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Miami, Hialeah Race Track, Club House and Race Track
Linen card mailed in 1943, with stamp and full Miami postmark. Grade: 2
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Orlando, Walt Disney World, The “Chief Firemouse”
Unused, official card 0100-10290. Grade: 1
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Miami Beach, Hotel Row
Were we to guess–and we do that sometimes–we would say this was either one card or part of the cover of a set of cards given to people who took a Miami boat tour. It’s unused, and the answer to our guess is not immediately apparent, so here it is. The caption on the back identifies the location–but, unaccountably, not the tour company. Grade: 2
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Florida Key Lime Pie
Sounds good enough to eat. Can it really be this easy? Unused card. Grade: 1
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Orlando, Disney World, Contemporary Resort
Unused card 01110252. The resort is still there, mixed online reviews. Bring money. (The postcard is cheaper.) Grade: 1
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Orlando, Disney World, “Old Glory” part of Bicentennial Parade
Unused, official Disney card 0111-0366 of a scene leading up to the 1976 celebration. Grade: 1
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Walt Disney World, Main Street Electrical Parade
Unused Disney card 0100-11004. We did a bit of background searching about this parade … that was interesting! Not quite as straightforward as just a parade in Orlando, that’s for sure. Grade: 1
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Walt Disney World, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Official card 01110243, unused, inviting guests to join “Captain Nemo aboard the submarine Nautilus”. Grade: 1
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Surf’s Up!
Not up by very much, though. Maybe all the action was off to the left? Unused card FG-203 (114488). Grade: 1
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Pensacola, Sunny City Country Club, Bob Goolnick
If we just go by what we see online, Bob Goolnick is known mostly for his postcards. Well, here’s one, but because of the poor condition (sticker remnants), ours is cheaper. Grade: 4
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Walt Disney World, Contemporary Resort, Grand Canyon Concourse
Unused, official, older card 01110250 with a typically breathtaking caption. Grade: 1
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Florida Sea Shells
Despite the somewhat amateurish presentation, this informative card is as useful now as it was when it was printed in the 1960s. Unused, Koppel Color Card FG 118 (66835) from Dodson’s Shell Shop. Grade: 1
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Walt Disney World, Paddle Wheel Steam Boat
Among Florida postcards, those from Disney World take a larger-than-life share. Here’s an official Disney card HSC-609-L (PC709), near Tom Sawyer’s Island, unused except for a small black X inked into the lower right reverse corner. One perforated edge, so this had been part of a set. Grade: 3
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Orlando, Disney-MGM Studios, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Mailed in 2000 from Orlando, with stamp and postmark. Minor postal battering on lower edge. Grade: 2
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A Shell Collectors Dream
From 1991, and yes, it does have (on the reverse) “She sells sea shells at the sea shore.” Unused. Grade: 1
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Miami, Widener, Hialeah Race Course
Looks like this linen card DC-134 of the “Thrilling Finish of the Fifty Thousand Dollar Widener” was mailed in 1949 or 1948, with postmark and stamp. There’s a splotch of age staining on the reverse. The Widener Challenge Cup Handicap was first run in 1936, and after a bumpy ride (so to speak) wound up in 2001 when Hialeah itself was closed. Grade: 3
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Walt Disney World, Adventureland Jungle Cruise
Unused Dexter Press card 79913-C from the 1970s. Grade: 1
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Homestead, Orchid Jungle
“One of the rarest blooms in the orchid world” on this unused, older orchid postcard. Grade: 1
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Homestead, Orchid Jungle
Now Fennell’s Orchid Jungle. That name change would post-date this unused 1955 card. Grade: 1
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Walt Disney World, A Goofy Way to Putt
It’s an indistinct postmark (1980? 1990? one of those two) but the 10-cent stamp is there on this card mailed from Orlando. Grade: 1
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Multicoloured seashells
This 4-5/8″ x 6-3/4″ card is unused. Grade: 1
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Florida’s Seashells
Unused Plastichrome card P313032F (FL-32), serrated edges. Grade: 1
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Orlando, Epcot, Future World
