03/11/2018

(NON-POSTCARD ITEM)

THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY

A Book by

ERIK LARSON

Just before I went on my most recent American holiday, the trip from New York to San Francisco, quite by chance I had read this book. It is about the 1893 Chicago World Fair, otherwise known as the ‘Chicago World Columbian Exposition’. The story, a true one, tells the tales of this great event through the history of two people. One is Daniel H. Burnham, the man tasked with creating this spectacular fair, and H. H. Holmes, a serial killer who used the popularity of the fair to murder a number of women who were visiting Chicago to attend the fair. If you like a good history book, I can thoroughly recommend this one. At the time of reading I had little real knowledge of either party or the Exposition/Fair.   

THE WHITE CITY

CHICAGO’S WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION 1893

A BOOK OF POSTCARDS

(A collection of 30 Related Postcards)

Published for

THE CHICAGO MUSEUM

By

POMEGRANATE

Considering how little I knew about this event, before having read the above book, you can probably imagine how delighted I was to come across this postcard book containing 30 images related to the event, especially as I found it in Chicago on my trip. This gave me the opportunity to see some of the structures that I had only recently read about. It was great to add a visual view with the great historic stories I had only recently become aware of. My fascination with the above book did lead me to pick up a few items on my Chicago stay which added to my knowledge and my collection.

Now, I like to keep my postcard books intact (some like to take them apart and have the individual postcards removed, so therefore loose), but this makes it very difficult to depict the contents. Below are some of the postcards contained within this book partially photographed whilst holding the book carefully open. These are therefore not up to my normal quality, but the ones I have opted to show give you an idea of the type of cards contained within.

REVERSE COVER OF THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

The postcards contain a number of photographs of the buildings and structures of the fair/exposition, but also some posters and paintings.

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK - the world's first ever FERRIS WHEEL - one of the highlights of the fair

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

POSTCARD FROM INSIDE THE ABOVE POSTCARD BOOK

NON-POSTCARD ITEM

CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE BOAT TOUR TICKET

ARCH-HIS

(ARCHITECTURE HISTORY)

DANIEL BURNHAM

On our first day in Chicago Jo and I went on an Architecture Boat Tour, one which travels up and down the waterways between the skyscrapers and other amazing buildings which make up the centre of the city. We were each given an individual ticket, and purely by coincidence, or was it some sort of synchronicity that I received the ticket which depicts Daniel Burnham, the head designer and chief organiser of the stunning buildings and layout of the Columbian Exposition, and one of the two men I had read about in the top book. This ticket even had a potted history of the man on the reverse side. To make it even more unusual there are a whole number of different people depicted on these tickets, so the fact that I received this one seemed like fate to me. I am so glad I got to read the book before I went to Chicago as it changed a lot how I felt towards the city and greatly improved my visit.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE TICKET

With potted history of Daniel Burnham

NON-POSTCARD ITEM

JO’S TICKET

This one shows that there were other tickets, when I spoke with other people on the tour, around fifty people, I only found one other person with a Burnham ticket.  

NON-POSTCARD ITEM

STAMP MAGAZINE

November 2018

Article from current issue

When I got home from my holiday, I had the most recent issue of the monthly STAMP MAGAZINE waiting for me. Inside, completely by coincidence was this small segment, of a larger article, which was all about the 1893 Columbian Exposition.  

02/11/2018

R.M.S. QUEEN MARY

FINAL DEPARTURE FROM SOUTHAMPTON

1967

Published by

HARVEY BARTON OF BRISTOL LTD

(Published in conjunction with:

Southampton City Council)

Ref: E1BG

The Queen Mary left here on this date to make her way to Long Beach, California where she moored up and was turned into a hotel. I already knew all this information before I had the pleasure of spending a night onboard her last month. This postcard was also in my collection before I left for America, but like many postcards it gained a whole new aspect after my visit. I have said before that it is travel and adventure that broadens a postcard collectors outlook and collection. It is this aspect of life that affects what people then go onto collect; life should not be all about postcards, postcards should be all about our lives, which is the right way around.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

A traditional Harvey Barton reverse from this period

02/11/2018

GREETINGS FROM LONDON

Published by

FISA

GOLDEN SHIELD

Ref: L 250

I don’t think they do this one anymore, but I would not be surprised to still come across some being sold somewhere in London, in one of the small souvenir shops or stands. I picked this one up for 20p in a cheap box at a postcard fair. I wanted this for the policeman’s helmet, obviously.

