16/12/2019
“THE GRUFFALO”
ROYAL MAIL PHQ STAMP CARD SET
PHQ Set 463
(postcards that reproduce the Royal Mail’s stamp releases)
Stamps issued – 10TH October 2019
(As always, I have my copies used with the appropriate stamp applied to the front of the card and cancelled first day of issue with a special hand stamp)
‘A MOUSE TOOK A STROLL’
Published by
ROYAL MAIL
Ref: PHQ 463 (1)
Before I go any further, I should point out that I am two sets adrift here as there have been issues with my shipping and Elton John sets. I will be getting these, but I cannot delay moving forward with depicting these card sets as I want to do the Christmas set before we ‘actually’ get to Christmas! The missing two sets will be posted on the website at a later-date, I promise.
Meanwhile we have this set which was issued to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of the children’s book ‘The Gruffalo’. In my mind an excellent set for postcard reproduction although the stamps themselves were much derided by stamp collectors, because they felt the book did not merit such a stamp issue.
16/12/2019
CHRISTMAS 2019 COUNTDOWN
CHRISTMAS POSTCARD SELECTION
I have looked with some amazement and found that it is only nine days till Christmas Day! How did that creep up so quickly? I always show some Christmas postcards in December, but I think I have only once before done a daily countdown selection, but I have so many Christmas postcards I thought I would do one this year.
UNTITLED
By
MILA MARQUIS
Published by
EDITION GOLLONG GMBH
Printed in Germany
What better way to start than with a postcard received from America and my friend Frank, the ‘Postcardist’. This design has added glitter applied to the front, which is always nice and something which more often turns up on Christmas postcards than any other design type.
WE WON’T GO HOME TILL MORNING
‘A HAPPY CHRISTMAS’
By
LOUIS WAIN
Published by
RAPHAEL TUCK & SONS
Ref: “OILETTE” – LOUIS WAIN’S CATS Postcard C132
On this postcard the Christmas printing in red top right is an addition as this card can be found without this, but its inclusion allows this to become a slightly more unusual part of my Xmas countdown. Louis Wain was a very famous cat postcard artist in the early days of the picture postcards and his card designs are highly collected with some reaching three figures (although not this one).
UNTITLED
CHRISTMAS PUDDING GLITTER BALL
NOVELTY SHAPED POSTCARD
Published by
PAPERCHASE
You have to love a shaped postcard, and paperchase seem to be producing the best ones. This one was issued for Christmas 2018 (not seen it this year… yet, buts it’s probably too late for its return now). I found this quite amusing because I’m of the age where I remember well the disco glitter balls and fondly remember dancing, well stumbling around, underneath them.
16/12/2019
UNTITLED
By
ANDREW RAE
Published by
ANDREW RAE
I picked this one up at the outdoor book sales area on the south side of the Thames yesterday. Sometimes I look at a postcard and my brain will think; “What?” This was the case when I saw this design. There are some very strange looking people and creatures contained here and I had to have it.
16/12/2019
TO HOME FROM LONDON
I was in London yesterday and visited the Christmas Markets dotted along the south side of the Thames. I came across two stalls, one just along from Tower Bridge, and one at the other end opposite the Embankment, which were for artist material for this ‘TO HOME FROM LONDON’ partnership. Bianca and Nacho are a Brazilian girl and an Argentinian boy who met up in Rio before moving to London together. Their artwork is fun and includes a small range of postcards. Below I reproduce just three of these, the ones I bought (but there are others in the same format: London Bus, Taxi, The London Eye and a cup of tea, for instance). The cards are not titled or numbered.
POLICEWOMAN
‘YES, MY LOVE?’
Published by
TO HOME FROM LONDON
It could be a policeman of course, but for some reason I see a policewoman. I don’t know why.
