Our destination today is Bowling Green Kentucky, county seat of Warren County, which was incorporated in 1798 and served as the provisional Confederate government of Kentucky during the Civil War. Steady growth has been a trademark of the town with the 1910 population of 9,173 growing to 12,348 in 1930 and is now estimated over 55,000. In 1859, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad railroad came to town connecting it with both northern and southern markets making it a prime location. The first vintage postcard below shows the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot which was built in 1925 on Kentucky Street and was in use until the last train left the station October 6 1979. It still stands today and is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and serves as The Historic Railpark and Train Museum.
The second old antique postcard was produced by Curt Teich in 1909 and shows a beautiful four story Y.M.C.A. building. Both of these postcards are available in my Kentucky listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody’s Postcards.
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!!! They will carry you back to old Kentucky.
Posted 6 days, 10 hours ago.
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Postcards that show towns, buildings, mountains, National Parks etc. that are places are considered “views”. Postcards that show things such as animals, holidays, greetings, angels, advertising, Santa Claus etc. are considered “topics”. The third major category is “foreign” postcards which for me would be any place other than the United States. If you live in England, then Atlanta Georgia is a foreign view for you. Books on view postcards in general just do not exist as far as I know however you can find some information in books such as James L Lowe’s “Standard Postcard Catalog”. NOTE: This book has been out of print for many years and is extremely hard to find and expensive when you do find it because it is the “Daddy Rabbit” of postcard books. In that book under “Sets and Series” you can find mention of many series of view postcards such as the Raphael Tuck series on St. Augustine Florida, St. Louis Missouri etc. Also, there is the “Detroit Publishing Company Collector’s Guide” by Lowe and Papell which was done in the 1970s and Nancy Stechschulte’s 1994 book “The Detroit Publishing Company Postcards” have extensive information about the postcards (estimated to exceed 17,000) produced by the company, many of which were view cards. You can also find information in books such as “Baseball Stadium Postcards” by Tom Crabtree, “Nevada Post Card Album” by Robert Greenwood, and the large number of books published by Arcadia Publishing in “The Postcard History Series”. The Arcadia books are done by individual postcard collectors who share their collection and knowledge of specific towns or areas. There may very well be an Arcadia book that will cover the area you are interested in so check out their website at http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/ and the price is less than $22 direct from Arcadia, your local bookstore and on line from places like Amazon.
When shopping for postcards on you favorite town, remember that content is king and availability and condition are close behind. The first card below shows a nice view of the Galesburg Illinois Burlington Railroad Depot but has the big plus of the California Zephyr in the station.
The second card shows the interior of the French Market in New Orleans. While exterior views are common, this scarce interior view with tables built around the columns with ornate mirrors on the columns and stools for the patrons increases the value of this card substantially. Both of these vintage postcards can be found in my US View Postcards along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody’s Postcards.
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!!! See somewhere new on each old view postcard.
Posted 3 weeks, 5 days ago.
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Early 1900s hotel post cards make a great category to collect because they are plentiful, reasonably priced and usually beautiful. The first post card below is a circa 1906 view of the Park Hotel and Bath in Mt. Clemens Michigan which is unusually large and would probably be a four or five star hotel today.
The second postcard shows the somewhat smaller but beautiful and sizable four story Hotel Marquette in Marquette Michigan. This one is an E. C. Kropp postcard that was mailed in 1912. Both of these postcards are available in my Michigan listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody’s Postcards.
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Visit the world and enjoy the views.
Posted 1 month ago.
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I just want to wish eveyone out there a very happy and prosperous new year. The postcard below was mailed Dec 29 1911, a mere 98 years ago but I think Father Time leaving us tonight probably looks a lot like the one on this postcard and is just glad to be done with 2009. Good luck to the little fellow coming in the door because he will have his work cut out for him. Be sure to check out this and other postcards on my website Moody’s Postcard.
