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Alhambra, Ramona School
Very old, unmailed card with creases and stains and much of a message on the reverse, but no address or stamp. This card should go to an alumnus. Are you one? Grade: 4
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Hollywood Bowl
Unused Color Card C1311, a little worn on the front and stained on the reverse. Grade: 4
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Coloma, Marshall Monument
Dedicated to James Marshall of gold rush fame. The unused card was not so lucky. Worn, and with inked notations in the postage area. Grade: 3
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Los Angeles, Coliseum
Unused linen card, small numerical notations on the reverse, from back in the day. Grade: 3
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Glendale, Forest Lawn, The Christus
Unused card issued by Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Assn. There’s an inked notation in the postage area, and latent corner creasing. Grade: 3
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Los Angeles, Mac Arthur Park, Mac Arthur statue
Unused Curteichcolor card 5C-K951, still vivid. Grade: 2
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Pasadena City Hall
Unused card. Grade: 2
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Mill Valley, Mt. Tamalpais
Unused card in great condition for its (old) age. Grade: 1
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Coloma, Marshall Monument
Unused Dexter Press card D51 71705-B, heavily aged on reverse. Grade: 4
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Glendale, Entrance to Forest Lawn
Unused Plastichrome card P19781, pointing out that the entrance is “guarded by the largest set of wrought iron gates in the world.” Or was; we don’t know. Grade: 1
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Ft. Ross, Old Pioneer Cemetery
Unused card with a few lines and notations on the reverse. Grade: 3
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Glendale, Forest Lawn, Little Church of the Flowers
Unused Kashower linen card 1053, browning with age but in excellent condition otherwise. Grade: 1
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San Francisco, street venders (sic) of flowers
Look at this old Scenic View Co. linen card 43709 and you realize how pretty it is. Unused, aging but fine condition. Grade: 1
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El Cajon Valley
Among many things we could write about this card, the first is that El Cajon doesn’t look much like this now. This old card, with 1915 San Diego – Panama – California (Panama Canal) printed seal, was then mailed in 1985 from Malaysia back to El Cajon, with two stamps and blue bilingual airmail sticker affixed. Grade: 3
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Tree Hugger
Contemporary black-and-white card mailed internationally in 2011 with four stamps. USPS postal barcoding on bottom reverse. Grade: 1
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Battery Point Lighthouse
Mailed in 2011 with 98-cent stamp and mostly legible postmark. Grade: 2
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Old Sacramento
Mailed in 2011 with a 98-cent stamp . Grade: 2
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San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge
Mailed in 2011 with three different stamps. Grade: 3
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Los Angeles, L.A. County Coroner
Technically, these are “Post-Cal” and not postcards, though they can be mailed. Here’s the story: you do a treasure hunt all through Los Angeles until you find the L.A. County Coroner, a complex including a massive old building that has a quirky and quite engaging gift shop in one corner of the ground floor. They sell these, which are peel-off stickers but which have a place for a stamp as any postcard would. The message area is pre-printed. You won’t find them at the neighborhood drugstore. Unused, and just waiting for you. Grades: 1
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A Chinese Fortune Teller
This is a well-known card about which you can find quite a bit through search engines. Briefly, it seems set in San Francisco immediately after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Note the damage on the sidewalk. The two red characters mean “Test” and “Life” (i.e., predicting what your life will be) and the three black characters may be a star in the Big Dipper. Too obscure for us, but the Edw. H. Mitchell card 1449 is unused and in age-appropriate condition. Grade: 2
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San Francisco, Old Chinatown
Spectacular old, unused Pacific Novelty card S.F. 122. Grade: 1
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Parade of the Tongs, Chinatown
Aunt Sadye chose this card to mail to Master Chas. in 1911, with stamp and postmark fully intact, and a cute message we would not be likely to see these days. This is Edw. H. Mitchell card 1648, edge abrasions indeed, but an important addition to anyone’s “Chinatown” collection. Grade: 2
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San Francisco, City Hall Tower After The Earthquake
Unused Rosin & Co. card 867, minor corner abrasions. Grade: 2
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Destruction of San Francisco by Fire (April 18, 1906)
With message as you see, stamp and full 1908 San Francisco postmark, this and cards like it will become more important historical artifacts. Grade: 1
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San Diego, Cabrillo National Monument, Old Point Loma Lighthouse
Five of these unused cards ICS-105853 are available, stating that the lighthouse was built in 1854 until replaced in 1891 by another one “closer to the ocean.” Two cards are Grade: 1 ($4) and three are slightly more aged, so Grade: 2 ($3).
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Point Sur Light House
Yes, we agree you have to look hard to see the lighthouse on this unused Royal Pictures card S-2893-3 (and B 161). The caption colourfully describes several incidents in the vicinity. Grade: 3
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Los Angeles, 1984 Olympics, skyline
Unused official card under license from the Olympic Organizing Committee. Reverse is stained on the upper right corner. Grade: 3
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Mount Lassen from Lake Almanor
Mailed in 2011, this card does have four stamps but lots of postal battering and taped address. Grade: 4
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San Diego, General View from Hotel Robinson
Unused, heavily aged card 1171 from Edward H. Mitchell. The front is passable. The reverse, while unmarked, is not attractive. Grade: 3
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Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana (Union Oil No. 6)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from 1939. Grade: 1
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La Jolla (Union Oil, unnumbered)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from 1939. Some creasing. Grade: 2
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Santa Monica, Bernheimer Gardens (Union Oil No. 46)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from 1939. Grade: 1
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El Camino Real, 21 Missions (Union Oil No. 65)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from 1939. Two are available. Grades: 1
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San Juan Capistrano (Union Oil no. 26)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from 1939, showing the Jewel of the Missions. Grade: 1
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Redwood Grove (Union Oil no. 30)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from 1939. Grade: 1
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Joshua Tree (Union Oil no. 28)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from 1939, telling about the tree named by early Mormon settlers. Grade: 1
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Santa Barbara Harbor (Union Oil no. 8)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from 1939. Grade: 2
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San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge
From 2011, a card mailed with an uncancelled 98-cent stamp. How’s your math? Grade: 4
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All American Canal (Union Oil, unnumbered)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (“See the West with 76 Gasoline”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from unknown year. Grade: 2
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Long Beach, west on Ocean Blvd. (Union Oil, unnumbered)
Over the years, Union Oil Company of California issued a series of cards (originally “See the West with 76 Gasoline” but on this card “Tour the West with UNION”) depicting western U.S.A. landmarks. This unused card is one of those, from an unknown year but later than others in our stock. Grade: 1