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Hartford, state capitol
This lovely old card was mailed in 1907 and still has the 1-cent stamp plus postmarks from sending and receiving locations. It also has such a poignant message on the front. Classic among antique Connecticut postcards. Despite a small abrasion on lower left front corner, and postmark smudging on the front, we still assign this as: Grade: 2
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Mystic Seaport, Main deck of Charles W. Morgan
Mailed in Old Lyme in 1967 with full postmark and 4-cent stamp, this card is heavily aged on the reverse and has a significant crease across the lower part of the card. It is also from the accumulation of the Charles Girard family, a point we will only mention once or twice and leave the remainder of their wonderful collection to speak for itself. Grade: 4
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Hartford, Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance
Unused Dexter Press card 87927-B informing us that this “15-floor elliptical tower is the world’s only two-sided office building.” Not sure about now, though. Grade: 1
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Bridgeport Harbor, Inner Light
Mailed in 1907 with John Smith stamp and full postmark. Some postmark transfer on the front. Grade: 3
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Naugatuck Valley IV
Mailed in 1916, the stamp and postmark are there, and Aunt Ruth was clearly feeling the heat. Grade: 3
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New Haven, West Rock Park, Judges Cave
We wonder whether the mythical Australian folk hero Bronc Morret ever got this far north. Probably not, but the card made it to Hong Kong. Mailed in 1908, the stamp and full, clear postmark are there. Grade: 2
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Warehouse Point (East Windsor), Conn. Electric Railway Trolley Museum
Unused Dexter Press card but with the remnants of a price tag and some inked initials near the stamp area on reverse. Grade: 3
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New Britain-Newington, National Iwo Jima Memorial Monument
One might think this memorial was in Washington, DC. One would be wrong. The card was mailed in 2012 with a 98-cent stamp. Very, very faint orange barcoding on the front, black barcoding on the back. Grade: 2
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New Haven, Aerial view of Lighthouse Point
Unused card. It’s called a summer resort even though the photo makes it look like a gigantic construction site. Grade: 1
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Stratford Shoal (Middle Ground) Lighthouse
Unused Tomlin Art card 5D-68783-B of a lighthouse built in 1877. Grade: 1
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Old Saybrook, Outer Light
“Guarding the Entrance to the Connecticut River” from this unused card. Grade: 2
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Stonington Lighthouse
Unused Plastichrome card P66653 with the state name inked in small letters above the caption on reverse. It’s now a museum, or it was when the card was made. Grade: 3
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New Haven, The Old Light, Lighthouse Point
Mailed in 1909, the card has a message perfect for 1909, maybe less so these days. Full postmark and stamp, minor water staining in the message. Some postmark ink transfer on the front. Grade: 3
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New London Light House
Somehow, we have three of these German-made Hugh C. Leighton Co. cards 940, but even though the photos are the same, the reverse is different on each card. The one you see in the scan is the best of them, unused. divided back (Grade: 2, $6). Another was mailed in 1909, undivided back and with the message pencilled on the front bottom, stamp and full New London postmark (Grade: 2, $5). The third–also undivided back–was mailed in 1905 and has stamp and three postmarks. Two of those overlap on the back and another is just to the left of the lighthouse on the front (Grade: 3, $4).
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Old Saybrook, Inner Light – Lynde Point Light Station – Fenwick
Unused card. Grade: 2
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New Haven, The Sperry Light
Unused card missing lower left corner, and the lower right corner has become detached as you can see in the scan. That piece is here. Grade: 5
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New London Harbor, New South West Ledge Light
One of the least-likely-looking lighthouses in our collection, whatever remains of this structure looks completely different now. The card was mailed from New London in 1911 with stamp and postmark. Some postmark ink transfer on the front. But what a remarkable appearance. Grade: 2
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Mohegan Sun Casino
It may be because this casino group has expanded into more than one state, but the card (at least the part we can see) does not specify which location this is. References to the large size of the facility lead us to think it’s the mother property in Connecticut. Mailed with two stamps and partial postmark only. Grade: 2
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New London, The Lighthouse
Unused Lusterchrome card K-2561. Grade: 1
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Mohegan Sun Casino
Pretty much what we said about our item 10107020 applies here, too. But this card was mailed in 2013 with a round “Global Forever” stamp and blurred postmark. There’s very faint orange postal barcoding on the front, and black barcoding on the back. Nice wolf. Grade: 3
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Lebanon, Home of Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, Bed Room
Unused card. Grade: 2
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Mystic Seaport, a Living Maritime Museum
Unused Plastichrome card P63641, “Mystic Seaport Stores, Inc. Official Postcard,” aging significantly. Grade: 2
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Map of Connecticut
Card with all of any map postcard’s typical state details, mailed in 2013 with two stamps and postmark. Grade: 1
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New Haven, The Cloister Club House
We were all set to tell you some of the history of this building, but our initial search turned very complicated very quickly. So we’ll leave that to you, but if you’re connected with Yale in any way, no doubt you’ll know. Mailed in 1906, with stamp and postmarks from sending and receiving points. Nice card of local historical interest. Grade: 1
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Hartford, Hartford Club
Poly=Chrome card mailed in 1907, with stamp and clear postmark. Appropriately aged. Grade: 2
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Guilford Lakes
Unused, aging. Grade: 3
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New Haven, New Haven Hospital, View from Cor. Gress Ave.
