I'm still finding boxes of 'stuff' that I've forgotten that I still have. I have to admit that I have been distracted quite often, when started to sift through a discovered box. When the family tells me that I never throw anything out, I think they are right at least part of the time. One box was very heavy... no wonder it hasn't been moved in years. It is filled with newspapers and magazines. The Star Weekly was known for the photos included in their stories, and I have the issue in honor of Winston Churchill, at the time of his death. I have a copy of a British magazine, with photos of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. There are newspapers with headlines of John Kennedy's assassination, the release of the Iranian hostages, the shooting of Ronald Reagan, and the crash of Apollo 13. Then there are early issues of PEOPLE magazine, about 10 year-end issues, a special edition on Michael Jackson, the wedding of Charles & Diana's Wedding... I could go on and on. I am now being told by several friends that I shouldn't throw them out now because there would be 'collectors' who would pay for some of those special event issues.
Today, I sifted through three boxes of postcards that I bought at a Estate Sale about twenty years ago. Sometimes the circumstances surrounding the purchase are even more interesting than the item itself. I did know about postcards because we would often send them back home when travelling, or receive some from friends who were doing the same. The shoe boxes were filled with what looked like very old cards. The sale was about to close and I was just occupying a few minutes while waiting for my hubby to finish what he was doing. Unexpectedly, one of the ladies who were running the sale came up behind me and asked if I was a card collector. I'm a collector but not of postcards, but she started to tell me about the collection. The owner of the collection was a veteran of WW I, and collected cards from various locations in Britain and Europe. There were many cards that were 'sepia' toned, some were hand-colored, and several books of cards separated by sheets of onion skin paper. His card collection continued after he left the military, and there are cards from many different countries, some with messages sent to family and friends, some with postage stamps and date stamps.
There was even a series of photos printed on ordinary paper, with handwriting to say that the pictures were of the camp where he was stationed, taking muskaetry instructions. The camp was Apple Pie Camp in Longmoor, England. The date stamp on it is June 23, 1917, and has 'OPENED BY CENSOR' stickers on it (must be military security at the time). Then I read the handwritten mailing address on it, and it was my mother's hometown in Alberta, and I still have relatives living there. That got my attention! The surname was slightly familiar to me, but there is no way that I would spend $75.00 on a bunch of postcards. The lady said that they are accepting offers but I had little cash with me. I had $11.00 in my wallet, and she said she would take it. Being that I was doing some 'consignment' selling on Ebay at the time, I thought I would probably get a buyer for the collection. Obviously that didn't happen because I thought it might be a great incentive for our grandson to have a hobby. However, what did happen was the sale of one card that gave me about five times the amount that I paid for the whole collection. It was a vintage sepia photo of Banff Springs Hotel, taken in the late 1890s, when it was about a quarter size of what it is today. It is located about 80 km. from where we now live. In my growing up years, it was a 'must see' place in Banff when our family travelled there for a special holiday. Someone thought the postcard was a very rare photo.
I don't think that our grandson would be interested now, but I'll ask him. He may surprise me! By the way, these three girls are from the Belle Johnson Collection at the Massillon Museum in Massillon, Ohio. A great postcard!
Tags: Postcards Veteran Sepia Photos
