Thanks to Barenaked Ladies Another Postcard
Deltiology
I'll give you a minute to figure that one out.
OK, done?
Good, because it is the term for the study and collecting of postcards.
Hahahaha, yeah, I didn't know either.
Regardless, we went to a huge gathering of Deltiologists today. And it were fun!!
Since I've opened the door we might as well get some of the good stuff out of the way, 'Kay?
Fun Facts: A postcard is generally a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard used for writing and mailing without an envelope. There are novelty exceptions such as wood postcards made of very thin wood and copper postcards sold in the Copper Country of Michigan as well as coconut postcards from tropical islands. I am told, by my grandson, Chris, that in the U.S. the only thing other than a regular postcard that can be mailed like that is a leaf from Florida, and he even mailed me one. To see it, go to my blog, Postcard 7/23/14.
The world's Oldest postcard was sent in 1840 to the writer Theodore Hook from Fulham in London, England.
Fun Facts: A postcard is generally a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard used for writing and mailing without an envelope. There are novelty exceptions such as wood postcards made of very thin wood and copper postcards sold in the Copper Country of Michigan as well as coconut postcards from tropical islands. I am told, by my grandson, Chris, that in the U.S. the only thing other than a regular postcard that can be mailed like that is a leaf from Florida, and he even mailed me one. To see it, go to my blog, Postcard 7/23/14.
The world's Oldest postcard was sent in 1840 to the writer Theodore Hook from Fulham in London, England.
Hahaha, there will be more Fun Facts. Guaranteed.
We'd been walking around Seattle a couple weeks ago when we stumbled on a small store selling postcards. The owner waved us in and we had a nice conversation with him and got to see just a small bit of his large collection of postcards. It was cool.
He told us about an upcoming show, the Greater Seattle Postcard and Collectibles Show, so we penned it into our already busy social calendar and chiseled out a couple hours to go and see it today. It was being held in the Kent Commons Community and Recreation Center in Kent.
It's a pretty nice complex with classrooms and several indoor gyms with all kinds of different activities for kids of all ages.
Like this one. Ah, youth basketball. Keen fun.
But first, we had to get past the GateKeeper. A well-applied sample of the local script eased our way past her rather easily.
This was fun. They had thousands of postcards set out for sale plus a lot of other interesting things.
That large piece of paper on the left, just above the small pictures, is a letter written in 1863 by a slave. Interesting things!!
And they even had postcards from this sad era in human history, World War II and the Nazis. I was surprised to see these being sold. Not that I don't think they should, it's just that I never associated the Nazis with something so mundane and ordinary as postcards.
Here's a couple of them. The one on the bottom, the one with the stamps, is something about the Green Day Realm's Association of Stamp Guys. I don't know.
I did notice that each one depicts a very strong and virile looking German soldier performing some heroic deed. Postcard propaganda.
I just googled "Postcard Propaganda from WWII" and, good golly!! I hadn't realized how many there were nor how mean and nasty some of these could be. And not just about the war, there were a whole bunch of offensive cards.
Wow, live and learn!!
Hahaha, I really like these old colored cards. I especially like the old ones with the city or state spelled out in huge, block letters.
When I saw this I thought of my daughter, Amy. I was stationed there from 1974 until 1977 and Amy was born there in Panama City.
Hey!! Southern California!! Just like it looks today!!
Fun Facts: The first American postcard was made in 1873 by the Morgan Envelope Factory of Springfield, MA. These first cards depicted the Interstate Industrial Exposition in Chicago. Later in 1873, Post Master John Crewel introduced the first pre-stamped Postal Cards, often called penny postcards. Postcards were made because people were looking for an easier way to send quick notes.
The first postcard printed to be a souvenir in the U.S. was created in 1893 to advertise the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
This one reminded me of the ones my Grandma had. Love the good grammar.
And this was on the back side of the card mailed in 1918. The postmark reads REDLANDS CAL, Sep 3 7 AM 1918
Monday_9_P-M.
September_2_1918
My dear little girl-
I hope by this you and Marjorie have reached Taft all O.K. I found Leon(?) well. Harvey & Goldie left this afternoon for San Pedro - we miss you both - the time will soon roll round for your return - when we can enjoy each other company again. We think we will go on our trip in two weeks. Take good care of your self and be good. Lots of love for all. Write soon. (unintelligible)
Mrs Leon Knowlton.
Taft.
California,
Box - 1027
An interesting glimpse into an ordinary life. Note the correct spelling and the beautiful cursive writing. I am doubtful many kids in school today are learning penmanship. Bummer.
We should also note that this card, written in September of 1918, was penned during the Influenza Pandemic of 1918.This particularly deadly form of the virus infected 500 million people across the world including remote Pacific Islands and even in the Arctic. Amazingly, it killed between 50 to 100 million people - three to five percent of the world's population at that time.
