-
Petrified Forest and Painted Desert (folio)
Nice 1950s or 1960s miniature (3″ x 4-1/4″) album of ten cards, meant to be sent altogether as a souvenir. Really minor abrasions, nothing significant. Grade: 2
-
Izu National Park, Katase Spa (Japan)
Card was mailed in 1983, has three stamps and legible postmarks. Just a small bit of corner creasing. Grade: 2
-
Bako Nat. Park (Sarawak, Malaysia)
Nice card mailed in 1997 with commemorative stamp and nearly complete Sarawak postmark. Grade: 2
-
Ise-Shima National Park, Toyouke Great Shrine (Gegu) (Japan)
Ise-Shima National Park encompasses most of the Shima Peninsula in Mie Prefecture. The area has an abundance of fish, shellfish and other foods, and was once called Miketsu Kuni, meaning “providers of food to the imperial court.” It still feels like a sacred place and is home to some of Japan’s most ancient and revered Shinto shrines, including this one, the Outer Shrine (外宮), one of two main shrines making up the Ise Shrines. Formally known as the Toyouke Daijingu, the Outer Shrine enshrines Toyouke Omikami, the Shinto deity and guardian of food, housing and clothing. Unused, older B&W card with Japanese caption on the reverse. Grade: 1
-
National Monument (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
How intensely ironic for Malaysians that the National Monument was designed by the American sculptor, Felix W. de Weldon. Maybe you need to have lived in Malaysia to understand about that irony. This card was mailed in the early 1990s, has a Negeri Sembilan stamp and partial postmark, as well as a bit of latent postal corner creasing. Grade: 2
-
Ise-Shima National Park, The Bridge (Nai-Gu) (Japan)
A reasonably typical example of old Japan postcards (we say it that way for the search engines), unused and Grade: 1
-
Grand Canyon (USA)
One would think it was impossible to take a bad picture of the Grand Canyon, but here’s proof that it can happen. Card was mailed in 1988, has two stamps (one is abraded) and nearly full postmark. Airmail sticker affixed on reverse. It’s “sunset at Lipan Point.” Grade: 3
-
Death Valley, Ubehebe Crater (USA)
Card mailed in 1971 and in great condition for its age. The stamp is there, and the postmark is fully legible. Grade: 1
-
Point Lobos State Park (California, USA)
Point Lobos Reserve State Park near Carmel, on an H.S. Crocker card CA-132 from late 1960s, not mailed but heavily written on reverse. Both sides just look a bit tired. Grade: 4
-
Great Smoky Mountains, Newfound Gap (USA)
Unused Dexter Press card 99127-B from the 1960s, but we suspect the view may not have changed much. Virtually as-new. Grade: 1
-
Great Smoky Mountains, Clingman’s Dome tower (USA)
According to the card, the observation tower is half in North Carolina and half in Tennessee. It’s Dexter Press card 99124-B from the 1960s, unused, and could be sold as-new on the rack now. Grade: 1
-
Great Smoky Mountains, Chimneys (USA)
Unused Dexter Press card 40563-B with a printed date of 1961, basically as-new. Grade: 1
-
Great Smoky Mountains, Loop-Over (USA)
Unused Dexter Press 81999-B postcard from the 1960s–the cars give that away. The card is aging on the reverse but otherwise unmarked and undamaged. Grade: 1
-
Illinois Beach State Park (USA)
Now the caption on this unused Dexter Press card (99176-B) from about 1966 says that the park “attracted over one million visitors in 1964.” We don’t doubt this, though the scene portrayed makes you wonder if some of those one million had nothing else to do. Grade: 1
-
Indiana Dunes State Park (USA)
The card is good; it’s the scene that is a bit bleak. Unused Dexter Press card I-61 and 66590-B from the 50s or 60s, just aging a little on the reverse. Grade: 2
-
Hanging Rock State Park (USA)
Dexter Press card 82418-B from 1964 is unused and gently aging. The park is north of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and no, we don’t think that is smog in the background. Grade: 1
-
Hawks Nest (West Virginia, USA)
It’s a state park we hadn’t heard of, yet the caption on the unused card says it attracts more than one million visitors each year. Almost Heaven, West Virginia … Grade: 1
-
White Sands National Monument (USA)
Dated 1958, with 2-cent stamp and full postmark from Kingman, Arizona, this Curteichcolor K-84 card has only a little bit of postmark smudge on the front (only visible because of all that white sand) and a travel agent’s rubber stamp on the reverse. Grade: 4
-
Redwood Empire (California)
The card actually puts its focus on the deer standing in this Redwoods National Park. Card was mailed in 1986, with 33-cent stamp, indistinct postmark, and airmail/address stickers. Grade: 3