02/11/2018

SIR BRUCE FORSYTH C.B.E

FEB 1928 – AUG 2017

PRESENTER, ACTOR, COMEDIAN, SINGER, DANCER, SCREENWRITER

Published by

CoIR CARDS

Ref: 2017.CR.231

I have had this postcard for quite awhile and had scanned it earlier in the year, maybe even last year. It has been waiting for something to trigger me into putting it here on the webpage. Tonight, I was eating whilst my wife was watching a recorded episode (is that the right word?) of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, I assume last Saturday’s. I have never been a fan, and I am aware that this probably puts me in a minority, but I will admit that me wife and daughter are big fans. Because of the family’s fondness for this I have been in the same room whilst it has been on. Personally, I don’t think it has been the same since Bruce Forsyth had to leave the show. Thinking of all this reminded me of this card, and there was the trigger.  

02/11/2018

UNTITLED

Cloth Butterfly on white rose

Published by

THE POSTCARD STORE

(No Reference Number)

I only came across this company earlier this year. Their postcards appear to not be titled and no details of any photographer (and I think all the cards I have seen have been photographic, so far) are given. Despite this lack of information, I like these, they are very simple, but, they catch the eye, as I suspect they are designed to do.

02/11/2018

1928-9

HORNBY

BOOK OF TRAINS

Artwork by

PRICE THREEPENCE

Published by

ROBERT OPIE

THE ROBERT OPIE COLLECTION

In their:

HORNBY TRAINS SERIES

Ref: 01HT 02

This is another nice postcard from this popular and prolific postcard publisher. The image is from Roberts own very extensive collection of advertising material. Any railway collector would be delighted to add this card to their collection.

02/11/2018

HI THERE!

JOIN THE FUN!

CELEBRATE THE NATIONAL POSTCARD WEEK

MAY 5 – 11,

1985

Design by

DOROTHY LAUGHLIN

MIAMI, FLORIDA

Printed by

3 – STARR PRESS, IOWA

Although printed for use during the 1985 National Postcard Week these postcards were printed in 1984, as shown by the printer’s year date at the bottom of the card on the reverse side, see below. Dorothy was a regular issuer of NPW related postcards, many of which were interesting designs. I like the fact that Dorothy hand coloured each of these postcards herself (or so I have been led to believe, and I thinks its probably true). If these were hand coloured by Dorothy I wonder how many she had printed, I suspect not a great deal. The addition of Donald Duck makes this an unusual Disney themed postcard and possibly one which many Disney collectors are unaware of. Collecting these NPW postcards from America can be an interesting thing to do.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

02/11/2018

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

100 YEARS OLD,

AND CELEBRATING.

NATIONAL POSTCARD WEEK

May 1^st – 7^th

1988

Published and Produced by

CLARENCE and RUTH PRINGLE

Using

3 Starr Press (Printers)

The LONG BEACH CENTENNIAL logo top left is an actual applied sticker, one which I assume was available for the centennial and which Clarence and Ruth incorporated into their NPW designed postcard. I wonder if they stuck these down individually to each card or whether this was part of the production procedure for the postcard. The number produced is not recorded on this postcard, but I suspected it was a great number. A simple postcard, but one released for the National Postcard Week which was also a postcard connected to another celebrated event.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

02/11/2018

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH,

RAYLEIGH (ESSEX)

Photograph by

D. BELCHAM

Printed by

AFFORDABLE COLOUR PRINT

For

THE FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY, RAYLEIGH

(Sold in aid of above organisation)