15/12/2109
KRYPTA CHRAMU SV. CYRILA A METODEJE –
MISTO UKRYTU A BOJE PARASUTISTU
The Crypt of Cathedral Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Published for the church
NARODNI PAMATNIK HRDINU HEYDRICHIADY – MISTO SMIRENI
PRAVOSLAVNY KATEDRALNI CHRAM SV. CYRILA A METODEJE V
Last night members of the Essex Police Military History Club had a meal in the SPECIAL FORCES CLUB, London, a private members club with entry only granted to members (who had to be in or are in any branch of the secret services, including the SAS and Special Boat Service or any other intelligence based section – they have a strict selection process) or people invited as guests of members. The walls of the hallway and staircase of the club are covered with photographs of past intelligence people from SOE, the Special Operations Executive, who were tasked during the second world war by Churchill to set Europe ablaze. Large numbers of these SOE agents died, especially the female radio operatives. Despite the sombre atmosphere created by the stories behind the many photographs of these lost operatives we had a smashing meal on the premises and a fascinating guided tour by a member who told us all about the many people depicted in these photographs.
Some of this talk of agents being dropped into enemy territory on secret missions and resistance work reminded me about my visit earlier this year to Prague where I visited the church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius. Here in the crypt of this church the assassins of the Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich (Operation Anthropoid) had been hiding out when on the 18th June 1942 they all met their deaths at the hands of a massive SS siege. These agents, all previously from Czechoslovakia and who were trained in the UK and operated by SOE, were parachuted into Czechoslovakia on the 7th May. There is now a memorial to these Czechoslovak operatives in the crypt of this church. I went down into this crypt where each of the men is commemorated, you can see some of their busts in this photograph. All these brave men, if they had survived this operation, and the war, and remained in the UK would have been eligible to have become members of the Special Forces Club (as this club was initially created for former members of SOE after the war, although now days the membership has expanded out, as said, to include other current and past post WWII branches of the Intelligence community).
This postcard is one of a few sold exclusively at the church, but none of them capture the awfulness of the story, or the aftermath of Heydrich’s assassin, but it does make a great souvenir of a visit to this historic crypt, somewhere I recommend anyone visiting Prague to visit, especially anyone with any interest in this World War II story.
KRYPTA CHRAMU SV. CYRILA A METODEJE –
MISTO POSLEDNIHO BOJE PARASUTISTU
The Crypt of Cathedral Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius
NARODNI PAMATNIK HRDINU HEYDRICHIADY – MISTO SMIRENI
PRAVOSLAVNY KATEDRALNI CHRAM SV. CYRILA A METODEJE V
Another postcard showing part of the crypt and another of the commemorative plaques.
PRAVOSLAVNY KATEDRALNI CHRAM SV. CYRILA A METODEJE
Cathedral Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Official Church Postcard
This postcard shows the outside of this church. The entrance to the small museum and the crypt is slightly off this photograph, further along on the left-hand side. The entrance to the main church itself is up the steps and through the large ornate metal gate and straight ahead. The commemorative tablets depicted below are on the right-hand side as you go through this ornate gate.
(LEFT SIDE)
POMNIK 294 SPOLUPRACOVNIKU A PRIBUZNYCH PARASUTISTU POPRAVENYCH
1942 – 1944 V MAUTHAUSENU
‘Remember the 294 who cooperated and were relatives of the parachutists and who were executed
1942 – 1944 in Mauthausen [a concentration camp]
Published for the church
NARODNI PAMATNIK HRDINU HEYDRICHIADY – MISTO SMIRENI
PRAVOSLAVNY KATEDRALNI CHRAM SV. CYRILA A METODEJE V PRAZE 2
(RIGHT SIDE)
POMNIK SE JMENY 294 PRISLUSNIKU NEKOMUNISTICKEHO
ODBOJE POPRAVENYCH ZA POMOC PARASUTISTUM,
2011, AUTORI: M SEBOROVA, J. P. CHABLAIS, P. TOSNAR
‘Remember the names of the non-communists executed for patriotism,
2011 Authors: M Seborova, J.P. Chablais, P. Tosnar
PRAVOSLAVNY KATEDRALNI CHRAM SVATYCH CYRILA A METODEJE, RESSLOVA 9a, PRAHA 2
These two postcards, both on sale exclusively at the church, depict the memorial to all those who were connected with the parachutist assassins, either through family connections, or through co-operation, who were subsequently executed. This included all the children, however young, of those who helped shelter the parachutists or assisted in any other way. The list includes whole families.
