Happy to Have a BABY Postcards

We were exceptionally happy to add a baby to our family this year, and I want to end the year by expressing that wonderful feeling with some favorite baby postcard images.  

Above a bevy of babies enjoys the view from clouds in a star-studded sky under the benign watch of the man in the moon.  I have four cards from this series and they are magical.  Published by B.K.W.I. in black and white, they are all early undivided back postcards with flat images.

Here's an entry in the babies-under-the-stars category, but with a real photo image enriched by color tinting.  What a sweet bewildered little sitter for the photographer, with her shoes and socks beside her!  This is a French divided back RPPC.

Below are four tiny charmers on a T.S.N. postcard, a colorful flat image on a divided back postcard, postmarked in 1911.  The greeting is in German, and there's no artist's signature, even though the artwork is noteworthy.

Below is a little baby in an old-fashioned highchair, amused by tiny yellow chicks on the floor.  That sweet toothless smile is one of the enchanting attractions babies offer us.  A fine embossed postcard published by PFB with beautiful artwork by Marie Flatscher.

Below our baby in a highchair is another Flatscher design for PFB that asks, "Who would not be a father?"    Flatscher illustrated a whole series of happy childhood images for PFB, all embossed and with rich colors - many with bright red details! The series was published with sentiments printed in German and in English.

In closing, thank you for tuning in and Best Wishes for joyous holidays & health and happiness throughout 2014... 

...Toni in Florida

   

NEW YEAR Pig POSTCARDS

Good Luck in the New Year is a traditional wish, illustrated on antique postcards by a variety of Good Luck symbols.  This post focuses on the pig as a symbol decorating New Year postcards, sending wishes for prosperity to the recipient.  Our first postcard shows children with well-fed pigs, and the girl carrying a giant shamrock, another popular Good Luck icon.  Part of a series published by PFB with nice embossing.

The artist combined these smiling pigs with gold coins to send wishes for wealth and prosperity...their tails offer Good Luck for 1911.  A fun collection can be made of New Year date (or date-in-design) postcards which can be found from simple dates, sometimes embellished with flowers or gold ink, to more elaborate designs like this one.  Nice embossing and a witty image. (There is another post in this blog of New Year date postcards.) 

On this image of humanized or anthropomorphic pigs, a circus act brightens the New Year greeting.  The ringleader wears a big blue bow and a tophat.  This is a flat postcard with a silver background and a divided Winsch back. 

The pig stands for prosperity across cultures.  Eating marzipan pigs is a holiday tradition in Germany, while peppermint pigs are served in England.  Here children ski downhill with a little pig and a large shamrock.

This early undivided back flat postcard shows a glamorous lady with a short skirt and a glass of bubbly riding a champagne bottle - the flying cork pops a piglet.  Wonderful image published in Germany with risque overtones.

Above are two early undivided back postcards with cheery pig images, not titled for the New Year but showing pigs in snowy weather.  One has a holiday greeting hand-written on the front and the other is an unused Private Mailing Card.  These are flat images with superb fantasy designs of relatively realistic looking pigs.   

Below is a woman dressed as a clown riding a large pig.  Although the ride looks risky, she wears a big smile.  Another New Year Date postcard, this time for 1903.  An early undivided back flat image, sent in Belgium in 1902.

Sometimes you wish for Good Luck, sometimes it just catches up with you, as seems to be the case with this little boy losing his britches to a curious pig.  A big shamrock completes the Good Luck design.  This flat humorous image is postmarked 1913.  

PRICE ESTIMATES:  Good Luck New Year postcards with pigs can be found at all prices.  The postcards  in this post range from about $6 to $15, with the 1911 embossed pig tails being the most expensive.  These estimates are for postcards in EXCELLENT condition, and they are only estimates. 

SANTA CLAUS with No Sleigh CHRISTMAS Postcards

When I began this blog several years ago I wrote about 'modern' Santa Claus postcards at the turn-of-the-century that showed our Christmas hero in what were then innovative modes of transportation.  Of course, many of the earliest Santa Claus postcards show him walking - through snowy forests or along the empty nighttime streets of villages. He is still shown carrying his huge bag of toys, even when he's on foot, leaving us to wonder how he gets around the globe with just a staff to help him through the cold snowdrifts.  This post shows him with some fun fantasy ways of getting to all the children of the world on other vehicles.  Above Santa Claus uses a green dirigible to carry toys and evergreen trees on a beautifully embossed postcard postmarked in 1909.

