NYC Postcards

I love seeing all the postcard displays in New York City. No other American city seems to have the variety available in the big apple. And do you see that price? 10 for $1.00!

Look Him over and Draw Your Own Opinion

Postmarked 12 March 1929
Saint Cloud, Florida

Message:

Dear Willard: / This is just a sample of the pork they raise around here. You can look him over and then draw your own opinion. Well the weather is great and we are enjoying ourselves the best we can. Hope this finds you folks all well. / Uncle

Thanks to Beth at The Best Hearts are Crunchy for hosting Postcard Friendship Fridays. 

Fun Loving Pugs - Is There Any Other Kind?

Thanks to Beth at the Best Hearts are Crunchy for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday!

Postcards that Stink (Literally)

One of the hazards of old and vintage postcards is that they sometimes smell from being stored or occasionally from cigarette smoke. A lot I purchased from e-bay had this issue, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I didn't want the smell to contaminate my other cards, nor did I want to send stinky cards to trading partners.

I looked online, and one suggestions was to put two or three postcards on a baking sheet and leave outside in the sun. I might have done this in Phoenix, but in Ithaca, where it is humid and likely to rain, it didn't seem like a sound plan. Additionally, it would have taken forever working on just two or three cards at a time.

Next, I tried putting a dryer sheet in the plastic bin with the postcards. That seemed to help a little, but it primarily masked the musty scent rather than removing it. On George's suggestion, I put baking soda in a small open container and then put that in the plastic bin. Not too much luck there. I thought maybe the baking soda needed more opportunity to breathe, so I placed in in tea filters (what you buy in the grocery store for loose tea). That helped, but too slow for my taste. My last and current attempt had me putting baby powder in the tea filter. The powder particles are smaller than the holes in the filter, so I double-filtered it. This seems to be working fairly well.

Have you had this problem? What have you tried and how were the results?

Ardmore's Ramada Inn

Unused - Printed in the 1970s(?)

Undivided Backs

In the early 1900s, postcards were much different than those we see today. The front side included an image, and the back side, due to postal regulations, had to include the heading "Post Card" or "Postcard." Beneath that heading, the space was reserved solely for the address of the recipient. Where did the message from the sender go? At this time, it was accepted to write on the picture, or front, side of the postcard. Otherwise, the card could not be sent through the postal service.

This postcard, postmarked 1908, illustrates this tradition. I was especially excited to find this card because the recipient was at University of Chicago. The address, 6032 Ellis Avenue, now is Burton-Judson Courts, the dorm where I lived my first year at UC.

New Orleans

Postmarked December 1975

University of Oklahoma

Unused - I'm guessing 1910s or 1920s

Laguna Beach

Postmarked 11 July 1970

Parrot Jungle | Miami, FL

Postmarked 14 March 1968

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Postmarked 1974

Vintage Oklahoma

Unused