Clearly this is the same photograph used on two postcards, one with and one without a brown boarder. Why both are available I dont know, but I like it when there are what I call variants on an issue, and they have very different reverse sides and reverse side text blocks - for a collector like me this means both cards need to be bought, although most non-collectors, and many collectors would opt for one or the other (probably the one with the boarder as this one works on the eye best)
RELIGIOUS INFORMATION PLAQUE CARD
(NON-POSTCARD)
I picked up this card during my visit to the church. It is postcard sized but is not a postcard. It depicts a wall painting, or church memorial with an image of the church and the priests. It also has a Nazi headed serpent across the bottom, which was the bit that caught my eye. I have this card with my postcards, as depicted above, and I think it goes with them nicely.
NON-POSTCARD ITEM
MINT CHOCOLATE WRAPPER
SPECIAL FORCES CLUB
(With the clubs ‘SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE’ logo/mascot)
Photography of any type, and mobile telephone usage of any type is strictly prohibited within the Special Forces Club, but I did get to save the gold coloured foil wrapper to the chocolate that came with the after-dinner coffee. This has the club’s exclusive logo on it. I now have this in a plastic postcard sleeve in my collection as a miscellaneous item (it is a nice little souvenir of a visit to a very special building)
13/12/2019
New TAB
DISNEY ‘WONDERGROUND’ GALLERY
I have been a fan of these expensive official Disney theme park postcards for a few years now. I have already depicted quite a few across the normal webpage pages, but I have bought many more on my travels in Florida. I have decided today to create this new tab and show you a larger number of these art cards. Once you click on the tab you will find two sub-tabs; WONDERGROUND 1 and WONDERGROUND 2, which have been populated with a reasonably large selection of these very interesting large postcards.
13/12/2019
MAGGIE
By
SYD BRAK
Published by
ATHENA INTERNATIONAL LONDON
Ref: 9375
Boris Johnston has come to power in an era when modern postcards are much in decline. I only have two postcard which show Boris and I have posted both of these on the webpage before, and I do try, without good cause, not to repeat postcard images (I have a standard TV card for such celebrities that pass away and another for recording artists). As Boris is currently, after last night’s success, often being compared with Maggie Thatcher I thought this postcard image was somewhat appropriate – just substitute Boris’s face here!
13/12/2019
AH, BELGRANO!
INSTANT RESPONSE UNIT No. 3
By
PAUL MORTON
Published by
LEEDS POSTCARDS
Ref: L 414
So, it’s the morning after and Boris has won a landslide victory with a majority for the Tories not seen since the days of Margaret Thatcher, seen here on this political satire postcard published by Leeds. The title of this postcard harped back to the slightly earlier controversial decision during the Falklands War to sink the Argentinian battleship ‘Belgrano’. This design compares that sinking to the downing of Iranian Airbus A300 Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes on 3rd July 1988 by a surface-to-air missile. Both incidents are still the subject of much discussion. Postcards have never been afraid to touch on sensitive and controversial issues and points and long may it remain so.
12/12/2019
I have been doing some tidying up on the home page with all the tabs. All the postcard images are still here but all the monthly Tabs for 2016, 2017 and 2018 have now been placed under single year tabs. If you click on the year tab, then you will get a page of tabs for every-one of the months laid out across the page. This just cleans up the main webpage home page.
12/12/2019
1966 LEYLAND TITAN PD3
BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND MOTOR OMNIBUS TRUST
Published by
DANIEL HILL ENTERPRISES, BIRMINGHAM
A ‘DANIEL HILL’ POSTCARD
Ref: PRESERVED BUSES
NUMBER 5 IN A SERIES
FIRST EDITION OF 1000 POSTCARDS
I could tell you the history behind this bus, but I don’t need to because it is printed on the reverse side. So, you can read this on the below image. I bought this one because I liked the image and I have always been a big fan of old buses.
12/12/2019
PIPPI LANGSTRUMPF
Pippi Longstocking
POP ART NEW GENERATION
Published by
NOBIS DESIGN
Ref: ng005
Made in Germany
I have previously posted a photographic postcard depicting the main character from this Swedish TV series from 1969. This art design shows the character as played by Inger Nilsson. There is a lot more information on the previous posting, but I must say that I was delighted to find this card whilst in Berlin on my last trip. Being a major fan, and collector of television related postcards I am probably amongst a small group of British collectors who would have recognised this image for what it is. Adding new TV related postcards to my collection is probably my biggest collecting joy.
