Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Glitter Postcards

Have you ever received a treasure package of ephemera, or what is commonly known as memorabilia? I was blessed to receive such a treasure package this week when a second cousin handed over a package of photographs and postcards from the early decades of the 20th century. What a delightful surprise, especially the postcards which are varied in composition, weight, and design. 

I've often seen old postcards, Christmas cards, etc with glitter, but these ones are different than any others in my experience. To set the stage, this first one is different in the subject because I've never seen one with dark clouds as a major feature. However, it's the gold painted setting sun, its reflection on the water, and the gold writing that caught my eye. The normal weight postcard was sent in January 1910 and bears a 1 cent Canadian stamp. The oval is embossed and it bears the name of the Oval Panel Series, printed in Germany. 

This green postcard was printed in Canada and mailed in March 1910. It is heavy cardboard and although it doesn't appear to have been two pieces glued back-to-back, the two holes at the top left seem to indicate otherwise. The glitter on this postcard appears on the sentiment, "ARE YOU TOO BUSY TO WRITE?" which has been written across in a diagonal fashion. This is an enigma to me because the glittery words have covered the flowers, and yet there is a large empty space that could have been used. 

The glitter writing on this pink postcard makes good use of the open area which was probably left for such a purpose, however to my eye, the script is sloppy. It appears to be a commercial postcard since the glitter outlines the flowers in a professional manner, and although this postcard shows it is Printed in Germany, the "Greetings From Durham" is probably talking about Durham, Ontario since it was mailed December 1907 with a Canadian 1 cent stamp.

Lastly, we have another one from Durham with even sloppier script. I believe this one says, "A Note from Durham", but that's a guess. This card is also printed in Germany and has the exact same back as the pink postcard above. However, the only glitter on this one is on the writing itself. This postcard was also mailed December 1907 with a 1 cent Canadian stamp. It's much the worse for wear however, as it has a yellow patch of paper covering the design on the top left under the stem. 

I wonder if the last two postcards were ordered in sets with blank areas and the receiving stores added the script to create a souvenir of their locale. It makes me wonder if the person who wrote Durham County's sentiment was in a rush or merely didn't have good writing skills. 

These postcards are unique and show a few of the vast array of postcards that were available in the early 1900s.




  1. Nice! I love looking at old postcards. Thank you!

  2. Each old postcards is unique and has a story to tell. What a treasure you received. Thank you for sharing.

    1. You're very welcome, Marilyn, and thanks for dropping in. :)

  3. I had forgotten how much I enjoy seeing old postcards. Thank you for sharing about the unique postcards. :-)

    1. You're welcome, Melissa. I received some others in the treasure package and will be sharing them as the times comes. Thanks for stopping by.