CIRCA EARLY 1900s: CALLING CARDS, BUSINESS CARDS, CHRISTMAS CARDS AND A MESSAGE FROM MARS

FOR SALE: Make An Offer

#70

Some of the cards included in this set really aren’t in very good condition. That may not be a good opening for an ad to sell something but it is what it is and they are what they are. And Popeye says, “I yam what I yam.”

Whaddya gonna do? I’m not going to insult your intelligence and try to tell you the flaws are the result of a bad scan. Some of these cards were stuck together and ripped when taken apart.

Many have what appears to be mold on them. That’s right, mold. I’m not gonna lie. The good news is, as Google is my witness, the type of mold that gets into paper is rarely toxic.

You can find several suggestions of how to rid paper of mold online but I will leave that task up to you so you can ensure it is completed to your satisfaction.

But enough of that talk. As Canadian suffragette Nellie McLung proclaimed, “Never complain, never explain.”

Looking past their flaws this is what is being offered in this collection.

From the estate of Janet P. Maneer (nee Weir) these were taken from a scrapbook she kept in the early 1900s while living in Allegheny, Pennsylvania which is now a part of Pittsburgh.

It has been estimated that Janet kept this scrapbook from 1901 when she was single until shortly after she wed in 1907.

Janet died in Toronto in 1936 and these have been in the care of various family members ever since.

Included are 30 Calling Cards, 4 Business Cards (small), 7 Business Cards (large), A card with a Message from Mars, 4 Christmas Cards and A Partridge In A Pear Tree.

Nope. Scratch the partridge AND the pear tree. I was hungry so I chopped up the pear tree and built a fire to cook the partridge for supper with pears for dessert.

Calling Cards

Calling Cards in the 1900s served a variety of functions. They might be used as a thank you note for a recent dinner or social function, a sympathy card, a card offering condolences for the loss of a loved one or even a Christmas Card as one included in this set was. One might send a calling card to request a visit at a future date. The sender would await a reply by the same method. They were usually a status symbol used for social events and might simply have a name printed on it, however some included a telephone number and perhaps an address.

Most were very simple, although a few were decorated, included serrated edges or cut to a variety of shapes.

The calling cards in this collection come in a variety of sizes from approximately 1.5” x 3” to 2.25” x 3.25”

See more photos below

Business Cards (small)

A little closer to the standard size business cards of today, these business cards range in size from approximately 2” x 3.5” to 2.75” x 4.25”

See more photos below

Business Cards (large)

This set of 7 business cards are closer to a post card in size at approximately 3.5” x 5”. They are all from the Robert S. Paviour Insurance company in Rochester, N.Y. The opposite side contains a picture of a series of ships. Each one is a different ship. The series of photos were copyrighted in 1898.

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A Message From Mars

Almost 3.5” by 5.5” this card has a poem entitled “A Message From Mars” that was registered in 1905.

The message on the other side advises humans to use Dominion Express Money Orders instead of sending cash in the mail. Offering FREE replacements if lost or even “delayed in the mail”.

Costs ranged from 3 cents for a $5.00 money order to 15 cents for a $50.00 money order.

This message came, not from Mars, but from H.E. Ewing, a dealer in Drugs, Stationery and an Issuer of Marriage Licenses in Warkworth, Ontario.

“Dominion Express” began issuing money orders in 1895 and they changed their name to “Canadian Pacific Express Company” in 1926 so we know the card was printed some time after 1905 when the poem “A Message From Mars” was registered and prior to 1926 when “Dominion Express” changed their name.

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Christmas Cards

Four Christmas cards ranging in size from approximately 2” x 4” to 3.5” x 7.5”.

Two of the cards actually show pretty well.

The crease in the card with the flower actually shows up much more in the picture near the bottom than it does in person. (There I go, blaming it on the scanner. I said I wasn’t going to do that, didn’t I? But it’s true. Still you should be aware there is a crease in it.)

The card with the Poinsettia is dated 1908-9 and was issued by the Pittsburgh Bank for Savings of Pittsburgh.

If you look closely at the Santa card you will notice parts of Santa’s suit have been cut out. A piece of birch bark has been glued to the back. I don’t know if any of this was by original design or modified by the sender. The birch bark certainly looks to be a modification but whether the original card was cut out or not or why, I cannot say.

See more photos below

A Partridge In A Pear Tree

You know I was just kidding about that part right? But just to be clear, there is NO Partridge included in this set and also NO Pear Tree.

So what do you think? Are you interested in owning this set? What’s it worth to you? I have no idea what it’s worth, so I won’t be insulted with your offer, whatever it may be. I will just have to decide if it’s worth more or less to me than what your offer is.

Whatever price we both agree on as fair you will also have to pay shipping and handling. HINT: There really i s no handling charge. I will only charge whatever the actual shipping costs are, rounded up to the nearest dollar.