that the two cards were from different series’ and come in different colours, black print and brown print. But, interestingly there is a third interest and this is the little kitten in the centre of both postcards. This very same kitten appears here on cards for other locations all over England and I have been collecting these for over 40years now and I pick up any that I come across. So, the kitten is an important addition here.
REVERSE SIDES OF BOTH POSTCARDS
The top Postcard was posted to Scotland in 1946 and has a Southend-on-Sea wavy line machine postmark
01/05/2017
YOU’RE INVITED HERE
IN THE OLD SOUTHWEST
FOR THE
BIG BLOW OUT!
Published by
GENUINE CURTEICH-CHICAGO “C. T. ART-COLORTONE” POST CARD
For
JOHNSON NEWS AGENCY, MIDLAND, TEXAS
Ref: OB-H1150
This postcard here was bought at a large antiques fair in Florida last year (2016)
The collecting of early black history postcards is extremely popular in America where postcards like this are eagerly picked up. This card is more Black humour rather than history but often cards cross both lines. The humour involved on some of these postcard images is nowadays often quite questionable, and in many cases very questionable and offensive, which leads me to hope that these cards are only collected for their historical significance and not with any other form of nostalgia. Postcards can be used to inform the young today about how bad things were and how badly many people were treated just because of the colour of their skin, and if these card images can be used in this way they may just, finally, become worthwhile.
01/05/2017
MAXI-CARDS
Published by
MARQUE DEPOSEE
First Day of Issue Silk Pictured Post Cards
I thought it might be time, after the Concorde card posted below, to depict a couple more of these silk pictured maxi-cards. So here is a wildlife based one and a General De Gaulle themed card.
NATURE CONSERVATION YEAR
1970 Issue (21ST March)
GREATER FLAMINGO
(SG 1871)
1st DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF GENERAL CHARLES de GAULLE
1971 Issue (9th November)
DE GAULLE IN UNIFORM (June 1940)
(SG 1937)
01/05/2017
CONCORDE
AVION SUPERSONIQUE “CONCORDE”
SPECIAL POSTCARDS and FIRST DAY OF ISSUE CARDS
Published by
MARQUE DEPOSEE
I don’t think in any other country do they, or certainly did they, produce as many maxi-card issues for the stamp releases as released in France. Several companies issue these and ‘Marque Deposee’ is one of the better-known ones and one of the companies where dealers hold stocks and cards can be found at fairs here in the UK.
This card here depicts a nice photograph of the underside of the Concorde during take-off, the wheels are still down.
The stamp applied to the front and cancelled is the 1969 issue 1F ‘1st Flight of Concorde’ indigo and blue stamp (SG 1823). I have looked at the handstamp used here and it appears to be dated 6 – 6 – 71, so this is not a first day of issue card.
This postcard here is by the same company but is one of the issues which has a silk printed image applied within a decorative boarder at the top of the card which makes the silk image look like a stamp. Under this is stuck the relevant postage stamp which here has been cancelled first day of issue – 2nd March 1969 – with a special hand stamp which features an image of the Concorde.
01/05/2017
IRELAND
IRISH PONY
3D HORSE IMAGE
Published by
JOHN HINDE GROUP LTD
This would be another novelty postcard for my collection. It is also the second of these John Hinde produced Irish 3D postcards that I have posted on the webpage. This one features a nice horse image, slightly fuzzy here because these 3D cards can be hard to scan sometimes.
REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD
The front image is again reproduced in a greyed-out format on the reverse side. The sender, my old friend David Rye, a previous contributor to images on this webpage, has posted this card using an Irish ‘post & go’ machine printed stamp. This is a real bonus for me as I collect these unusual ‘machine issued’ stamps. This one depicts jewellery from the Coggalbeg Gold Hoard (2300 – 2000BC) and was one which I did not yet have. It is nice to have an example used on a postcard to myself.
01/05/2017
KELLOGG COMPANY
TONY THE TIGER CAMP POSTCARD
Ref: 996-8-2033
Copyrighted in 1968
I have previously posted one of the cards in this series which shows Tony the Tiger walking along with a rolled up sleeping bag. This one shows Tony in his tent at night with his feet being smelled by a skunk. These are popular because they can be collected by those who specialise in Tigers, Adverts (he is after all one of the best known of the Kellogg’s cereal characters) and ‘Camping’ (they also sometimes sneak into ‘scouting’ collections as well because of the camping connection – despite there being no direct scout connection). Expect to pay £3 -£9 for this one, and others in the series, as these can be expensive on eBay, and for UK collectors as they mainly have to be sourced from America.
REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD
The reverse side of these postcards are also attractive and have another image of Tony the Tiger (so, two images for your money). I have not seen a used one of these but would like to obtain one to see if it was used properly, and if it was used by a child as I suspect they were designed to be.
01/05/2017
WOGAN
BBC TELEVISION – WOOD LANE – LONDON
Official Postcards
Terry Wogan was one of the first people to pass away after I had started this webpage and as such we commemorated this with a Children in Need charity postcard. If I had had these three postcards here I would definitely have posted these instead, but these were a very recent acquisition.
All three are promotional postcards for the ‘Wogan’ television chat show. The cards are not titled beyond that of the shows logo and that these are from the BBC Television studios at Wood Lane. They are also not numbered, so all three have the same very simple reverse layout.
This one is clearly a behind the scenes photograph which captures the comedic nature of the presenter. For a television collector like myself these are a nice addition to a collection and although the programme lasted many years these postcards are not as common as this time would seem to indicate.
01/05/2017
WW WRESTLE-MANIA XXIV
ORLANDO
“Wish you were here”
2008
Published by
BOOMERANG MEDIA
Text on the reverse side reads “Midnight Sunday 30th March Live and Exclusive”. This is an advert card for people in the UK to book to see this on ‘SKY BOX OFFICE’. Personally, I have never understood the popularity of wrestling programmes but there is no doubt that it is big business with some of the American WWF wrestlers becoming famous and big celebrities as a result.
REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD
I have shown this side as well because I liked the way they have fabricated and printed an ‘ORLANDO’ postmark in the top right corner. There is also the WW logo in the stamp box designed as a sort of stamp. My interest in this postcard is due to the television connections and it is a good example of how a theme can be stretched. This would of course also appeal to some sport collectors.
01/05/2017
MORE MISCHIEF
MORE MAYHEM
Shaun the Sheep
SERIES 3 – OCTOBER 2012
Aardman Animations Ltd
Advertising postcard promoting the fact that Series 3 of Shaun the Sheep was coming. This is the type of TV postcard which I really like as it could not be bought as it was sent out from the company themselves to sponsors and others to announce the series. Collectors like me only get copies when the people who received them pass them on. A smashing card
01/05/2017
TAG DER BRIEFMARKE 1942
AFRIKA KORPS
EINHEITSORGANISATION DER DEUTSCHEN SAMMLER
A Third Reich Nazi propaganda WWII postal stationery card which mentions and depicts aspects of the army force known as the Afrika Korps who took part in the campaigns in North Africa. This area of the second world war is of interest to me because my grandfather was in the 8th Army fighting against the Afrika Korps and as a result I collect any postcards I can find which relate.
This one has an Adolf Hitler pre-printed stamp which has been cancelled with a special related ‘BERLIN’ hand stamp dated 11.1.1942.
01/02/2017
BELGIUM
POSTAL STATIONERY POST CARDS
CAR ADVERTS
After the caravan adverts I thought I might as well show you these car ones as well as they are from the same period.
This one here is an advert for the Austin and is for a specific dealer, S. A. SOGIDA. Again, as with the caravan cards there was a need for additional postage stamps to uprate the postage cost. The two additional stamps are:
1977 ‘The Belgian Lion’ 2F orange definitive stamp (SG 2464a)
1985 ‘Birds’ 9F Eurasian Goldfinch (SG 2853)
At last we have one of these cards that did not require a postage uprate. This has a 2F. 50 value pre-printed ‘Belgian Lion’ stamp in green, when the actual postage stamp version was printed in brown. This copy was posted in 1972 and the pre-printed stamp has been cancelled with a slogan postmark which reads ‘10e SALON DU JARDIN’, which I think relates to a garden exhibition or fair.
The advert this time is for a GM RANGER and one is depicted as well. As with the caravan postcards previously posted these car ones would make a nice and unusual addition to a themed collection.
01/05/2017
BELGIUM
POSTAL STATIONERY POST CARDS
CARAVAN ADVERTS
These two postal stationery cards were both used and required extra postage via stamps being stuck to the card to uprate the postage. Here on this first card the printed postage was 2F and an extra 4F has been added via two stamps. The extra postage was probably required because the card was used some years after it was printed and the postage rate had increased necessitating the extra stamps.
The advert is for TABBERT caravans, who, according to this advert had 44 models for sale. An event called ‘CARAVAN – EXPO’ is also mentioned and I expect this was a sales show.
The stamps applied to this card are:
1972 ‘Christmas’ 3F.50 Adoration of the Magi (SG 2291)
1951 ‘The Belgian Lion’ 50c blue definitive (SG 1344a)
The 2F pre-printed stamp is in a colour which was only used on postal stationery as the normal 2F postage stamp was green in colour.
Here you have a 2F 50 pre-printed stamp and the card was uprated a further 1F via an additional postage stamp. Because of text on the reverse side I know that this card was posted in December 1972 from the Belgium district of Jumet. Here the advert is for tourist and residential caravanning via a company called PAUL VAN DAMME. This one is my favourite of these two cards. Those who collect caravans on postcard, and there must be some out there, would usually have to look for caravan park cards (like the one I posted on the website a month or two ago), but these two would be nice and unusual additions to such a collection. The Belgium postal authority have issued a wide number of modern postal stationery cards and many companies have taken the opportunity to have their advert placed on them. As such they can fit into some interesting thematic collections.
The additional postage stamp is a 1F red ‘Belgian Lion’ definitive from the 1951 issue (SG 1350). As with the above postal stationery Card the pre-printed stamp, this time a 2F. 50 value Belgian Lion, is in a colour only used on postal stationery as the actual postage stamp version was printed in brown.
30/04/2017
DISNEYLAND PARIS
MICKEY & MINNIE ET LEURS AMIS
Exclusive Disneyland Paris Postcard
Ref: FAC-020296-16340
(Original sales price 80c)
Standard styled photographic Disney theme park character postcard. This one has long been off sale so can now only be obtained through a dealer or on eBay. It is not a particularly collectible postcard but it is interesting as there is a female chipmunk character. This is Clarice and my interest in her appearance here is that she does not appear in the US Theme Parks at all now (she did make some appearances back when Disneyland was first open). Clarice only occasionally makes appearances at Disneyland Paris but is a regular, and very popular character in the Tokyo Disney parks. Her appearance here is a rare postcard appearance (and might be the only one I have).
PHOTOGRAPH
CLARICE
30/04/2017
BRAZIL
POSTAL STATIONERY POST CARD
100 REIS value (Carmine to Vermillion colour)
Higgins & Gage reference 33a
Initially issued around 1907 - 1908
33a is the version which has the accent missing over the first E in RESERVE in the bottom line of text at top (reference 33 has the accent in place). This was as the card was first issued as the accent was missing initially but sometime around 1909 the accent was added. The missing accent over ‘E’ card version is catalogued higher than the card with the accent.
This copy here was posted from Brazil to Amsterdam in 1909 but unfortunately the hand stamp applied in Brazil was not clearly applied so I do not know when it was posted. Fortunately, the Amsterdam arrival postmark is much clearer.
30/04/2017
“UW DIJLEN VASTGEBONDEN HOUDT EN ’T SAEM EENDRAGHTIG ZIJT”
This roughly translates as:
Have your differences and be successful
1893 – 1943
21st November
50 – JARIG BESTAAN
POSTZEGELVEREENIGING
BREDA
Although I am unsure exactly what this post card commemorates (except whatever it was it was the 50th anniversary and this appears to be for ‘POSTZEGELVEREENIGING’ – this might be the postal system in the city of Breda) but I do know that Breda is a city in the Nederland’s and the handstamp is for this location.
The card itself is quite simple in design but it was the applied postage stamp that really caught my eye or rather, what has happened to this stamp. The has perfins on it. Perfins in the stamp world are described as letters, initials or crests punched into the stamp in small holes. These were normally done to prevent the stamps being stolen and used privately by the staff of the company or government department that had applied the perfins. Normally the stamps have the perfin applied before they are used (obviously, considering what perfins were used for). Here though, the perfin has been applied after the stamp was stuck to the card as the punch holes have gone right through the card as well (as can be seen on the reverse side – see below). The perfin used here is:
PZV
50
This combination of letters would appear to represent the word ‘PostZegelVereeniging’ and its 50th anniversary. The stamp used is the 1943 5ent prancing horses issue from the ‘Old Germanic Symbols’ set (SG 577)
A CLOSE UP OF THE STAMP AND ITS PERFIN
REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD
Here you can see the perfin mark, set of small punch holes making a set of letters and numbers although clearly, they are reversed here – but it does show that they have gone right through the card
30/04/2017
CENTER PARCS
WOBURN FOREST
Last weekend we had a family weekend break at the Center Parcs holiday location of ‘Woburn Forest’. This was my first ever ‘Center Parcs’ experience and I was not sure if it was for me or not before going. Ten of us went along and we age ranged between 10 and 70. To my surprise, if I am going to be honest, I enjoyed far more than I expected. I was also surprised at how many postcards they had on sale. I bought 16 different, and that was not all the designs that were available. Depicted here are the ones that I did buy. These were 55p each.
TOP
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: WO 003
Although the cards are numbered they are not described and all have the same reverse layout. This one here depicts the indoor swimming pool area which is nicely heated like a tropical beach area, in fact you can see through the windows that there are tropical like plants all around the pool area.
BOTTOM
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: WO 001
I liked this artwork one which depicts the same swimming pool area but in a more fanciful way – or, if you like, a very fanciful way. But it does capture the essence of the structure.
TOP
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: WO 002
This view looks the other way (the swimming pool building would be behind you if you were looking this way). The buildings you can see at the far end of the lake are a Pancake House restaurant and the buildings for the lake boating activities. We did take out some two man kayaks (and did not capsize…!!), and we did also eat in the pancake house (their deserts are well worth a try)
BOTTOM
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 010
All of the other cards I bought had a ‘GN’ reference number so I believe these are more general Center Parcs postcards and may be available from other parcs. They have more standard images This one is typical of the type of woodland at these parcs
TOP
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 020
This strange little creature appears to be some sort of mascot styled animal and cut outs of it were all over the entrance area when we arrived. It does make for an unusual postcard and one of the more interesting ones.
BOTTOM
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 021
This little robot like figure is the less natural looking co-mascot to the above furry looking creature. Although this robot appeared on some of the paperwork I did not actual see one on the site.
TOP
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 012
Grey squirrels were everywhere and were probably the mammal we saw the most of. One used to come up to the back door in its hunt for food and look in on us.
BOTTOM
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 014
Second to squirrels were definitely the many rabbits running around. Again, we had at least one in the garden of our chalet.
TOP
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 013
I was pleasantly surprise how many pheasants there were around the Parc. This time it was the section of the family in the other chalet (we had two chalets which were a short walk apart but far enough to change the feel of the location) who had the creature coming up to their back door.
BOTTOM
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 001
Naturally enough, if you remember my initial childhood collection was wildlife based, it was the wildlife postcards I concentrated on. Depicted here is a moorhen with chicks and we did see these as well.
TOP
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 011
The Mallard is the British duck which everyone knows and see’s. It is perhaps our most common duck in city parks, ponds and other locations, as in here at the Parc.
BOTTOM
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 002
Mallard chicks, also seen around the main lake area shown on an above postcard
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 018
Birdwatching is one of my hobbies and although I did not see any bird feeders like this one in the Parc I did see all of these three birds, the robin, blue tit and great tit.
