Sunday Stamps #8 - internet

Most of my stamps are from a much earlier age where of course there was no internet, but I have just about managed to stay with this week's theme from Viridian's Sunday Stamps blog. This 6d stamp from Zambia shows communications, old and new. I'm not sure of the age of the stamp so not sure what sort of machine is being operated on the right hand side of the stamp - some sort of telex machine possibly?

6d stamp from Zambia

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Sepia Saturday 63: Port of London

Having just returned from the marvellous Peak District, I did think I should dedicate a Sepia Saturday blog post to that area but alas am nowhere near organised enough this week. However, for once I am able to follow Alan's theme. I really like the postcard below as firstly I have never seen Tower Bridge open, and secondly ships of that sort of size no longer come up the Thames as far.

Port of London

And for my second picture today, I think I may have blogged this before and apologies that it's not sepia, but it's such a great postcard I'm sure you'll excuse the duplication. Again we see the bridge open to ships along with a busy river scene.

Tower Bridge, London, by the artist Frank H Mason, c.1903

100's more vintage postcards can be found on my web site, including lots of London

Vintage postcard of Barnsley Cemetery, c.1908

I've been on holiday for the past week up in the wonderful Peak District, so apologies but my postcard blog entries this weekend will be brief, but hopefully still enjoyable. This is a postcard I thought I had already blogged but it would seem not. It's from 1908 and is of Barnsley Cemetery in Yorkshire. The architecture looks as though it came straight out of a Harry Potter film or PC game ... and the symmetry is incredible, although if you look closely there are subtle differences.

Barnsley Cemetery, Yorkshire, c.1908

As usual, 100's more vintage postcards on my web site

Theme Thursday - Point

A bit late this week as I've been away, but here is one of my all time favourite vintage postcards which fits the this week's Theme Thursday 'point' theme. It's called 'Splash Point' and can be found in Eastbourne, Sussex.

Splash Point, Sussex, c.1904

As usual 100's more vintage postcards can be found on my web site

Vintage postcards by the artist Baness

I always like it when I come across a 'new' postcard artist, and recently I've acquired a few vintage postcards by an artist called Baness. I've only managed the briefest of internet searches but didn't manage to find any information. The 3 postcards below are from Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, with my favourite probably being the first.

Worcester Cathedral

New Inn, Gloucester

Old Judges House, Westgate Street, Gloucester

As usual 100's more vintage postcards can be found on my web site

Skegness Clock Tower, c.1905

The latest vintage postcard to find its way to the top of the pile is this curious one of the Clock Tower at Skegness. What's striking about this view is the amount of space and lack of other buildings. It almost looks as though the Clock Tower has been superimposed. It would have been lovely to think it enjoys the same space today but a quick check on google maps reveals that this particular green is now home to a petrol station and a fast food outlet. Fortunately however, panning out on the map shows there is still some quite a bit of green around and, as with so many places I've only ever visited through my postcard collection, it's on the list for a 'real' visit.

 Vintage postcard of the Clock Tower, Sands and Pier, Skegness, c.1905


As usual, 100's more vintage postcards on my web site

Happy Valentine's Day

Although this blog is primarily for vintage postcards and vintage carte de visite, I do occasionally blog the odd stamp, or other postal history item. This is my first submission to Viridian's excellent Sunday Stamps blog, and given that tomorrow is Valentine's day, this seemed appropriate.

British Commemorative stamp, Folklore series, February 1981

Also of interest may be my vintage magazines blog or my vintage postcard web site.

More postcards from the tatty pile

Following from all the great comments in reactions to last week's post, I've decided to blog again this week from my 'tatty' pile. These 3 are all artist drawn, vintage postcards. My favourite is the middle one - I think the creases contribute well to the picture. The artists Arthur de Breanski and S.Endacott do not seem to turn up very often, and I think I only have a handful by each ... and as for E.W.Haslehurst, I'm pretty sure this is the only postcard I have.

Clovelly, Devon, by the artist S.Endacott, published by Worth and Co.

Stormy Sea, by the artist Arthur de Breanski, published by C.W.Faulkner, c.1925

Lynmouth, by the artist E.W.Haslehurst, published by Mansell

As usual, 100's more vintage postcards on my web site ... and don't forget to check out my vintage magazine blog and my in search of space blog

A bit tatty but loved nevertheless

Well given the title of this post, I could be talking about many different things, perhaps also including myself. However today's blog update is dedicated to what I refer to as my 'tatty pile'. This is a pile of vintage postcards which are typically not good enough quality to make it on to my web pages, but are worth keeping hold of nevertheless.

The first postcard is a street scene in Skegness. What I love about this postcard is the detail of the shops ... and the fact that it's car-free.

Lumley Road, Skegness, c.1912

This next postcard is of Manchester Road in Burnley. What's slightly odd about this postcard is that the dimensions and perspective seem a bit out of sync, but that adds to the overall charm.

Manchester Road, Burnley

And finally for this post, here's a postcard of Port Sunlight. By the sound of the name you might think it's somewhere in the Caribbean, but in fact it's a historic village in the Wirral. The village was the dream child of William Hesketh Lever who recognised the importance of a happy and health workforce for the success of his soap business.

 Lever Free Library and Museum, Port Sunlight

As usual 100's more vintage postcards on my web site, including a new batch uploaded this week.

Theme Thursday - Paint

I struggled a bit this week for something appropriate for this week's Theme Thursday - paint. This is a bit of a cheat ... it's a vintage postcard of the Painted Canyon in Mecca, California. I've never been there but looking at pictures of it on the web, this postcard does not seem to do it justice, although the old car is good.

Vintage postcard of the Painted Canyon, Mecca, California, published by Union Oil

More vintage postcards can be found on my web site