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Central Kansas, limestone posts
Unused Ralph A. Coffeen card, dated 1964, with a caption that begins: “Various are the questions asked concerning them and various are the answers…” Who would argue with that? Grade: 3
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Fort Riley, Old Trooper Monument and Chief’s grave
Unused Donna Brinkman card 108162. Some explanation: the monument was dedicated in 1961 and honors the U.S. Cavalry. The grave, however, is that of Chief, the horse foaled in 1932, died 1968, and the last cavalry mount on U.S. Army rolls. Whew. Grade: 2
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Winfield, Memorial Park
Old, unattributed, unused black and white card D-502. Grade: 2
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Lansing, Inside the Walls, State Prison
In 1910, Anna mailed this card to Cousin Oscar with a nice tongue-in-cheek message–at least we hope it was. Stamp and full postmark are there. Edge abrasions. Grade: 2
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The first house in Wichita
Unused card, issued by the Wichita Public Museum, and in fine condition. Not sure how the house is doing, though. Grade: 1
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German lutheran Concordie Church (sic)
Forgive us if we have erred, but this unused card has no attribution and doesn’t say where the church is. Someone (not us) has pencilled “Kansas” on the reverse; Google didn’t really help, this time. So we put the card as Kansas, and if you have more information, please tell us … thanks in advance. Grade: 3
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Hutchison, Stevens Swimming Pond
What strikes us most about this card, mailed in 1919 with stamp and blurred postmark, is how modern it looks by today’s standards. Well, maybe not the diving board, but the rest of it. Creasing. Grade: 3
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Abilene, Eisenhower Museum
Unused Plastichrome card P38847 of the museum of President Eisenhower’s life. Starting to age, but still, Grade: 1
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Greetings from Kansas
Kansas is much more than this, but this is what postcards wanted you to see. Unused Plastichrome card P79040, with (Texas) Longhorns on the Chisholm Trail, and Interstate 70 as the counterpoint. The postcard is clean but heavily aged. Grade: 3
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Official State Flag
Unused card issued by the State Printer in 1961 or later. The card isn’t so much abraded as it has been heavily handled and smudged on both sides. Grade: 3
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Kansas “Where the West Begins”, Greetings
On the reverse of this unused Dexter Press card 44203-C, the caption says “Greetings from Kansas” and remarks that “Small herds of Buffalo may still be seen”. (At least they may now be seen on this postcard.) Grade: 2
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Topeka, Gage Park, Reinisch Memorial Rose Garden
Unused, aging Plastichrome card P76600 of a garden built in 1930. Grade: 3
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The National Bank of Pittsburg, October 2010 calendar
Lovely old calendar postcard, mailed in (surprise!) 1910, with postmark and abraded stamp. Grade: 4
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Hanover, Old Pony Express Station
Unused, heavily aged card with edge and corner abrasions and a date/name inked in the area where the stamp would be. Grade: 4
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Abilene, Eisenhower Center
Unused Dexter Press card DT-18832-C, dated 1966, showing a set of Pylons dedicated to President Eisenhower’s family by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Soroptomist Clubs of Kansas. Though the card is beginning to age, it is still Grade: 1
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Wichita The Air Capital
Unused. Grade: 1
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Long Branch Saloon, Boot Hill, Dodge City
Mailed in 1963 with stamp and postmark, from Millie to Rick, whom we did locate through a search engine, but we’re not stalkers and so the trail stops there. Grade: 1
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Greetings from Wichita Kansas
This E.C. Kropp large letter card was mailed in what looks like 1946 (partly obscured postmark; stamp is there), and all of the attractions are identified in the caption on the back. Grade: 1
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Topeka, The Menninger Foundation
The Foundation may have moved on, but this sturdy, unused, matte-finish card 81405 of the original building of the Menninger Clinic lives on. Grade: 1
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Map
Mailed in 2013 with a round “Global Forever” stamp and USPS Airmail sticker, along with some postal abrasion on bottom reverse. Grade: 3
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Early Dodge City Home
For as much as they say on the front, there’s more on the back caption of this otherwise unused card. Slight staining on the reverse. Grade: 3
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Wichita, Main Street, north from Douglas Ave.
A “Main Street” postcard from 1910, with 2-cent stamp and partial postmark. A little bit battered but then again it’s very old. Grade: 3
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Louisburg Cider Mill
We went there. Anything to do with apples, and lots of things not to do with apples, they have it. Nice folks, worth the detour when coming back from West Line. Unused card. Grade: 1
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Douglas County, