27/04/2018

SILVER WEDDING

OF

THE QUEEN

AND THE

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

1947 – 1972

First Day of Issue used

Maxi-Cards

Published by

PHILART PRODUCTIONS LTD

These postcards were printed ‘especially’ to receive the 3p and 20p Silver Wedding GB (UK) stamps issued on 20 November 1972. Here one stamp has been applied to each card and then cancelled with the Windsor, Berks first day of issue special hand stamp.    

27/04/2018

FRENCH

CARTE POSTALE

‘Postcard’

When I was last in France a few weeks ago I, as previously mentioned, and depicted on the facebook page, visited a little antique collectors shop which specialised in postcards, money and stamps. Whilst here I found a box of these early – 1870’s – little postcards, and when I say box I mean a box of what must have been three to four ‘HUNDRED’ of these cards.

I picked out six of these for my collection as I liked their design and smaller size. I picked out three with 10 cent stamps and three with 15 cent stamps, and I tried to choose the ones with nicer writing and general look.

Text in French across the top reads:

PRIX pour la FRANCE et l’Algerie : 10 centimes pour la meme ville

ou la circonscription du meme bureau : 15 centimes du bureau a bureau

PRIX pour les PAYS ETRANGERS avec lesquels l’echange des Cartes

postales est authorise : 15 ou 20 centimes suivant la destination

(Translation: )

PRICE for FRANCE and Algeria : 10 cents for the same city

or the constituency of the same office : 15 centimes from the office

PRICES FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES with whom the exchange of cards

is allowed : 15 or 20 cents depending on the destination

Down the left side there is the following text:

L’addresse seule doit etre mise de ce cote de la carte

L’autre cote est reserve a la correspondence

(Translation: )

The address alone must be put on this side of the card

The other side is reserved for the correspondence

And lastly, there is a box f text down the right side of these postcards. This text reads as follows:

Lorsque la carte est a destination

d’une ville, indiquer tres-exactement la

rue et le numero de la maison.

Quand elle est destinee pour une

commune rurale, indiquer le nom du

bureau de poste qui la dessert

(Translation: )

When the card is at your destination

of a city, indicate very exactly the

street and the house number.

When she is destined for a

rural municipality, indicate the name of the

post office that serves it.      

The top card was destined for Lille, and as 10 cents was used for postage I must assume it was locally posted as well, if the above instructions were stuck to. This was posted in 1878

The bottom card was for Rouen under the same rules as the above card although here I can not make out the year of postage, but I liked the boxed HOTEL ALEXANDRE cachet applied in the top left corner.

TOP

Another posted within and to a Rouen address. The stamp has a tab attached to the left side which I quite liked. I am not positive, but I think this was posted in 1877.

BOTTOM

The bottom one here is addressed to Loiret but it was posted from another area as a 15 cents stamp was used. Unfortunately, the other handstamps can not be made out so the location it came from is unknown. This one was ‘definitely’ posted in 1877.  

TOP

Posted from Bordeaux to Sotteville-les-Rouen (in the Normandy region of Northern France) with cancellations for both locations, although the Bordeaux ones are feint. This also has a nice oval cachet bottom right which I suspect is from either a shop, company or retailer of some sort, located in Bordeaux. Posted 1877.

BOTTOM

Posted to Rouen Seine-Inferieure from a location which I can not quite make out on the other hand stamps, and my knowledge of French locations is not that great (and someone else has tried to make it out as well and pencil marked a ‘?’ beside the hand stamp top right. As a 15 cents stamp has been used we can at least say it was from another area of France.

So, these were the six that I bought, and I was quite pleased with my selection. I could easily have picked out more but these ones seemed to be the most interesting ones that I found, and they were a bargain at just 50cents each – a bargain I thought (perhaps I should have bought more….. )

26/04/2018

A WEE BIT

SCOTCH

FROM

CRAIL

‘THE HARBOUR’

Published by

VALENTINE & SONS LTD, DUNDEE

‘VALENTINE’S REAL PHOTO’

Ref: D. 1375.

A Scottish deckle-edged postcard which was posted to America in the 1960’s, I suspect the early 1960’s but the date is unclear beyond the first ‘6’ of the year tab. As it is deckle edged this leads me to suspect it is from the earlier years of that decade. It is a simple design, but an attractive early post WW11 one which incorporates a topographical photograph with an extra postcard sentiment half as well, combining elements to make for a more interesting design.

I have always preferred, with no real reason as to why, postcards that have been posted from the location to which they are connected. It seems right to me that a postcard like this, depicting a scene from Crail, Scotland, should have been posted from Crail and have a 'Crail' postmark cancelling the stamp - this one does. I know that there are some people, quite a few really, who collect postmarks, and they seek out postcards as often these are the best source of postmarks from smaller locations around the country (and the world for that matter). Many postcards have entered the collection of a postmark collector, and why not, as the reverse side of postcards can often be no less interesting than the front.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

This was posted to North America but a 2 ½ d Wilding QEII definitive was used as postage, but this was the postcard rate for UK addresses only so the postage was underpaid. Therefore, it received a purple US Charge to pay cachet/mark:

U. S. CHARGE………….   

TO COLLECT 4 CENTS

This charge was to be collected by the receiver of the postcard, Mr & Mrs Green in San Francisco. The big blue 'T' coloured pencil mark is an indication that 'to-pay' tax is required here because the card has underpaid postage. It was a way of noting that money was due.   

26/04/2018

BRIDGE STREET,

WICK

Anonymous Publisher

Posted to Italy in 1902

Wick, for those who do not know, is a town and royal burgh in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. This very early undivided back postcard has a cracking black and white photograph which I suspect is packed with local history information. I have never been here but sometimes I look at a postcard on a stall and something about the image fascinates or interests me, and that was the case with this one. It did not hurt the case that it was a cheap card either, another of those 50p buys which I can never resist.

PHOTOGRAPH

I am not sure when this was taken, but fairly recently, but it shows that it has not changed that much by the looks of it.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Posted from WICK, with a superb double arc circular date stamp (type 9/25 in the Stanley Gibbons Postmark catalogue) cancelling the 1 penny stamp – dated 2 JU (July ?) 1902. Addressed to Milano (Milan), Italy it has received a Milano (Milan)receiving mark of indistinct date.

26/04/2018

DUNBLANE HYDROPATHIC,

PERTHSHIRE

Anonymous Publisher

Posted 1911

This is now known as the Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro, a hotel, but it was once the Dunblane Hydropathic Establishment, opened in 1878. This was a Victorian health spa resort where you could drink the local spring water and enjoy (if that is the right word) a range of hydropathic treatments. As times changed the guests came for the countryside and outdoor activities. During World War I the building was first used to house evacuated girls from a boarding school and later as a centre for convalescing soldiers on leave from the front trenches.

When the structure was to be ‘Opened up’ again as a new hotel in 1946 the opening (or ‘grand re-opening’ as it was called) was badly affected by a fire which caused extensive damage to the buildings north wing, still extensively damaged and shut off when the hotel was re-opened a week later.

In 2009 the hotel was bought by the Ability Group who spent £12 million on a refurbishment and it is now a well-known and well-respected hotel, one where the 2012 Olympic Torch visited.

Not a bad little old story behind an old postcard which I picked up for just 50p.      

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Posted to Germany in 1911

26/04/2018

JOHN WESLEY

A MEMENTO OF THE SOJOURNINGS OF THE LATE

JOHN WESLEY IN CORNWALL

BORN ON JUNE 17^TH, 1703

DIED IN HIS 88^TH YEAR

MARCH 2^ND, 1791

Published by

PHILIP’S PHOTO SERIES,

TRURO

This is an interesting religious themed design from Cornwall. I know that John Wesley has a very dedicated band of thematic collectors. I know one of these myself as he is a member of one of my stamp clubs, he will buy anything that is John Wesley related. He does not have this card and is a bit jealous that I picked it up for just 50p at a recent Stampex show. I think this a nicely constructed design, with the portrait and photographs of locations connected with the life of John Wesley. Although I do not specifically have an interest in religious based postcards I can still recognise an interesting one when I see it.

25/04/2018

GARRY PARSONS

ILLUSTRATOR

Published by

BOOMERANG (Cinema)

This is another example, two, actually, of an artist using the Boomerang postcard new artist facility where they would publish your artwork and distribute it around their free racks. I believe these two cards appeared at the same time, or at least very close together. These are simple, but they appeal to me – and they were free of course (at least originally, not now though as you will need to hunt them down from a dealer or on eBay)

25/04/2018

CHINA

POSTAL STATIONERY POST CARD

NAVAL MILITARY THEME

I have little knowledge of the Chinese Postal Stationery post card issues, but this does not mean I will not pick them up if I find really cheap ones like this one, which cost me just 50p at a recent Stampex show. As a collector of Military themed postcards, old and modern, I liked the image used and it’s a lovely card.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTAL STATIONERY POST CARD

With pre-printed stamp

25/04/2018

HAVIN’ FUN IN DORSET

Published by

HAPPY HOLIDAY CARDS

For

BREWIN’S BRUINS

THE SWANAGE TEDDY BEAR SHOP

(5 MERMOND PLACE)

This is a good example of why it is always worth looking around when you visit somewhere new. This was found in a Teddy Bear shop and is an exclusive to them. Lots of cartoon animals here in a design which is a bit ‘Enid Blyton’ like with a 1950’s, 1960’s feel to it.   

UNTITLED

Published by

HAPPY HOLIDAY CARDS

For

BREWIN’S BRUINS

THE SWANAGE TEDDY BEAR SHOP

(5 MERMOND PLACE)

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Nice faded background image  - makes the back almost as interesting as the front

24/04/2018

DISNEYLAND PARIS RESORT

STAR WARS

3D, LENTICULAR (Moving Image) POSTCARDS

Theme Park Exclusive postcards

These excellent postcards were picked up on my most recent (three weeks ago now) trip to the Disneyland Paris theme park. I think they are great additions to any Star Wars collection and although they may appear a bit blurred here (there is always an issue with scanning these cards because of the 3D effect) the actual images are sharp and superb, and the 3D effect is really good.

The cards are not individually titled or numbered, but they do have different reverse side images, all depicted below. I have depicted the three postcards which I found, which I suspect is the complete range as I saw no others despite searching every store/shop inside and outside the official parks.

(On some of these images you will see some vertical lines – especially on the right side on the reverse side images. These are from the cellophane bags that these cards are sold in. I have not removed the cards from these bags because the cards are being protected by these - the plastic surface used with these cards can be easily scratched, so I have not removed these)

24/04/2018

BONNE ET HEUREUSE ANNEE

(HAPPY NEW YEAR)

EMBOSSED FRENCH ISSUED POSTCARD

Anonymous Publisher

A simple design, but here produced in a then common form of postcard issue where a smaller central image, normally at his time a painting or drawn image, within an embossed boarder placed at the centre of a postcard. The reverse side is not divided so this card was issued before 1910, and the stamp is cancelled 1908 (the ‘Divided Back’, where half is for address and half for a message was invented in the UK in 1902, but it still took awhile to transfer over to other countries and regions). On this particular-card the hand stamp has attached to the stamp but has barely printed upon the card itself. Although I think this is a simple design, I still think this is an attractive early card, one with little real catalogue value, but an early example of its type (and I think 1908 was a late usage for this card)

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

24/04/2018

THE NOSTALGIA POSTCARD

COLLECTOR’S CLUB

Published by

IRIS Publishing Ltd

(Printed in England)

SECOND POSTING

This is a further selection of these unusual information (postcard sized) cards.

As with the previous large posting I have displayed both sides of the cards as the reverse sides are packed with information about the images.

I have tried to pick out some of the more unusual cards, and some of my favourites, for whatever reason – often because they are unusual!

I will start off with two which I like for completely different reasons, but both really good ones! The top is a postcard on one of these cards, it is a Donald McGill comic seaside one of typical style for his earlier issues. Donald McGill is a famous UK seaside postcard artist and I really should put some of my collection of his cards here on the webpage…. I shall add it to my ‘To Do List’.

The second is here because this is the Pier in my home town of Southend-on-Sea. I was delighted to find one of these cards depicting a local view.

(TOP)

CANVEY ISLAND 1953

The top card here depicts a flooded street in what was a major disaster for this small island close to where I live. I worked on Canvey Island for around seven years and know it really well, and although the street is not named here I am fairly certain it is Thameside Crescent, a curved road which runs off of Long Road, which cuts the Island in half across its centre. I also knew someone who lost his brother in this terrible flood, so I have some historical knowledge of it. This card is a good example of how this series covers many events with some really interesting images.

23/04/2018

Congratulations to William and Catherine on the birth of their third child

WILLIAM & CATHERINE

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE

Published by

KARDORAMA

Ref: SV – 417a

Photo Oliver Hollis

23/04/2018

RENAULT 1912

Published by

VITA NOVA

Printed in Holland

Ref: VN 425/4

A nice car postcard printed in Holland. The reverse side has no descriptive text beyond the title above, so it is as simple a car postcard as you can get, but it is still a really nice photograph.  

23/04/2018

VERNE TROYER..... RIP

1^ST January 1969 – 21^st April 2018

Actor, comedian and stunt performer

Best known for playing the character Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies but he also played the goblin Griphook in the first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.

Front cover of Harry Potter Postcard Book

23/04/2018

INTERIOR OF ST. SOPHIA MUSEUM

ISTANBUL

Published by

HER HAKKI MAHFUZDUR

KESKIN COLOR

ANKARA CADDESI

Ref: No. 98

I have never visited Istanbul, I’ve been to Turkey but went further south on my visit. This card though, when I saw it in an antiques shop, appealed to the eye immediately, as I suspect most postcard images are designed to do. Looking at this image immediately makes me want to book a holiday and visit this building as it looks amazing here.  