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 008
Most of the postcards I did not buy were very basic woodland views (or ones depicting the high rope adventure area, which we did not get to try). This one was an exception as I liked it as soon as I saw it. I do not know what flower this is but it’s a lovely photograph
TOP
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 015
I suspect that swans are a common feature of these Parcs but I only saw the one at Woburn Forest. This photograph here is a nice one showing an adult with three young
BOTTOM
CENTER PARCS – WOBURN FOREST
Ref: GN 016
This photograph would look good on any postcard and is a cracking action shot. This is another Mute Swan picture and one of my favourites.
So, there you have my selection. I think they have produced some very nice postcards and I don’t mind admitting I was quite impressed.
29/04/2017
MIKE LANDON
Published by
STAR PICS
STAR PICS produced a wide range of these celebrity cards, which are all individually numbered, and which all have a deckle edge. They are quite popular when they depict people such as Roger Moore (this card has already been previously posted on the webpage) and The Beatles (very popular card) and these three which depict the actor Mike Landon, who played Little Joe Cartwright in the television series ‘Bonanza’.
FAR LEFT
STAR PICS
Ref: SP 183
NEAR LEFT
STAR PICS
Ref: SP 182
MIKE LANDON
STAR PICS
Ref: SP 186
This is one of the cards which actually depicts the actor as his character Little Joe Cartwright in the television western series ‘Bonanza’.
29/04/2017
ARMENIA
60TH ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC TV COMPANY OF ARMENIA
POSTAL STATIONERY POSTCARD
On the ‘March 2017 Blog 2’ page I depicted a mint copy of this postal stationery post card. So, when I recently obtained this used copy (which may be postmarked first day of issue – but I have not been able to confirm this yet) I thought I would also post it here.
This is the envelope that the above postcard was sent to me in. I liked the stamps and the postmark and this is another example of obtaining stamps through eBay buys
29/04/2017
THE LATEST DREADNOUGHT – SOUTHEND ON SEA
Published by Unknown Local publisher
I have previously (way back in January of last year, near the start of my Blog page) mentioned the ‘Fleet Visit’ to the Thames back in 1909. The event was celebrated here at Southend-on-Sea and I have shown two postcards on previous postings. This real photograph postcard shows the local tram decked out to look like one of the dreadnought battleships which were anchored off of Southend.
Because this is a real photo postcard it comes into the more collectible area of postcard collecting and will cost more than a printed postcard. A card depicting a tram under special circumstances like this will also increase the value. Expect to pay £20+ for this one here.
REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD
29/04/2017
RACEHORSE LEGENDS
PHQ – STAMP CARDS
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Stamp set issued 6th April 2017
Here we have the next stamp issue from the Royal Mail which features famous racehorses which have been painted by Mike Heslop who took his references from photographs of the horses. As always, my cards have the relevant stamp applied to the front and cancelled first day of issue with special related hand stamps.
TOP
FRANKEL
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 427 (1) 4.17
BOTTOM
RED RUM
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 427 (2) 4.17
I don’t know very much about racehorses as I am not a gambling man but when I was younger I did bet on three Grand National races, and each time I bet on Red Rum, and each time the horse won. There was two years when I missed the Grand National as I was away with my parents, AND Red Rum did run in these and came in second place both times. Red Rum won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977.
TOP
SHERGAR
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 427 (3) 4.17
Possibly Sherger is more famous for what happened when he was stolen by masked armed gunmen on the 8th February 1983. The culprits have never been positively identified, and Sherger was never seen again. It has been alleged that the IRA were responsible for the theft, it was said in an attempt to raise funds, and that the horse panicked and was shot by one of them. The body was then allegedly buried in the mountains at Ballinamore, County Leitrim. A sad end to a famous career.
BOTTOM
KAUTO STAR
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 427 (4) 4.17
TOP
DESERT ORCHID
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 427 (5) 4.17
BOTTOM
BRIGADIER GERARD
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 427 (6) 4.17
TOP
ARKLE
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 427 (7) 4.17
BOTTOM
ESTIMATE
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 427 (8) 4.17
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