I know the outside of this church well as one of my stamp clubs meets in their hall which is round the back of the church. Having been seeing the church regularly for what must be 25 odd-years now, I had not been inside it until today. My reason for visiting today is an exhibit mounted around the outside of the church which relates to the centenary of the end of WWI, and the general commemoration of Armistice Day which is this month. Whilst inside the church I found this postcard on sale, so I have bought it to show you what the church normally looks like compared with the photographs of how it currently looks below. This is a good example of using a postcard to remember an event or exhibit. I also picked up a copy of the Parish Magazine which gives the background around the current WWI poppy display. I shall keep the postcard here with the magazine in my filing Case as I like to keep things like this together.  

PHOTOGRAPH

02/11/2018

The outside of the church is currently covered in netting on which have been placed hundreds of hand-woven poppies.

PHOTOGRAPH

02/11/2018

This is a close-up of the poppies and the solider cut out which fronts the display.

PHOTOGRAPH

02/11/2018

Wide view of the church

PHOTOGRAPH

02/11/2018

The inside of the church has a range of displays which have been created by school children from the local area. These are very well done and make a visit to the inside of the church a must at this time.

PHOTOGRAPH

02/11/2018

Another of the internal displays related to the 100^th anniversary of the end of WWI, although the lost of other 20^th and 21^st century conflicts are also remembered around the church.

01/11/2018

WHO’S GOING TO BE THIS YEAR’S

MAJOR

ATTRACTION?

1992 MODERNS POSTCARD FAIR

LAKESIDE PAVILLION

NOTTINGHAM

SATURDAY, 28^TH MARCH

Published by

WEE TOMMY

Limited numbered edition of 500 postcards

1992 seems so long ago, but I remember attending this fair, which was a cracking day out for any modern postcard collectors. This was one of the unofficial postcards released for the event. It depicts the then Prime Minister John Major and the previous Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was still a very popular postcard subject at that time (and still is to be fair). My copy of this postcard is numbered 405. This card would suit those who collect ‘Postcard Fairs’, Political and, with the rather unexplained addition of Mickey Mouse (unless there is some sort of political satire comment being made here), Disney collectors. Not bad for a single card.

01/11/2018

GREETINGS FROM

ORLANDO

MCDONALD’S

EPIC McD

McDONALD’S RESTAURANT

INTERNATIONAL DRIVE, ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Official Advertising Card – Designed to look like a postcard

Only available at the depicted single McDonalds Outlet – International Drive

When I was in Florida in July/August of this year we ate here at this McDonalds restaurant. To be honest we were here just because my son wanted one of the Big Mac commemorative medallions and someone had to eat a Big Mac to get one, so we came here for lunch and to get him his coin (he collects coins and medallions, collecting runs in the male side of the family). Whilst here I found this card, not a true postcard as you can see below, but it has been designed to look like a postcard layout. I took a couple for my collection knowing that they would fit in my miscellaneous collection. I also know that there are a number of dedicated McDonalds merchandise and advertising material collectors out there and anything like this card retains its interest with them.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE ADVERT CARD

01/11/2018

AMERICA SALUTES THE US TEAM

XXV OLYMPIAD

1992

Published by

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

Ref: 36 USC 380

This is an official postcard which was pre-addressed to the ‘GO TEAM USA’ PO Box number. The idea was that you, if you were an American or supporter of the American Olympic team, would write a message, I assume of support, to the Olympic Team and the card would be sent to the team in Barcelona. Text on the reverse side states that a giant replica of this postcard was to be assembled in Washington DC on the 12^th July 1992. The Summer Olympics of 1992 were held in Barcelona between the 25th July and 9^th August and this postcard is a nice official piece of related memorabilia  

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

01/11/2018

SO WE’LL MEET AGAIN

BUY MORE WAR BONDS

Issued by

THE U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

WAR SAVINGS STAFF

I saw this postcard pictured in a catalogue many years ago and have always wanted a copy. So, I was delighted to find this one whilst going through a box of postcards at an antiques fair in Florida a few months back. It is an iconic wartime poster design and one which is well worth seeking out but be careful as the price for this does fluctuate, especially on eBay where I have seen it priced between £5 and £25. This one here was a bargain though at $1.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