12/12/2019
“BALLHAUS RESI”
BERLIN SW 29, HASENHEIDE 32-38
Unknown Printer
This is a postcard I bought in Berlin, another one which came from the street antiques area I have previously mentioned with other cards I obtained from here.
The “Resi” was the nickname of a large and very luxurious premises officially called ‘The Residenz-Casino at Blumenstrasse 10’. It was a dance hall, one with some famous connections to Berlin. Over its history it has had other names, including the one here, ‘Ballhaus Resi’ (other names have included Tanzpalast Resi, Residenz Casino and the simple name ‘Resi’).
It was opened in 1908 but became popular later during the Weimar period. The building was so big that 1000 people could use the dance floor, under a reflective glass ceiling. Or they could visit any of the four bars and even ride a carousel inside the building!
There were a couple of interesting aspects of the hall which are often mentioned in history books. One is the 100 mirrored globes which opened and closed to the rhythm of the music being played by the orchestra. Another factor was the 200 private telephones fixed to tables and other locations around the venue. Customers could use these phones to contact other tables (I assume to flirt with that tables occupants). In 1928 a dancing water feature was installed and I believe this is what can be seen on what appears to be a stage in the background, although the one depicted here is not the original 1928 feature as the original building closed just before the war in 1939. What I believe you are seeing here is the re-created ‘Resi’ opened in 1951 in Hasenheide 32. This postcard I believe is from the 1950’s and possibly from quite close to the opening of the recreated dance hall at the new location. This new Resi building was a big hit and extremely popular with British and American servicemen and women, with the telephones being used again. Sadly, this new ‘Resi’ was closed in 1978 and the building subsequently demolished later that year.
This postcard cost me 5 euros, but I think it was worth every euro as it comes from a period of Berlin history which I find fascinating.
12/12/2019
WALT DISNEY WORLD
DISNEY PARKS
POSTCARD PACK
Set of 10 Postcards
FRONT COVER OF PACK
This is one of the four standard postcard items on sale across the four theme parks in Walt Disney World and the resort areas (and the Disney shop in Orlando Airport). This was not on sale when I attended the parks last year during the summer. So, this pack has come on sale during the last year and a couple of months. This pack is probably the best valued postcard item in the parks at just $9.99 (before tax). Considering the cost of the two individual available Disney postcards around Walt Disney World ($2.49) these pack cards almost seem a bargain.
I depict below all the cards from this pack:
12/12/2019
AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE
‘In the Moonlight’
Ref:
M.J.S.
136
This is a postcard that was posted from Germany in 1917, just a year before the end of WW1. It Was posted within Germany to another German address. I liked the front of this design, a classic postcard image, although perhaps not one sent during what was a terrible war period, but it was the usage on the reverse side which also appealed,
12/12/2019
CAMP D’AUVOURS –
MITRAILLEUSES EN BATTERIE
Published by
CLICHÉ H. COLLET, LAVAL
This postcard was posted in 1913. It depicts a French machine gun battery unit. I bought this postcard in 2004 on a visit to the Normandy D-Day beaches. I liked the look of the image and the early machine guns they have here. I also got caught up in the postage date; 1913. This is just one year before the first world war. Did this unit fight together in the early days of WW1? If so, how many of the soldiers depicted here were killed during the war? These questions fascinate me. Its what makes collecting old images on postcard so interesting.
12/12/2019
STATE HOUSE FANEUIL HOUSE
KINGS CHAPEL THE HUB
OLD STATE HOUSE
OLD NORTH CHURCH
BUNKER HILL MONUMENT
Published by
THE NEW ENGLAND NEWS COMPANY,
BOSTON, MASS
The scenes on this art postcard all depict scenes in and around Boston with the Bunker Hill Monument which is in Charlestown, Massachusetts. A nice early(ish) American art multi-view postcard.
REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD
There is an interesting aside to this side of the postcard. It was clearly used, but was it ‘actually’ posted or sent inside an envelope, or failed to be posted at all? The reason why I ask this is that the 2 cents stamp applied here has a wavy line machine cancellation which clearly does not travel over onto the postcard itself. To me, it seems clear that this stamp was cancelled whilst it was on another envelope or postcard. It has been applied to this postcard later. Why would this be? Two possible reasons come mind:
1) The sender put an already used postage stamp on the postcard in the hope that it would slip through the system without this being noticed – this did sometimes happen
2) A dealer or other salesperson looked at this card and there was no stamp on it (perhaps an original stamp had fallen off or been removed by a stamp collector). Knowing that a used postcard would look more attractive and wanting to sell this they applied a used postage stamp to it (it would have been a very cheap stamp) to make it look ‘right’. I know that this has happened before, and that it was not an unusual procedure in the past. So, which is it? I think the second option feels right to me.
12/12/2019
UNTITLED
NOVELTY STITCHED MATERIAL
Published:
COMERCIAL PRAT – RIPOLL ESPANA
Ref:
C. P.
PATENTE No. 46.372
A type of postcard which is oh so typically Spanish in design. The real material, cloth and linen, postcards are a famous Spanish design and tourists have been buying and sending them from Spain for decades. So many have been produced over the years that they are easy to come across, but they also can easily be damaged so perfect examples are sought after.
12/12/2019
THE SUFFRAGETTE
‘A DEPUTATION INTERVIEWINGA CANDIDATE
Published by
THE RAPID PHOTO PRINTING CO., LTD., LONDON
Ref: 5137
Considering today is Election day, as previously mentioned, I thought this early postcard would also be an appropriate addition to the webpage. This shows suffragettes having a chat, he says with a laugh, with a local political candidate. I am not sure these deputations were met with much appeal at the time, but although not popular at the time the subject of Suffragettes is a very popular collecting theme these days.
12/12/2019
TWIN DIESEL-ELECTRIC
BRITISH RAILWAYS
SCOTTISH REGION FORMER DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES
No’s 10000 AND 10001
WITH A SCOTTISH EXPRESS,
CLIMBING THE LAST STEEP SLOPE OF SHAP BANK
Published by
VALENTINE & SONS LTD, DUNDEE AND LONDON
Ref: “RAILWAY ENGINE” SERIES
1714
I do like these Valentines railway engine art cards and they are becoming more and more collected by those compiling railway themed postcard collections.
12/12/2019
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
1946 –
42ND U. S. PRESIDENT
Copyright MORRIS KATZ
Painted in the Old Masters Style
Published by
CLASSICO SAN FRANCISCO INC
Ref: 185-042
Welcome to ELECTION DAY here in the UK. I have already been to the polling station and placed my ‘X’ on my voting form. No, I am not going to tell you who or what party I voted for because I have always tried to keep my webpage apolitical. I will depict postcards both pro and anti all the parties (I can’t take the blame if certain parties and certain past and present political persons have more anti or pro postcards published than others, but I have never aimed to politicise any posting beyond the depicted image, which I am not responsible for).
So, how do I depict a political occasion without given precedence to one or other UK political party? Well, leap to another country and depict a card of one of their political past leaders. So, here you have the 42nd US President. Having depicted this card, I have nicely avoided any UK political bias, well done me… but I have of course now trod badly on the current US political position as the current occupant of the White House and the Presidency is facing impeachment charges (not that Clinton himself sailed through his presidency without any issues!!!). Isn’t the current world political scene a minefield? But for a normally non-political person like myself the current situations are mind boggling!
I will follow todays voting with some interest as like many people, what ever their views may be, I believe todays UK vote is an important one. Tomorrow will tell…
12/12/2019
DAVID BELLAMY ….. RIP
David James Bellamy
18th January 1933 – 11 December 2019
Well known television Botanist, author and environmental campaigner. When I was younger Bellamy was one of the people on TV who was talking about the countryside and flowers and wildlife and who kept my interest in this theme going. At the time he was as big as David Attenborough, but more recently Bellamy has been away from the broadcasting world. In my collection, in storage, I have a stamp cover signed by David Bellamy, so I have his signature. He is one of my childhood heroes and I was saddened to here of his death this morning.
MINTS
By
ROSEMARY LINDSAY SBA
INDIAN INK DRAWING WITH WATERCOLOUR
(Clockwise from left)
MENTHA X GENTILIS – Ginger Mint
MENTHA ROTUNDOFOLIA – Apple Mint
MENTHA X PEPERITA CITRATA – Eau de Cologne Mint
Published by
ARIA CARDS
5 BURBAGE ROAD
LONDON