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Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History
Mailed in June, 1941, with stamp, full postmark, and (to us, at least) an interesting message of the era. How much we would like to know how long Marge finally lasted there. Postmark ink transfer on the front. Grade: 3
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Chicago, Museum of Science and Industries, Jackson Park
Unusually, this unused Curteichcolor card 1C-K188 got the museum’s name wrong (should be Industry). Grade: 1
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Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry
Unused Plastichrome card P30651, whose reverse caption calls this the “World’s Busiest Museum”. (The Louvre in Paris might dispute that.) Grade: 1
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Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, Jackson Park
Unused Curteichcolor card 1C-K188, noticeably aging. Grade: 2
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Chicago, The Museum of Science and Industry
Unused Plastichrome card P13143. Beginning to show its age, but clean. Grade: 1
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Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, “Slave Arms”
Not what you might think. Caption says: “Gigantic ‘slave arms’ are used by the demonstrator … to handle ‘radio-active’ materials in the ‘Atoms for Peace’ display”. Unused, aging Plastichrome card P30655. Grade: 1
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Chicago, Edgewater Beach Hotel, Marine Dining Room
Wikipedia tells us: “The Edgewater Beach Hotel was a resort hotel complex in the far-north neighborhood community of Edgewater in Chicago, designed by Benjamin H. Marshall and Charles E. Fox. The first section was built in 1916, located between Sheridan Road and Lake Michigan at Berwyn Avenue. An adjacent tower building was added in 1924. The hotel closed in 1967, and was soon after demolished” after being used by Loyola University. This unused Curt Teich linen postcard 1A-H161 has serrated edges and a small stain in the right front margin. Grade: 3
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Chicago, Michigan Avenue, north from Blackstone Hotel
The hotel? Still there … now the Renaissance Blackstone Hotel. The card? No. 354 (R-50534) from Max Rigot Selling Co, unused, good condition. By the way, all these other buildings are also identified in the reverse caption. Grade: 1
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Chicago, State Street
Unused Curteichcolor card CK.266 showing State Street looking north from Adams Street with the Palmer House in the background and some sort of printing stain in the message area (Grade: 3, $1). And we have a second card, mailed in 1960 from Dallas with 7-cent stamp and postmark, with a message that could leave you scratching your head (Grade: 1, $3).
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Chicago, Merchandise Mart
Merchandise Mart postcards are not exactly scarce, but this building was a Big Thing when it went up. Here, a Curteichcolor unused card 1C-K182 (C.K.112) showing “Worlds Largest Merchandising and Business Building”. Grade: 1
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Chicago, City Hall and County Building
Unused. Grade: 1
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Chicago, Henrici’s
As we often do, we searched online to see if the restaurant was still there. This led us to a photo with a big “Last Days” banner hanging in front, and the caption “Henrici’s Restaurant, immediately before it closed forever on 15 August 1962 and it — along with the entire block — was demolished to make room for the Civic (Daley) Center”. Well, that answers that. The card billed it as “Chicago’s Premier Restaurant.” Unused Curteichcolor card 4C-K346. Grade: 1
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Chicago, Wacker Drive Plaza
Unused Plastichrome card P23744. Grade: 2
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Chicago, New Palmer House
Well-reinvented, it’s now “Palmer House A Hilton Hotel” and one of the most famous in North America if not the world. Actually there have been several Palmer Houses on the site, and as the one you see here went up between 1923 and 1925, it helps date the unused Gerson Bros. postcard #184. Grade: 1
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Chicago, Palmer House, Next Door to Everything
Unused, slight aging. Grade: 1
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Chicago, The Tribune Tower and Michigan Avenue Bridge
Older, unused A.C. card #220. Grade: 1
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Chicago, Elk’s National Memorial
Unused Curteich-Chicago linen postcard 1B-H1455 (175) with that apostrophe on the front but not on the back. Grade: 1
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Chicago, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, Grant Park – entire building
Unused Stadler Photo Co. card, unnumbered, slight aging. The caption says this “is the largest and best equipped aquarium in the world”, an honour now possibly held by Ocean Kingdom in (where else) China. This card starts a series of seven different views. Assuming we still have all seven, and if you want them all, you can have them for $9. Grade: 1
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Chicago, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, Grant Park – a corner of the foyer hall
See our notes for item #10114226. Similar condition. Unused. Grade: 1
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Chicago, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, Grant Park – Central archway and aquatic clock
See our notes for item #10114226. Similar condition. Unused. Grade: 1
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Chicago, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, Grant Park – Central pool
See our notes for item #10114226. Similar condition overall, but with small foxing on the reverse. The caption tells us this “pool” is “partly arranged as a swamp and partly as a rockery.” Unused. Grade: 2
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Chicago, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, Grant Park – Main Entrance
See our notes for item #10114226. Similar condition. Unused. Grade: 1
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Chicago, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, Grant Park – Main Entrance – Center Door
See our notes for item #10114226. Similar condition. Unused. Grade: 1
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Chicago, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, Grant Park – General view of the foyer
See our notes for item #10114226. Similar condition. Unused. (This concludes our series of seven cards.) Grade: 1
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Galena, General U.S. Grant Home, Dining Room
Ann wrote and mailed this card in 1935. Stamp and postmark are there. Grade: 3
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Joliet, West Park, Rustic Bridge and Spring House
Such a formal messge on a card mailed in 1937, with stamp and postmark. Some postmark ink transfer on the front. Grade: 2
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New Salem State Park, The Saw and Grist Mill
A very substantial caption loosely linking this to Abraham Lincoln, on this unused Dexter Press card DT-86270-B from 1964. Grade: 2
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New Salem State Park, Miller and Kelso Residence
Unused Dexter Press card 299-D-18 (63334), telling us that Abraham Lincoln and Jack Kelso studied the classics of literature togther. Grade: 2
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Peoria, First Methodist Episcopal Church
Old, unused, C.E. Wheelock & Co. card 49658. Grade: 1
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Petersburg, The Onstott Cooper Shop at Old Salem State Park
In 1934, someone visited this place, got the card, and wrote a long addendum to the caption. Not postally used. Grade: 4
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Quincy, Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County
Unused Curteich-Chicago card 0B379-N. Or maybe it’s O, not 0. Grade: 1
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Quarters One, Rock Island Arsenal
“The largest single quarters in the U.S. Army,” at least then, on this unused card. Grade: 1
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Rock Island Arsenal Reservoir
In the caption of this unused card, lots and lots of statistics about this structure completed in 1871. Grade: 1
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Rock Island Arsenal, Browning Memorial Museum, Court of Patriots
Unused card. Grade: 1
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Rock Island, Centennial Bridge
Unused Mike Roberts card C12018. The bridge connects Rock Island with Davenport, Iowa. That’s Davenport in back. Grade: 1
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Springfield, Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon
Unused Curteichcolor card 5DK-295. The carillon is described in the caption as “one of the largest and finest in the world.” We thought it would be nice to let you know which one is now the biggest. Ha. Go to Google “largest carillon in the world” and see what comes up! Grade: 1
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Springfield, Abraham Lincoln’s Home, Dining Room
Unused Dexter Press card 10xDT-86275-B from 1964. Aging. Grade: 2
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Starved Rock State Park, Wildcat Canyon
Unused Curteich-Chicago linen postcard 9A-H2153. Grade: 1
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Morton, site of 1963 Farm Progress Show, FS Services
An ad card masquerading as not an ad card: Dexter Press 76236-B, unused. Grade: 1
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Lowden State Park, Black Hawk Statue
Not postally used, this Dexter Press card 298-D-38 (56457) has a 1953 date written on the back. Grade: 4