01/11/2018

HARD ROCK HOTEL

LAS VEGAS

The World’s first Rock-n-Roll hotel and casino

Official Advertising Mail Postcard

I have eaten at the Hard Rock in Orlando at the Universal Studios ‘City Walk’ area, and I have seen the Hard Rock café in Denver, but I have never been to Las Vegas. So, when I saw the front of this card I was only partially interested. Then I turned it over and saw the lovely reverse side printing and the BULK RATE overprinted FIRST CLASS postage paid pre-printed ‘PAID PERMIT’ mark. Seeing this made me far more interested in it and when I found another, see below, I knew this was coming my way (and it was just 50 cents, so it was a no-brainer in the end).

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Purple is not an unusual colour to find having been used on the reverse side of this sort of pre-printed advert mail send out. The text also gives us some dates which help us to make some assumptions around the postal date that this was sent out, and I believe it was either December 1996 or very early to middle January 1997.

HARD ROCK HOTEL

LAS VEGAS

Rock this Town

This card has a nice front, but not one which would necessarily lead me to buy the postcard if it was a little bit expensive, but again the reverse side is fantastic and full of interest. The reverse side, and the 50cent price meant this one also came my way.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

This one almost certainly was sent out in 1997. It has a great reverse side, packed with information and although some postcard collectors do like these pre-paid advertising send outs I think they are an interesting part of the postcard story, and I think they are certainly real postcards.

01/11/2018

UNTITLED CAT FACE POSTCARD

EMBOSSED PICTURE POSTCARD

Unknown Printer – Publisher

Ref: Series No. 30

This was one of my Florida Antique Fair ‘cat’ postcard buys, from back in August I think. This has some nice embossing and is an older card. There is a hand-written date on the reverse side of 3^rd October 1911.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

31/10/2018

FEELING CHEERED…

…BY OUR FRIENDSHIP

Published by

THE POSTCARD FACTORY

(ONTARIO)

Ref: PC57-PH-GEN 708

(Printed in Canada)

Eeyore is my wife’s favourite Disney character, so she would really like this image. This is another of the postcards that can be found in the gift shops and souvenir stores outside of the Walt Disney World theme park area in Florida.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Another nice reverse side from this company

31/10/2018

QUEENS

FOUNDED A.D. 1340

Unknown Publisher

This is a nice early postcard which depicts the University of Oxford, Queen’s College. As the text on the front explains the college was founded in 1340. Although no publisher is named it is probable, given the image, that this postcard was locally available in Oxford although this does mean that it was locally published/printed. The quality of the photograph is very good and the heraldic shield on the left side is embossed. I believe this is pre-World War I and may have been printed in Germany, or more precisely, Saxony, as many postcards were during this period.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

You can see the reverse side of the embossed shield from this side

31/10/2018

THE GREAT WELL

CARISBROOKE CASTLE

I. W. [Isle of Wight]

Unknown Printer / Publisher

(but almost certainly locally produced on the island)

It has been a long time since I last visited Carisbrooke Castle and I on my trip they still had the Donkey’s there and the big wheel that the donkey’s used to bring water up from the bottom of the well. On my visit they still sold a postcard depicting the donkey on this wheel.