We got confused trying to figure out what really happened to Future World but the lead entry in Google told us: “Future World is (was) one of two “lands” at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort, divided into two sections, Future World East and Future World West… A unique feature of Future World was its inclusion of a monorail track in the park. Replaced by: World Celebration; World Nature. Opening date: October 1, 1982; Closing date: September 30, 2021. The unused postcard’s still here, and Grade: 1
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Florida’s Silver Springs
Unused, older Dukane Scenics card #D00589 whose caption specifies “Glass Bottom Boats. Entrance Sign”. We don’t actually see any sign, but we do see a lot of passengers making themselves alligator bait. Grade: 1
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I’m suntanning in Florida
We don’t think this card was trimmed by anyone, so we’re not certain why “suntanning” gets cut off a bit. That, plus some remnants of tape on front and reverse top edge, put this otherwise unmailed card into Grade: 4-,
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Welcome to Florida, highways
Unused Koppel Color Card 80232 (FG 136) showing yet another of these improbable vistas uncluttered by hordes of cars and tourists. Living in the past, as we largely do because we spend so much time with old postcards, can have its soothing advantages. Grade: 1
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Fort Lauderdale, Rare Datura Arborea
Unused Curteich-Chicago C.T. Art-Colortone linen card 4B-H721 (DR-10, or DR-18) whose black cptions on a dark background make no sense to us. The card, though, is in great condition for its age — and Datura arborea seems often confused with Brugmansia arborea. Not by us: we had not heard of either one. Grade: 1
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Spanish Style Residence
Unused old linen card. Grade: 1
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Miami Beach, Lanes of Royal Palms
Unused Curteich-Chicago linen card 6D-H655 (D.C. 236). Grade: 1
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Fort Meyers, Beautiful First Street
Mailed in 1940 with a clear postmark, but as often happened, someone thought it was necessary to peel off the stamp. Some postmark transfer on the front as well. But the writer was having a swell time. Grade: 4
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Orange Groves
In case you can’t read the caption clearly on this unused old Curteich-Chicago linen card 9B-H1184, it says: Orange Groves, Sunny Skies, Sparkling Lakes — That’s Florida. Well, yes, all that and more. Grade: 1
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Garden Spot in Florida
Unused linen Curteich-Chicago card 8B-H864 (F-196, the Tropical Florida Series). We understand why semi-generic cards like this were published, but that doesn’t mean we need to like them very much. Grade: 1
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Point Washington, Eden
Unused card of this restored mansion in Eden Gardens State Park. Grade: 1
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Fort Lauderdale, Las Olas Boulevard
Because we don’t know the area, we Googled to see what this road (Las Olas = The Waves, in Spanish) looks like now. No doubt part of it could still be this way but the rest of it sure isn’t. “One of the most beautiful streets in the world” as described in the caption of this unused Koppel Color Card FNC 3058 (5226) with significant staining along the bottom reverse. Grade: 3
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Tallahassee, Killearn Gardens
Unused, aging, Tichnor Quality Views linen card 76668. This used to be an eponymous state park, but according to one of the State of Florida’s official websites, “The 28-acre Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park, formerly named Killearn Gardens State Park, was designed by Mr. Alfred Barmore Maclay beginning in 1923.” At the time of the postcard, says the caption, the Park covered 40 acres. Grade: 1
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Silver Springs
This “beautiful Florida scene” along the Silver River, on an unused but aging Koppel Color card FG-10 (1300). Grade: 1
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White Springs, Stephen Foster Memorial
What this unused Dexter Press card 1553-C is showing, is actually a diorama at the Stephen Foster Carillon Tower, which itself was completed in 1957, so that helps date the card. Some aging. Grade: 1
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Lakeland, Scene on Lake Hollingsworth
What a sweet, brief yet rambling caption on the back of this unused E.C. Kropp card 29385. It gives you three random facts about Lakeland that you’re certain to remember for all time. Tiny stain on upper reverse edge. Grade: 2
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Silver Springs, Prince of Peace Memorial
Crucifixion scene hand-carved by sculptor-artist Paul C. Cunningham, on unused Koppel Color Card FNC 5426 (105402). Grade: 1
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Cypress Gardens, gazebo
Cypress Gardens, described by the caption as “AMERICA’S TROPICAL WONDERLAND”. 1936 – 2011, R.I.P., replaced by Legoland. Not exactly the same. Unused Curteichcolor card 0EK-541-A, starting to age, but still Grade: 1