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!!! It will take your mind off of your problems.
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago.
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Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to each and every one of you and thank you for your support.
The postcards say it all!
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!!! There is always a vintage postcard for the occasion. Merry Christmas from Moody’s Postcards.com!
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago.
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Christmas postcards are very popular and I just want to share a couple with you today. The first one of these is a Bamforth & Co. circa 1908 embossed vintage postcard with two angels, holly branches and a Joyous Christmas Tide message.
Look this second angel postcard over carefully because I was fooled by it and had it filed in the wrong category. One quick look and I filed it as a Christmas card but the greeting says “Best Wishes for Easter”. Now I have always lived in the south so I have never seen heavy snow at Easter but I’m sure some people can identify with hunting Easter eggs in a snow bank. Maybe the publisher, H. G. Zimmerman & Co. in Chicago needed a new Easter postcard and just used an old Christmas postcard design and changed the greeting.
The last postcard is one I just bought because it is one that is unusual and makes me smile. Six pigs are crossing a frozen lake and the one in front has slipped and the others are laughing at him. “God Jul” is Swedish for Merry Christmas. Enjoy and I wish everyone a happy holiday season and GREAT New Year! These postcards can be found in my topic postcard pages along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody’s Postcards.
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!!! You will be amazed by the variety of subjects.
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago.
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I have two great Kentucky, KY, vintage postcards to share with you today along with a quiz on one of them to see if you are paying attention. The first old postcard is a 1920s Kraemer Art Company view of the Covington Kentucky Post Office and you get a nice streetcar thrown in for good measure. To the left is Michael’s Art ??? which advertises ornamental Iron on their sign. Covington is in Kenton County and in the 2000 census had a population of 43,370 making it the FIFTH most populous city in Kentucky. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers and is separated from Cincinnati Ohio by the Ohio River and is separated from Newport Kentucky by the Licking River. The city has the distinction of being one of TWO county seats in Kenton County, which is the only county in Kentucky having two county seats. Quiz: What is wrong with this picture?
The second antique postcard is a 1929 view of the Columbia Kentucky Adair County Court House which is still in use today. The picture on the Wikipedia website shows the current version with one story additions to each side and the building is now white. The population was 1,022 in 1910 and the 2000 census showed just over 4,000 for the current population. Both of these postcards are available in my Kentucky listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody’s Postcards. The answer to the quiz above is the negative was reversed and you can tell that by the sign on top of the building on the left. I can’t say anything because the other day I scanned a postcard and saved it upside down because the reflection in the lake at the bottom of the postcard was so clear. Duh!
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!!! You will thank me for infecting you.
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago.
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Lots of people ask me what postcards should they collect and I tell them they should collect (1) their home town, (2) postcards of anything else they collect and (3) a subject that grabs their interest. The first two of these are easy for that person to figure out. The home town postcards can be where you live now, where you born and raised or any towns in between the two. Just pick which ever one or two or three interest you the most. If you were born in a small town in Montana, there might not be enough material available but if you come from New York City you will have thousands of postcards to choose from.
When I say collect postcards on what you already collect, I mean collect bear postcards if you have a bear collection. If you collect guns, collect postcards that are gun related.
The third category, “whatever grabs you” is one that only you can find and it may take a while to find it. I maintain my website and write this blog to expose people to as many different kinds of postcards as I can so YOU can find that special subject grabs you. And when you see it, it will be a EUREKA moment and you will know what postcard subject or subjects to collect. This is my 359th blog so please go through my previous blogs and check out the different old postcards.
I am not posting any images here because I would like for you to visit my new Squidoo lens where once a month I will feature over 50 different postcards which will give an quick look at a large variety of subjects. Since these will rotate each month, I will give you a heads up in my regular blogs where I discuss individual postcards in detail. After reviewing the postcards on the Squidoo lens, please sign the guest book at the bottom of the page.
Posted 2 months ago.
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The subject for today covers three postcards, two states, two counties and one city. Texarkana Texas, Arkansas and USA is one of numerous cities in the USA that straddles a state line but it is unusual since the city name is a combination of the two states that claim it that divided by the Red River. BUT, the rest of the story is when surveyors first surveyed the land, they though the city would also be on the border of Louisiana so the ANA in TEX ARK ANA comes from Louisiana. The 2000 census showed the combined population for the city was 129,749 with 34,782 being in Texas. Texarkana Texas is in Bowie County Texas and Texarkana Arkansas is in Miller County Arkansas and they are divided by the appropriately named State Line Avenue which runs along approximately 11 miles of the state line. Southbound lanes are in Texas and northbound lanes are in Arkansas. The Federal Building and Courthouse for Texarkana physically occupies two states. The city motto is “Twice as Nice”. Today, the Texas side is in a “dry county” while the Arkansas side allows alcohol sales. Note to Texas: You are losing a lot of revenue and not having any impact on the availability of alcohol to your citizens. BUT, the Arkansas side of the city does not sell lottery tickets while the Texas side does. Note to Arkansas: You are losing a lot of revenue and not having any impact on the availability of “gambling” to your citizens. Note to both states: You are contributing to global warming by forcing all of your citizens to burn gasoline to get to their vices but look at all of the money you are making from your gas taxes. Nothing is ever easy!! Be sure to notice how each of the vintage postcards below treat the state issue in their titles. I’m sure I could also come up with a Texarkana Arkansas title with a little looking. The first old postcard is an E. C. Kropp 1920s view of the Texarkana Sanitarium and Hospital and I assume it on the Texas side since the title only mentions Texas.
The second vintage postcard is also a 1920s E. C. Kropp postcard and has much to offer with a view of the Post Office, Christian Church and the Confederate Monument in Texarkana U.S.A. which is noncommittal on the exact location.
The third vintage postcard is a 1936 Curteich postcard with a great aerial view of the business section and railroad depot and chose to claim both Texas and Arkansas and both may be shown in this view of the town. All of these postcards are available in my Texas listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody’s Postcards. Note: I put all of the Texarkana postcards in my Texas listings since I am not familiar with the city and as show above, the postcards often do not provide a definitive location. Maybe I’ll be right half the time.
Be sure to check out my Squidoo lens for more postcards and postcard information and be sure to sign the guest book when you are there.
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! If you will research your postcards, I guarantee you will learn something new almost every time.
Posted 2 months ago.
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Today I want to share two postcards of the Union Railroad Station in St. Louis Missouri, MO, with you that have differences greater than night and day. The first vintage linen postcard of this beautiful old railroad depot is a circa 1935 night view printed by the E. C. Kropp Company. Night views are not rare but they are not common either. Many of the earlier ones were downtown street scenes showing off the great street lights the city had and were often called “The great white way”. There are collectors who actively seek out night scenes but they often have to compete with all of those people who collect “moons” and most of the night scenes include a glowing moon.
The second old postcard is a 1950s Colourpicture printing and shows the same Union Railroad Station in St. Louis Missouri but this one is a daytime view. If you will compare the two postcards, the major difference, other than the time of day, is the addition of a huge fountain in front of the station. The back of the postcard provides the following information on the fountain. “Aloe Plaza which features a beautiful $50,000 fountain in which a series of 19 bronze figures by Carl Milles, noted Swedish sculptor, are used to depict the meeting of the waters, the Missouri and the Mississippi. It is named for the late husband of Mrs. Louis P. Aloe, who started the movement for the fountain and made a large contribution toward it. The Aloe Plaza was dedicated in 1940.” Now you have the rest of the story and you can use the information to help you date your postcards on the Union Railroad Depot in St. Louis MO. Both of these antique postcards are available in my Missouri listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody’s Postcards.
CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!!! The hobby that challenges your mind and improves your IQ.
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago.
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