Thankfully the buyer of this postcard also wrote the date and location on the reverse side, which I assume to be the date of their visit, the 4^th August 1925. As always, this addition of the hand-written date helps someone like me place this postcard on a time line, this means that this card was on sale at this time, it does not tell me how long the card had been on sale for prior to this, but at least I have knowledge that this card was on sale in the mid 1920’s.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

31/10/2018

UNION STATION

DENVER, COLORADO

Published by

COOPER POST CARD CO, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO

Ref: C-398

We arrived at, and left, Denver from this fantastic looking station. I loved the look of it and took a number of photographs (I took a lot of photographs on my ‘across USA’ journey, over 9000, with a number being of this structure). Having seen this building, I again took a look on eBay to see if there was anything postcard related out there. That was how I came across this postcard, which I immediately bought. I have always liked the way travel has opened-up new postcard hunts for me.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

There is a very useful hand-written date in the stamp box which nicely places this in 1969. It looks like someone bought this card, probably as a tourist holiday souvenir and then in pencil wrote the date 4.6.69 (if this was an American this will be the 6^th of April, but if it’s a European, which I doubt as I bought the card from an American, it is the 4^th June 1969). At lest the year of purchase is clear.

PHOTOGRAPH

12^TH OCTOBER 2018

It is amazing that this building still looks almost the same now

31/10/2018

CHANNEL

KFEL 2 TV

DENVER

NBC – DUMONT

Transmitter – BUFFALO BILL HIGHWAY

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, COLORADO

Official KFEL-TV Channel 2, Denver confirmation of reception report postcard

Whilst I was in Denver on our recent holiday we visited the grave of Buffalo Bill. So, I think it was synchronicity that when I had a look on eBay back in my hotel room I came across this postcard from 1953. Not only was I in Colorado and had visited Buffalo Bills gravesite this card had a fantastic television connection, a theme which is top of my collecting interest list. This was not a cheap postcard though, but I felt it was destiny that I had come across it and I knew that I would almost certainly never see another one, so despite the price, which although high was also not extreme (well, in my opinion), I had to have it. I paid, and the card was waiting for me for when I got back home last week. I love this card.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

This has a nice meter-mark (PO Meter 229240) applied postage paid sticker for DENVER COLO [Colorado] – ‘Best in view on Channel 2’ dated 10^th August 1953. The postage address is New York (which I had also visited at the start of my trip). This reverse side has a whole load of interesting information which adds interest and some value to what I believe is a fantastic piece of early television memorabilia.

31/10/2018

‘POSTCROSSING’

Now that I have signed up to the ‘postcrossing’ craze, where you send postcards out to randomly chosen addresses across the world and receive a postcard from a randomly picked person also on the ‘postcrossing’ webpage site, I am receiving unusual postcards from all over the world.

You have no idea what you are going to receive, and I think that is part of the fun of this craze.

I will be depicting the cards I get here on the webpage.  

LANCERS FROM 3^RD SILESIAN CAVALERY REGIMENT

By

GRZEGORZ CHUDY

Unknown Publisher

(the sender has placed a sticker across the centre which may be covering the publisher and or printer details)

Ref: PLO539

I have ‘Military’ as one of my interests on my ‘postcrossing’ profile, so it was great to receive this one all the way from Poland sent to me by Kasia.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

This has a nice flower, a Lilia, stamp from Poland which has been cancelled with a ‘Krakow N1’ circular date stamp dated 16^th October 2018. The grey strip down the centre is an applied sticker, placed on by the sender. The ‘postcrossing’ community like to put stickers on their sent cards, and I like the uniqueness this adds to the cards I receive.

31/10/2018

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

To all our webpage readers

(especially to our American friends)

HALLOWEEN

TRICK OR TREAT

Lantern Press Original Poster

Published by

LANTERN PRESS

Ref: #88045

I have saved up this one especially for today, as obviously it is perfect for todays celebrations and festivities. Jo is currently putting up our Halloween decorations and then Jo and our daughter Rebecca will be awaiting the hoards of children with our buckets (and it is buckets as well!) of sweets.

Whilst I am here I must send out my very special thanks to Frank Roche who very kindly sent me this postcard all the way from America. Frank also used some very special stamps, which he knows I like to collect on postcards (see below)

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Frank used three of the recent ‘ART OF MAGIC’ USA issued postage stamps. These are the first examples of these stamps I have obtained, and I love collecting and receiving different stamps on postcards, especially as you have an item that has travelled through the postal system and achieved its ultimate result (thanks again Frank).