Unusual address side design

Quite some publishers worldwide tried to give their own products a special design to make it different from others on the market. Although they had to keep postal regulations and restrictions in mind.

I understand the panorama view found on address side to be that of Sellersville. It might be not a unique idea, I have seen similar designs on cards from New York City, but this sample from Pennsylvania is much better, makes the card well worth collecting in my opinion.

The picture side shows the Residence of Wm. H. Becker, South Main Street, Sellersville, PA. An imprint reads: ‘Photo by Zeigler, Souderton’ and ‘Post Cards Published by C.M. Berkemeyer, Sellersville’.

‘Personalized’ Postcard

Many of your might have seen cards where the sender(s) added individual names, sketches and so on to the printed design. Or short comments usually of humorous nature. The illustrated card (sized 105 x 148 mm) is signed “Lungers Hausen” = Ilse Wende-Lungershausen (1900-1991). The boy plays the saxophone and a dancing ape holding cymbals. The hand written message below reads translated: “Birthday Serenade”. A carefully cut out face (from b/w photograph) was accurately arranged on the face of the ape, giving this card a special, unique appeal.

I trust the face of the young man is that of the consignee of this montage. According a short, unfortunately undated, message on address side, his name was ‘Kurt’ and the card came from his working colleagues.

Published and printed (by offset process) as no. 1026 by the big company of Carl Werner from Reichenbach/Vogtland. Guess the card was published by mid/late 1930’s.

Do-it-yourself greeting

1909 year date greeting card. Appears that it had been the same design for 1908 and the sender simply cut out the ‘9’ from a surplus card, and pasted it onto the old design. Ready was the 1909 card. Looks a bit odd, however. Standard quality greeting card by anonymous publisher. Caption in German but the card was mailed in The Netherlands. Discovered by Oene Klijnsma.

Silk Card Imitation

So-called silk cards with the image either printed or hand painted onto silk were expensive back then. Not surprising that this illustrated silk card imitations turned up. Shown are buildings on top of the Brocken, the highest of the Harz Mountains. The image printed onto a pre-printed silver surface, then the entire picture side given a silk/cloths surface pattern. Printed by Aug. Werhrt (est. 1826), Braunschweig.

 Mysterious Design:

When shall we meet again. Two cows, or also a bull and a cow and a circle stamped out and arranged in the middle, filled with silver ink(?). Below Nr. 1, 2, 3 imprinted (`Nr.’ and not ‘No.’). Printed in Germany. Another imprint reads ‘No. 3 Patent in all countries’. Address side shows a “Postal Card” imprint only. Mailed from Hanover, PA, USA to Belfast, Ireland in July 1906. Incomplete mechanical card? (coll. D. Bailey)