Old News

I went to my first ever auction last Friday and picked up an interesting box of ephemera. I missed out on a box of fantastic photos, but the bidding got over $300 and that was out of my comfort zone. I will post some pics of some of the items I got over the next few posts. Above are a few pictures of some great old newspapers from the 1800s.

What the...?

I enjoy a good mystery when it comes to postcards, and researching a new and unidentified card is half the fun for me. I got this one at the postcard show and cannot for the life of me find out anything about it. This is even more unusual because the location is right there on the card. Maybe a sleuth out there can find out this fishy mystery...what is going on here?

Before and After

I really enjoy looking at old photos and postcards of locations and then comparing them to current images. There are many great books on this same subject. One of my favorites shows before and after scenes of my hometown of Portland. I recently found a fantastic photo postcard of a small town in New Zealand, and then happened upon a photo of the same view today. Ohakune is a small ski town of a little over 1,000 inhabitants located at the southern end of the Tongariro National Park. It is close to the southern slope of an active volcano, Mount Ruapehuo.

The Postcard Show!

I set up for the first time at a postcard show this past weekend, and had a lot of fun! Not only did I make a decent number of sales, I met some knowledgeable and informative dealers as well. You have to start somewhere and the only way to learn is through trial and error. A special thank-you to Frank at Paige Auction for taking me under his wing and helping me out with the table. Of course, I couldn't let my earnings sit in my pocket for too long, and I did pick up a few choice cards. A couple made it in under the wire for last minute additions to my book. It should be on schedule for an April release. I may sell a few of these to finance future acquisitions, but it's hard to let such great postcards go.

I am guessing these guys were in Portland for one of the early 1900s Elks Conventions. Notice the elks on their jackets and ties?

There are so many fun things about this one. The cranes are hand painted, it's a beautiful scene, it passed through Siberia, and it has a great cancel commemorating the arrival of the U.S. Great White Fleet in 1908.

There's another show sponsored by the Webfooters Postcard Club April 20-21 from 10-4. I just might be there...

Beirut

The city of Beirut has a rich history going back centuries. After a long period of Ottoman rule, the city passed to French control after World War One, and continued its role as one of the financial and trade centers of the Middle East. After Lebanon achieved its independence in 1943, it seemed Beirut would always continue being called the "Paris of the Middle East." Unfortunately, the Lebanese Civil War in 1975 devastated the city, and so vintage postcard views are highly collectible.

Thankfully, since the end of the war in 1990, the city has undergone reconstruction, and has regained its famed status as a tourist destination.

Foreign Postcards

Foreign postcards are not as collectible as their American counterparts, probably because they generally aren't as valuable, and often require translation. Early in my collecting, I threw my foreign cards aside. Lately, however, I have warmed to the images of faraway lands. I have a decent collection of Japanese and European cards, and am especially drawn to cards showing places in the Middle East. (Stay tuned for a Middle East postcard post soon.) The photo and print quality on these cards is typically great, as most of the best printers in the world were in Europe in the early 1900s, especially Germany. As a bonus, many old foreign cards have interesting stamps and postmarks!

Roswell Auto Parade

One of the funny things about postcards is that the message on the back sometimes seems to have very little to do with the image on the front. This is a good example. Rather than discussing the obviously entertaining and interesting Roswell Auto Parade, the sender writes this, "...Have not see any men that looks very good to me." I guess the automobiles were prettier than the men in Roswell.

 

Norwegian Dress

I recently acquired a large lot of very random postcards, from many different decades and countries. These are the most interesting to me, because they represent a true treasure hunt. I unearthed this postcard from Norway, and it's a great example of how postcards often become art. Someone has hand-colored the black and white card, a not uncommon practice. While this one is actually sent from Norway, many American postcards from the Midwest are written in Norwegian, Swedish, etc., reflecting our immigrant past. I have also found a number of early 1900s American photo postcards with people wearing similar things as this woman. This is probably from the early 1900s, although the postmark is impossible to make out.

This item is for sale here until February 7th: Norwegian Postcard on Ebay