Here the children meet Santa as he arrives on a little train, the kind that we might have seen at a playground or amusement park.  Even though he looks too big for his vehicle, it does provide plenty of room for toy freight.  Bright colors and rich embossing, postmarked 1911.

This is a cheery Santa on a rocking horse with a basket of toys instead of a sack.  Charming design but his proud steed wouldn't take him very far.  The postcard can be found in a silk-suit version as well.  Although there is some writing on the divided back, it hasn't been postmarked. Some collectors during the Golden Age of collecting sent postcards to fellow collectors in envelopes to protect them from the damage the mails might inflict.  This postcard, although nearly 100 years old, looks like it could have been printed yesterday.  

Here is a more traditional view of Santa arriving in town on a donkey, a time-honored mode of transportation.  He is accompanied by a solemn Angel who holds the donkey's bridle.  Also embossed and with subtle colors,  this fine image is from PFB publishers.  

Santa Claus in a boat is an unusual image - here he is navigating through rapid waters, toys on board.  The richly embossed design is highlighted with many shining silver details.  A truly outstanding Santa Claus postcard, with a bit of writing on the divided back but not postmarked.   

Automobiles were a popular way to portray Santa, and we have several auto related Christmas eve vehicles here.  Above is a simple automobile, a bit like a box on wheels, with an Angel along for the ride. Nice embossing and gold details add to this image.  Postmarked 1908.

Here is a more elaborate automobile with running board and upholstered seat.  Santa Claus looks stern; perhaps he wishes the Angels having a snowball fight would settle down - he has a lot of work to do, and not much time!   Published by Tuck, Series #C 304, this card has great embossing and bright gold added - the automobile is almost all gold.  Some writing on the divided back but not postmarked. 

Ultimately, the best form of transportation for a fellow who needs to circumnavigate the globe quickly with a weighty pack is to fly under his own super power, and here we see a postcard from a fantastic group of  illustrations where he's doing just that - stepping down from the clouds when he needs to make a delivery.  These postcards can be found with and without gold details.  This is a plain one published by S&M of New York and Berlin with nice embossing.   Writing on the divided back, but not postmarked.

PRICE ESTIMATES: All the postcards shown here are embossed with wonderfully colorful designs.  These Santa Claus designs range in price from about $15 to $60 or more, the most expensive being the rare images of Santa in a boat and flying above the town.  These estimates are for postcards in EXCELLENT condition, and they are only estimates.

Marie Flatscher CHRISTMAS Postcards

By now, readers of this blog know about my fondness for Marie Flatscher's artwork on postcards.  Since Christmas is approaching, this seems a good time to share some of her holiday designs.  Above we see a purple-robed Santa Claus accompanied by little Angels as he sleds through the clouds...a wonderful fantasy image that combines Flatscher's colorful palette and her mastery of facial expression. A flat postcard with no publisher given on the back, just the number 2237.

These adventurous Angels ride moonbeams through a black sky on these Meissner & Buch flat postcards, highlighted with gold.

Above are two more designs published by Meissner & Buch, flat postcards with pretty children in the snow...on one, a little dachshund watches as the children make and dress a snowman. Flatscher often included animals in her designs. 

Below is one of my favorite Marie Flatscher designs, of a red-robed Angel in the snowy forest, carrying a candle-lit Christmas tree.  A bevy of baby Angels surrounds her. Vibrant colors and exceptional artwork on a Meissner & Buch flat postcard.

Flatscher's designs were also published by Dondorf on flat postcards with quality detail.  Below are two Dondorf postcards, with cheery children and Angels.

The last Christmas postcard by Marie Flatscher in this post is an embossed image, published by PFB.  Little girls feed the birds on their balcony, and the sentiment is Loving Christmas Wishes, postmarked in 1909.

 Price Estimates:  Prices on Marie Flatscher designs have risen since I began collecting her postcards.  These cost me $5 to $32 for the Santa postcard at the start of the post.   Today, expect to pay several times this much for similar postcards.  These prices are for postcards in EXCELLENT condition, and they are only estimates.

FRED HARVEY U.S. Entrepreneur Phostint Postcards

Fred Harvey, born in 1835, was a marketing genius who created the first restaurant chain in the United States, the Harvey Houses.  He promoted tourism in the late 1800s and early 1900s throughout the American Southwest by providing clean, reliable restaurants that tourists felt comfortable visiting.  (Have you seen Judy Garland in the movie celebrating the Harvey House restaurants?) Harvey also developed hotels and tourist shops in the region, providing tourists with a full vacation experience.  With beautiful Phostint postcards published by Detroit Publishing, he promoted tourism in the region and educated the public at the same time.  Below is the information printed on the back of the postcard of the Hopi House above.  The opinions about Native American culture reflect the ideas of the time!

