Halloween Greetings

Over the summer, I picked up a couple of scrap books from a garage sale.  They appeared to have belonged to a young girl through her teenage years and probably date from the late 1960's to the mid to late 1970's.  Within the pages, she saved greeting cards and other memorabilia you would expect.  She had a fairly good collection of Halloween cards, so I extracted those.  The cards were well glued down, so extraction was more successful on some than others.

Being of this era, most of the cards are of the "cutesy" kind.  A number of the cards were of the "insult" variety which was common with cards of this era as well.  Some I only scanned the front of, others that involved a punchline, I also scanned the interior.  Enjoy!

Birthday Greetings

No, it's not my birthday, but it's been a while since I've done a post, so I thought I'd dig through my backlog.

This birthday card collection was a find this past summer. I'm not sure if they were all for the same person on the same birthday, but seem to be from the same era (1950's).

Given my penchant for vintage toasters, this first card was a favorite.

Disgusting Disguises

I came across this mystery of a card at a sale last Spring.

For the Love of Pete - Day 1

This past year I bought a box of vintage Christmas cards and Valentine's. I previously posted the Christmas cards here.  These Valentine's were all sent to a teacher named Peter Blank who lived in Freeburg, Illinois. From the look of the cards, they all date from the 1930's or 40's. I have a pretty good supply of them, so I thought I'd drag them out enjoy them one at a time over the days leading up to Valentine's Day.  A few have articulation, so I've included a gif showing them in action.  It's a look back on an innocent time when "love" was used much more freely, even among students and teacher.

Christmas Greetings

"Greeting cards have all been sent, the Christmas rush is through..."
from The Carpenters' "Merry Christmas, Darling."

If only that were true. Every year I vow I will get my Christmas cards out early.  And every year I find myself in mid-December without having sent a one. This year is no different. What's worse is each year I seem to have less motivation to do it.  It's not that I'm not in the Christmas spirit.  Heck, I've got Christmas spirit oozing out my ears. But nobody seems to participate in this time-honored ritual any more.  So for every 2 cards I send out, I might get 1 back, and that's even after having drastically reduced the number of cards I send. I'm not sure if it's because of the constant contact we have with friends and family now through social media, or if we've just gotten lazy. But, I know eventually I will get my cards out again this year, even if it will be last minute once more.

Since I don't have most of my readers' addresses, I'm offering this bounty of vintage Christmas cards as my wish to you all for a very Merry Christmas. I bought all of these at one estate sale; one family's accumulation of their own friends' and family's well-wishes from an age when we were social without electronic media.

We Three Kings

This collection of Magi-themed Christmas cards were all part of a collection I bought from a sale this past summer.

A Merry Christmas to all.

Days of Santa - Christmas Wishes for You!

This fold-open Christmas card probably dates from the 1940's or '50's.

Merry Christmas and Cowabunga, Dudes!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a little after my time, but I can appreciate their place in pop culture.  These Christmas cards from 1990 were a garage sale find this past summer.

The Wonder Fears

When I saw these cards in a shoebox at a sale a while ago, I was immediately taken back to a particular summer of my youth in the 1970's.  For more than one reason, you might refer to it as my "Wonder Year".

We've Been Adopted

I love these adoption announcements.  They probably date from the 1950's.  They're made by Norcross.

Looking for a Valentine?

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.  Here's hoping you have someone to Be Yours on this day.  Below are a few Valentine's I picked up this past year.  Not as big a haul as previous years, but a few cute ones.

These two cards to Marchella probably date from the 40's.

This card has a slide that pops the letter out.

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards

I don't think this set of Tarot cards is terribly old, but I liked the illustrations.

Bowl-Up

I found these "Bowl-Up"  playing cards at a sale a few weeks ago.  I like the artwork.  It seems recognizable, but it might just be a familiar style.   This Flickr page has a set that's signed "Vic Take" which is probably a pseudonym.

What's This, A Blog?

Yes, as a matter of fact it is a game.  

I found this card game at an estate sale in Webster Groves last week.  I recognized the artist, but couldn't quite place him.  The cards appear to feature smart aleck answers to unknown questions such as "No, you bonehead, I'm flavoring a plum pudding with hair tonic" and "No, Theophilus, I'm eating elephant's knuckles at a clam bake."  If these remind you of  Mad's Al Jaffe's "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions", there's a reason -- more on that later.  I presumed, and later confirmed, the object of the game is to supply the correct question being answered, not unlike Jeopardy.

Perhaps as mysterious as the gags in these cartoons, is the fact someone has written various grains and numbers on the cards in pencil, possibly creating their own game.

  

After doing some googling, I discovered the artist is Rube Goldberg, known for his illustrated mechanical contraptions, and the cards date from 1919.

An excellent blog on these cards and their history can be read over on the Screwball Comics blog.

According to that site, Al Jaffe gives credit to Rube Goldberg and his "Foolish Questions" as inspiration for his own work.

For some more scans of the cards, including #51 which I'm missing and the questions to these snappy answers, head over to Super I.T.C.H and follow the links for the 4-part series.

Holiday Mail

Previously I wrote of the decline of Christmas card sending.  I found this related item at an estate sale earlier this month.  I found it at the blingle house.  

The basket in front is a pocket to store your flood of Christmas cards until you get a chance to open them.

I'm not sure what kind of bicycle Santa is riding, but he seems to be engulfing everything but the wheels and the ends of the handle bars.  Stick to the sleigh, Santa.

For That Swell Guy I Married

I found this oversized Christmas card somewhere some years back.  It measures 13" x 9.5" which made for great difficulty in scanning.  I had scan each section in four parts and stitch them together, so I hope someone appreciates it!

If features the husband as Clark Griswald-esque, bumbling by lovable.  I love the wife's wardrobe.  I wonder if I could talk my wife into one of those...