-
Mesa Verde National Park (Arizona, USA)
Battered, taped, and creased card, mailed with 50-cent stamp in 1998. Grade: 5
-
Yosemite National Park, Nevada Fall (California, USA)
The “5 Associates” people did these cards right in the 1950s, that’s for sure. This one (BSY-5) is unused and, like others in the series, in great shape. Grade: 1
-
Yosemite National Park, Valley view (California, USA)
This mid-20th-century “5 Associates” card BSY-6 is so pretty but so is the park itself. Unused, mild aging on reverse but still: Grade: 1
-
Yosemite National Park, Wawona Tree (USA)
Unused “5 Associates” card BSY-10 from about 1960, though photo is undoubtedly earlier. Could you get an SUV through there? Grade: 1
-
Yosemite National Park, Clothespin tree (USA)
Very nice card of this famous giant sequoia tree. Unused “5 Associates” card BSY-55 from 1950s, mildly aging on reverse only, but unmarked. Grade: 1
-
Ole Bull State Park (Pennsylvania)
Whoever bought this card visited there on 29th of August, 1962, because that date (and tape residue and abrasion) are on the reverse. Grade: 4
-
Yosemite National Park, Sentinel Rock (USA)
From the “5 Associates” series, this unused card BSY-58 from the 1950s is unused and in superb condition. Grade: 1
-
Yosemite National Park, El Capitan (USA)
Beautiful unused “5 Associates” card BSY-60, probably from late 1950s, and almost as good as being there. Grade: 1
-
Yosemite National Park, Sentinel Dome, Jeffrey Pine
Another unused beautiful card from the “5 Associates” 1950s series, this one indexed as BSY-28. Grade: 1
-
Yosemite National Park, Gates of the Valley (USA)
The card was mailed in 1991 with a postage meter. Front has some postal creasing and the reverse is full of writing, stickers, marks, and more marks. Not torn or damaged, but nothing too special either. Grade: 4
-
Yosemite Park from Glacier Point (USA)
This card was mailed with a 40-cent stamp in 1991 and would be in average condition except that the address is on a sticker that was then taped over, and so the reverse just looks messy. The photo itself is nice, and you could compare with others from the same spot. Grade: 4
-
Yosemite Park, Half Dome and Merced River (USA)
Another very nice unused 1960s card from 5 Associates (BSY-2), showing “perhaps the best-known feature” of this national park. Grade: 1
-
Grand Canyon National Park, sunset (USA)
Mailed internationally in 1980 with two stamps and full postmark, this Petley card survived the trip OK. Grade: 1
-
Grand Canyon, Mather Point (USA)
Never-mailed R. Fronske card RMF-43 has the date June, 1960 typed on reverse, which has also aged a bit. Add this to your collection of identical views over time from the same location. Grade: 4
-
Everglades National Park – Purple Gallinule (Florida, USA)
Mailed from Canada (not Florida!) in what looks like 1988, with stamp and obscured postmark and airmail sticker. The card describes the Purple Gallinule as a “rare find”, which it may be since we’ve never seen one either. Grade: 4
-
Yellowstone Park, Pulpit Terrace
A really nice card, originally copyrighted 1903, mailed in September 1905, with penny stamp and two full postmarks–one from Spokane where it was mailed, and one from Iowa where it was received three days later. Grade: 2
-
Yellowstone Park, Upper Geyser Basin (USA)
This 5″ x 7″ card from Billings News was mailed in 1994 from Minnesota. The postmark is partly legible, and it’s a 40-cent stamp. As for the card, it has minor postal battering and is in “average” condition at best. Grade: 3
-
Jasper National Park, Athabasca Glacier (Canada)
This card, in average condition, was mailed in the mid-1980s with a 64-cent stamp–but the postmark isn’t legible. The address is on an affixed sticker. and there’s a small ink smudge on the front. Grade: 4
-
Sunrise, Grand Canyon National Park (USA)
Smith-Southwestern card 1468, mailed from Denver in 1999 with a 55-cent stamp and partly legible postmark. The card has suffered a bit of battering and has postal bar code on bottom reverse, but this just adds character, right? Grade: 3
-
Jasper National Park (AB), Maligne Lake (Canada)
About all we can say is that here’s another of many lake postcards for you. Mailed from Lake Louise (!) in 1988 with a 74-cent stamp and readable postmark. Grade: 1
-
Chaco Culture National Park (USA)
This is a photo of the Tri-Wall, Pueblo del Arroyo at this national park in New Mexico. Card was mailed with a 50-cent stamp in 1997 and has the post office’s bar code on bottom reverse. Normal and minor abrasions around the edges. Grade: 3