Unused old card still in fine condition. Grade: 1
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Hartford, Elizabeth Park
Unused Dexter Press card 93555-B. Grade: 1
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Kent, Kent Falls
This is now a State Park, but most likely this unused Dexter Press card 42483-B predates that and doesn’t mention it. Grade: 2
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Auto Map
In today’s (other) GPS world, imagine having this as your motoring guide. But it’s a classic unused postcard. Grade: 1
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Hartford, State Capitol & Memorial Arch
Mailed in 1906, with stamp and all or part of three different postmarks. Crease through lower left corner, not really disfiguring. Grade: 3
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Greetings from Connecticut
An iconic example of the classic Large Letter postcards, this unused Tichnor Bros. linen card 71324 with a few statistics on the back, including the 1940 population of 1,709,242. Grade: 1
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Waterbury, The Elton Hotel
We are grateful to Wikipedia for this information, which we have only slightly abridged: “The Elton Hotel is an early 20th-century building in the Second Renaissance Revival architectural style. It was built in 1904 to replace a lavish hotel lost in a fire that destroyed much of downtown Waterbury two years earlier. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a guest, and James Thurber is said to have written “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, during a stay. On the eve of the 1960 election, John F. Kennedy gave an early-morning speech from the hotel that was credited with helping him win Connecticut. It continued to be used as a hotel until the early 1970s. In 1983, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since then it has been converted into professional office space and senior housing.” There is a caption on the front bottom but you need to look hard to see it. The card was mailed in 1909, with clear postmark and a stamp whose corner is there, but torn. Grade: 3
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New Haven, School of Fine Arts, Yale University
Once in awhile, we say this: “If you went there, you should have this.” Seems appropriate here. Does seem odd that the message is dated 1907, and the postmark 1909, but we’ll never know for sure. Stamp is there. Grade: 1
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New Haven, Free Public Library
Mailed a long time ago, the stamp and partial postmark are there. Grade: 2
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Historic Lighthouses of Connecticut
Wikipedia tells us there are more than 18,600 lighthouses in the world. Here are .016% of those: Old Saybrook’s inner light at Fenwick, Stonington, and New London. Unused card. Grade: 1
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Hartford, Trinity College
Among old Connecticut postcards, this might have a conventional view but a distinctly poignant message from a young man to his “wonderful sweetheart”. Why poignant? Well, the lady who received the card had a less-common name, so we Googled her, and it’s clear that things didn’t work out quite as he had hoped. It’s one of those times when we almost want to scream “Why Not??” (Too late now!) Card was mailed in 1923. Stamp and postmark are there. Very minor postal creasing. Grade: 1
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Middletown, State Hospital
After an online search, we could say so much, but will confine ourselves (no pun intended) to this: opened in 1868 as the Connecticut General Hospital for the Insane, and now known since 1961 as Connecticut Valley Hospital. The postcard was mailed in 1944, with stamp, postmark, and old address label. Grade: 3
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Hadlyme, Gillette Castle state park
Unused. Online reviews make this look like a good place for families to visit, but you need to know about Sherlock Holmes … Grade: 1
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Litchfield, Birthplace of Ethan Allen
Undivided back postcard, with stamp and full 1906 postmark. Just a small drop in grade due to the initials on the front. Grade: 2