22/04/2018

PORTRAIT OF CHARLES 1

SIR ANTHONY VAN DYCK

(LOUVRE GALLERY)

Published by

EYRE & SOTTISWOODS Ltd,

Ref: Woodbury Series – No. 6158

Yes, I know, Deja-Vu…..

I did post an image of this very painting on the 17^th (just 5 days ago!  April 2018 Blog 3), but I was going through an old box of mine in storage and up popped this little old card. The last one was in colour whilst this one is in brown (sepia I believe is the proper title of this colour – looks brown to me). This is the oldest one as it was posted in 1913. So, with the new one I bought this year that makes three postcards I have depicting this painting, and they stretch across 105 years - thats one of the things I love about postcard collecting, the spread and age and the difference over the years between printing processes and techniques.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

22/04/2018

PICCADILLY CIRCUS,

LONDON

Published by

A. V. FRY & Co., Ltd, London

Ref: G. 124

“The centre of London’s ‘West End’. The Eros statue can be seen in the foreground.”

(Text from reverse side of postcard)

Just to highlight what I was saying about the popularity of ‘Deckle-Edging’ in the previous posting here is a card from London posted in 1958 which again has that popular deckle edge of the period. This is a nice early view of Piccadilly Circus which has that other 1950’s trend of a colourised black and white photograph. This one has some other interesting features as well including the Guinness clock, seen here on the left side edge. Guinness is a collectible theme in its own-right and this would make a great addition to such a collection. I also like all the other adverts; Gordon’s Gin. Bovril, Schweppes Tonic Water and Wrigleys gum. I think this is a nice card.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

This copy was posted to Monaco Ville, France and has a boxed added purple AIR MAIL cachet, and two 2 ½ d wilding QEII definitive stamps (5d postage in all). The stamps have been cancelled with a machine London W.1. wavy line cancel dated 28^th November 1958.

22/04/2018

L’AVEYRON

SES SITES… SES MONUMENTS

Published by

COMBIER IMP MACON

Ref: 11

This is a lovely example of a 1950’s issued French map postcard with lightly hand coloured black and white photographs placed around a central map of a specific area. When I saw this one recently in an antiques shop in France it caught my eye, as I suspect it did even more to the original buyer back then. My copy was posted from Aveyron in 1960, but the card is clearly from the decade before this, when deckle edging on postcards was all the craze. This was another bargain at just 20cents.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Someone, almost certainly a stamp collector, has removed the stamp from the back of this postcard. This was not an unusual thing to do back in the stamp collecting days of the 1960’s through to the 1980’s, although it was the 1980’s when stamp collectors started to realise that removing the stamp from a card reduced some of the information around the source, time, date and usage of the stamp. Gladly, this no longer happens and few modern era (mid 1980’s through) posted postcards have their stamps removed now.

22/04/2018

“I’VE CALLED TO HAVE A LOOK

AT YOUR HORRIBLE DISTORTIONS”

Published by

H. B. LIMITED

Ref: 7502

This cartoon comic postcard is another one from my ‘Television’ collection and can be added because of the nice wording on the workman’s case. My copy was posted in 1962.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

This one has the added-bonus of a nice slogan cancellation:

REMEMBER

ROAD ACCIDENTS

CAN BE CAUSED

BY PEOPLE LIKE YOU!

I suspect these days people would take offence at reading this, but back in the 1960’s there were a lot less cars on the road and a lot less vehicular trips, so imagine, if they needed this sort of thing back then what must it be like now!!

I have now dug out from storage my ‘COLLECTING SLOGAN POSTMARKS’ catalogue, a fantastic source of information on these slogan cancels which I have had buried away until now, so I can give you some information around this one now.

This is slogan ref. number203 and it was in use in 1962 between the 14^th and 31^st July  (with a late usage recorded at Kennington SE11 on 3^rd September (it was not unusual for a cancel to be used out of its time slot at some locations).  

20/04/2018

ZOO DE LA PALMYE

(France)

TIGER

Official Zoo Postcard

This is one of my favourite zoo’s and one I visit often when in France on my trips over there. The zoo has a wide range of postcards which they often change as well, which is nice for the collector. I will be placing more cards from this zoo in future posts.

Reverse side of above postcard

there is a fient map print on the left side which gives the Zoo's location. Most of the zoo's cards appear to have this map (the most recent ones definately)

17/04/2018

STEIFF

ZOO FAVORITES [sic]

Published for Steiff

By

BLOCK IMPORTING Co., Inc

(Made by NYACK ART, N.Y)

Ref: No. 12 of Steiff Zoo Series (37378-B)

Copyright 1960

Steiff toys are quite famous, and expensive, but very high quality. There have been Steiff postcards around for many years but this one is from the 1960’s and although American it was posted in the UK in 1966. This image depicts a family of stuffed elephant toys.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD