|
Christmas antiques & collectibles sale and auctions in the
Antique Web!
Postcard Collecting
Card
Trading: Risks and Precautions
The
Christmas Card Tale
by Wayne Mattox
How do you tell somebody you care? Go to the store, buy a card and let somebody
else do the telling for you.
The oldest Christmas card created for general distribution probably was
created by William Egley Jr.; a 16 year-old British youth. His 3 1/2-inch- by
5 1/2-inch, 1842 printed impression, preserved in the British Museum, depicts
four holiday scenes and a "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" greeting with
blanks after the word "To" on the top and "From" at the bottom. Industrious
kid.
By 1860, many kinsmen had embraced Egley's concept. Rival greeting card firms
began employing prominent artists such as Kate Greenaway, the beloved
illustrator of children's books.
The father of American Christmas cards was award-winning Boston
lithographer/inventor Louis Prang, who, in 1873, reproduced a holiday card
autographed by Christmas Carol author, Charles Dickens. Perhaps the greatest
of Prang's many innovations was the development of a multi-color printing
process that incorporated as many as 20 colors on one print or card. Hues and
detailing were so vivid that artists were sometimes not able to distinguish
their own works from reproduced chromos (chromolithographic prints) when hung
side by side on a wall.
Taking full advantage of this technology, Prang employed the finest artisans
of his day. Card painters included the likes of Frederick S. Church, Arthur F.
Tait and Winslow Homer. Poetic geniuses such as Longfellow, Tennyson and
William Cullen Bryant were among those hired to write verses.
Toward enhancing originality, the Boston industrialist began holding Christmas
card design contests on a yearly basis beginning in 1880. In 1885, Prang gave
prizes for essays on Christmas cards written by women. With prominent judges,
lavish celebrations and top prizes from $200 to $2,000, Prang's contests soon
paid off in publicity, becoming media events.
Although prices ranged from 50 cents to $15 each (a fortune in those days),
Prang's greeting sold briskly until inexpensive German cards flooded the
market. Refusing to lower quality standards, Prang quit the business.
Highly collectible Prang cards usually can be identified by tiny lettering "L
Prang and Co., Boston" on the bottom margin. Occasionally, Prang left only a
rose symbol (a veiled sign of affection for his wife, Rose) or disguised his
mark under a tiny shoe or on a leaf.
Nineteenth-century Christmas cards are often graphic masterpieces
incorporating silk fringes, tassels, mother of pearl inlays and satin
backgrounds. Flowers, angels, carolers, gentle animals, romantic young women
and happy children are dominant design themes.
From 1900 to 1920, penny postcards from Germany featuring Santa Claus,
nostalgic hearth and snow scenes, holly, toys and Nativity settings captured
the market. In 1910, J.C. Hall began selling postcards out of a shoebox at a
YMCA in Kansas City, Mo. His one-man enterprise turned into what we know today
as Hallmark Cards Inc.
Xmas card collecting (by the way, "X" is not a tacky abbreviation, it has
religious significance in that X is the first letter of the Greek word for
Christ) can be a rewarding hobby for adults and children. Prominent makers,
excellent condition, early age, strong graphics, mechanical movements,
interesting "collectible" subject matter, artist signed examples, large size
and fine detailing help to determine value. Most of all, look for cards that
hit you in the heart. That's Santa's real home
by
AntiqueTalk.com
Reprinted with permission
Copyright by Wayne Mattox © |