Although the Pandemic officially began in January of 1918, it didn't reach Los Angeles, California until mid-September of that year and that might account for the writer not mentioning it. Oh, FYI, Taft is a bit over a hundred miles north by northwest of L.A.
I wonder if the Pandemic eventually visited Mrs. Knowlton and her family?
Fun Facts: See the bottom of the card? It says St. Patrick's Day Souvenir. I'll get to that in a minute.
Fun Facts: The Post Office was the only one allowed to print postcards and it held the monopoly until May, 1898, when Congress passed an act which allowed private publishers and printers to produce postcards. Initially, the government prohibited private companies from calling their cards postcards, so they were known as souvenir cards. These cards had to be labeled Private Mailing Cards. This was rescinded in December, 1901, when private companies could finally use the word postcard.
Still, at the time, postcards were not allowed to have a divided back and users could only write on the front of the postcard. This was known as the undivided back era of postcards. In March, 1907, the Post Office finally allowed folks to write on the address side of a postcard. After this, postcards were allowed to have a divided back.
This began the Golden Age of American postcards.
So this card had to have been printed sometime prior to December, 1901 because it calls itself a Souvenir.
There was a lot more on display other than just postcards. Like this ad from Karcher's Steam Dye Works from Los Angeles. They are still around, too. I don't know if they're still cleaning hats, though.
Hahaha, postcards from El Monte!! I looked and they were all for Gay's Lion Farm. The Lion Farm has been called the Disneyland of the 20s and 30s. It was gone completely by the 50s when they put in a freeway over it.
More postcards from Panama.
There was a lot of stuff from WWII. I didn't ask but I am assuming that these are reproductions. I should have asked, I know. Well, they are interesting even if they might be repros.
Like this map showing the war in the North Sea.
There was plenty to see and a goodly number of people there to see it. And, believe me, these people are very earnest about these cards. They are very serious and intent.
But it was a lot of fun to see these old Penny Postcards.
And this guide to the Northwest Featuring the Seattle World's Fair.
Inside it showed you how to get around The Century 21 Exposition. Hahaha, and now we're in Century 21 and we still don't know what way to go.
Some things are eternal.
Here's a display of cards featuring the Kalakala.
Fun Facts: The MV (Motor Vessel) Kalakala operated on the Puget Sound from 1935 until her retirement in 1967.
She was notable for her unique streamlined superstructure, art deco styling, and luxurious amenities. The Kalakala was a popular attraction for locals and tourists and was voted second only to the Space Needle in popularity among visitors to Seattle during the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. The ship was known as the world's first streamlined vessel for her unique art deco styling.
Here she is in her heyday.
UnFun Facts: The beautiful and graceful Kalakala is no more.
The only thing left of the iconic art deco ferry that bears any resemblance to its original rounded-steel hull is the pilot house.
UnFun Facts Cont: Now sliced in half, the rusted, elongated dome rested on a flatbed trailer with a noticeable dent, waiting to be delivered to its new owner. Private buyers bought some of the more prestigious pieces of the boat, including the pilot house, bulkheads with windows, rudder and cargo doors to preserve a small piece of the state's maritime history.
What a shame.
Still, we were talking postcards. Let's go back to that, 'Kay!?!
I imagine these were important to those on the home front.
I guess I never thought of my side using propaganda, too. This seems a bit benign compared to some other examples I saw earlier.
Fun Facts: Remember we left off talking about postcards I had mentioned that they had finally gotten to the divided back. The left section could be used for the message and the right for the address. This ushered in the Golden Age of American Postcards which peaked in 1910 with the introduction of tariffs on German-printed postcards and ended by 1915 when WWI ultimately disrupted the printing and import of the fine German-printed cards.
The Postcard Craze between 1907 and 1910 was particularly popular among rural and small-town women in the Northern U.S.
Postcards, in the form of government postal cards and privately printed souvenir cards, became very popular as a result of the Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893, after postcards featuring buildings were distributed at the Fair. In 1908 more than 677 million postcards were mailed.
Hahaha, those wacky kids and their crazy fads. Like tweeting.
I could have, honestly, spent the entire day seated at a table just looking through all the postcards. Many of them had personal notes on them.
But postcards weren't the only things on display. Politics stuck its ugly head into the mix, too.
And some of what passed for humor back in the way-back day.
There was plenty to keep the casual browser occupied.
Hahaha, and I thought this was a relatively recent fad designed to get my kids in trouble for sticking the stamps any place other than the intended book.
There was one book that was filled with nothing but Scottish Postcards. It appeared as if all the clans were represented.
Fun Facts: The last and current postcard era, which began about 1939, is the chrome era. These types of cards didn't begin to dominate until about 1950. the images on these cards are generally based on colored photographs and are easily identified by the glossy appearance given by the paper's coating. These still photographs made the invisible visible, the unnoticed noticed, the complex simple and the simple complex. The power of the still photograph forms symbolic structures and make the image a reality, as Elizabeth Edwards wrote in her book: The Tourist Image: Myths and Myth Making in Tourism.