 The Detroit Publishing company was founded by William A. Livingstone and photographer Edwin H. Husher in the late 1800s, calling itself the Detroit Publishing Company in 1905.  Their "Phostint" postcards combine gorgeous images and color palettes ideal for southwestern landscapes.  Although Fred Harvey postcards were also published during the later "linen" era of postcards, this post focuses on the earlier Detroit Phostints exclusively.  All the postcards in this post are flat images.  

Below are some New Mexico hotel views on Fred Harvey Phostint postcards.  Note the proximity to the railroad lines.

Much of the Fred Harvey tourist business was devoted to promoting visits to Native American sites - here is a view of a New Mexico Pueblo and a Hopi Dance in Arizona.

A description shown below right is printed on the back of the postcard showing a "Hopi Belle."

The Fred Harvey business stayed in the family and survived until the 1960s.  Fred Harvey postcards, (both Phostints and linens) capture an era in the settling of the U.S. southwest. While some Harvey descriptions may seem dated now, they illustrate the views from 50 - 100 years ago.  It might be said that Fred Harvey tamed the Wild West, making it familiar enough for tourists to explore.  These postcards offer an historically intriguing and visually arresting glimpse into that bygone time.  

PRICE ESTIMATES:   Fred Harvey postcards vary in price with image.  Those that include pictures of people bring higher prices than those strictly limited to landscapes or buildings.  The early Phostints are generally more valuable than the later linens, except for the Fred Harvey linen travel maps, which are actively sought.  Fred Harvey postcards can still be purchased from about $6 - $12.  Seek them out at shows and you are likely to find some good buys. 

These prices are for postcards in EXCELLENT condition, and they are only estimates. 

Some Favorite POSTCARD Sellers Outside the USA

Have you ever found a restaurant with wonderful food where you loved to eat, only to discover that - over time - the quality of the food diminished?  They may have kept the prices the same, but you can no longer count on the food being as good as it used to be...disappointing! Personally, I would prefer that they raise their prices and keep the top quality. My budget might force me to eat there less often, but poor quality leads me to avoid the restaurant altogether. 

I feel the same way about postcard sellers.  

This little post is to compliment and recommend three reliable sellers outside the USA with whom I have had repeated satisfying, happy business interactions.  They each specialize in different types of postcards.  What they have in common is top quality merchandise and excellent service.  While some of their prices are significant, I have found their postcards are as described and worthwhile investments.

If you have not had the opportunity to view these sellers' offerings, they can all be found on eBay - here are their names and eBay IDs.  Happy shopping!  


Jose..............................................portugalcards

Cathy............................................cathbroc_us

Helen............................................scotsquirrelpcs  

ART DECO 1920s - 1930s Holiday Postcards

This post focuses on art deco holiday postcards from the 1920s and 1930s.  All the postcards shown in this post are divided back designs.  Since all types of art deco postcards are increasing in value, now is a great time to seek out these bright designs if you wish to add them to your collection.  Above is an especially vivid image on a flat Valentine Message, with fantastic art deco styling, gold ink added, a romantic pierrot singing to a lovely lady and a touch of decorative glitter.

This lively Christmas scene with a stagecoach in the snow is a Volland-published design.  Volland produced many attractive flat art deco holiday postcards, with the images ranging in size from small motifs to full-postcard designs.  Below is another colorful Volland art deco postcard featuring a girl in a kimono carrying a candle, her shadow behind her adding to the visual impact.

Whitney publishers also produced some fine art deco designs.  Several follow, all with vibrant colors and charming images.  The children are sweet, as usual on Whitney postcards.  The lady is unusually elegant.  All three Whitney postcards have nice embossing.

Another flat postcard with brilliant colors and gold added to the design.  Don't miss the heart-shaped flowers, a wonderful art deco element in this classy Valentine.  This is a USA-made postcard, no publisher name or logo. 

We close with a very fine white rabbit leaping over colorful art deco flowers.  On the back is advertising from the Asheville Post Card Co. in North Carolina for these Easter Penny Post Cards, at just 55 cents per hundred.   

PRICE ESTIMATES:  These postcards cost us about $3 - $10 but some were purchased over a year ago.  The prices on art deco holiday postcards is rising slowly but steadily.   Bargains are still to be had with careful searching.  As always, condition is important.  Seek out top quality postcards for investment success.