Yeah, honest. There really is a book about postcards and tourism. I know I want it.
Hahaha, Movie Posters!
That's Al 'Fuzzy' St. John there with Buster Crabbe. He started his acting career as a foil for his comic uncle, Fatty Arbuckle and then segued into westerns. St. John is credited with basically defining the role and concept of the comical sidekick to the cowboy heroes from 1930 to 1951.
Hahaha, I would have loved to have gotten a couple of these. See that Archie comic book in the upper right-hand corner? That was published in February, 1966. I was in my senior year at Arroyo and just four months away from joining the Marines when it was published.
And I saw a whole bunch of these: Classics Illustrated.
My gosh, I read so many exceptional books here in these adaptations of singular literary classics. It was my introduction to great literature and it helped me build my vast, extensive and eloquent vocabulary. Hahaha, these and all the Archie comics with Archie and his friends.
Fun Facts: The series began publication in 1941 and finished its run in 1971, producing 169 issues.
Internet
And this calendar with Greetings For 1905.
They even had the program from the 32nd Annual Shrine East-West All*Star Football Game.
Fun Facts: The 32nd Annual Shrine East-West All*Star Football Game was played December 29th, 1956.
The West won the game, which was played in San Francisco, 7-6.
Gooooooo, West!!
Here's Bob. I learned, through my casual conversation with him that he really didn't like the football players he went to high school with. Not a bit.
But he had plenty of things to see, not just postcards. He was a friendly guy who used to be a teacher.
There were stamps and letters for sale, too.
Trivia Teaser!! If someone who studies and collects postcards is a Deltiologist, what is a person who studies and collects stamps called?
There was an amazing number of old, personal photos for sale. I hadn't realized there was such a market for them but I was, obviously, wrong.
All kinds of esoteric and arcane minutia was for sale.
(Didn't I tell you I had a kick-ass vocabulary!!)
Woo, woo!! Look at that!! Day and night classes to train you for important work you can do for the rest of your life . . . like learning Tank building skills.
Of course!! Everyone will want their own tank for commuting after the war, right?
Hahaha, Ross Perot!! Gimme Jimmy (Take him, please. And don't bring him back, either!!) Whoa, Bush and Quayle.
And then I ran into some more Nazi crap.
And a My Indian Book which is Educationally Sound.
You can believe it because, like it says, the statement is right there opposite the title page.
And it's only 29 cents!!
No comment.
Things were different a long time ago.
Did you get the answer for the Trivia Teaser?
Someone who is silly about stamps is a philatelist.
Congrats!! You got it right, right!?!
Of course you did.
Oh, wow!! Honest, every boy wanted to trade places with Rusty and wear that cool uniform and hang out with Rinty and Sergeant O'Hara and the rest of the cool guys of the Fighting Blue Devils of the 101st Calvary, B Company.
Fun Facts: Beginning in October 1954 until May, 1959, Lee Aaker starred as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indain raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a U.S. Calvary post known as Fort Apache. He and his German shepherd dog, Rin Tin Tin, helped the soldiers to establish order in the American West. Texas-born actor James Brown appeared as LT Ripley Rip Masters. Co-stars included veteran actor Joe Sawyer and actor Rand Brooks from Gone With the Wind fame. They made 166 episodes which originally aired on ABC.
Yo, Rinty!!
All kinds of stuff.
World War II was out in force today.
Fun Facts: During WWII in the Philippines, the occupying Japanese issued fiat currency in several denominations; known as the Japanese government-issued Philippine fiat peso, or, Japanese invasion money. The puppet state under Jose P. Laurel outlawed possession of guerrilla currency and declared a monopoly on the issuance of money so that anyone found with guerrilla notes could be arrested.
Some Filipinos called the fiat peso Mickey Mouse Money. Many survivors tell stories of going to the market laden with suitcases overflowing with the Japanese-issued bills. According to one witness, 75 Mickey Mouse pesos, or about 35 U.S. dollars at that time, could buy one duck egg. In 1944, a box of matches cost more than 100 Mickey Mouse pesos.
I did not know that.
This one was having a good time.
In another gym, they were hosting a coin collecting convention. Quick, what's the name for these guys?
Hahaha, they're numismatists. This blog is both fun and informative!!
Win, win!!
I just had a problem with this. How much is a pence worth, anyway?
Answer: Not much. Obviously.
But whatever they're worth, it's gotta be more than these Mardi Gras Doubloons . . .that sell for the same price.
Not as busy as the postcard thingie but still interesting.
Slow down, Speed Racer!! Living life in the fast lane with Ol' Smilin' Jack!!
What an interesting and unusual day. I'm gonna look out for some more of these postcard conclaves. This was fun and now that I know what to expect, I can structure my time a bit better. I'll pretend to be a serious buyer and sit down and really peruse the ol' postcards.
Oh, and every single dealer that I asked permission to shoot pictures of their cards said yes. Every single one.
Hahaha, life is very good.
Hooah!!
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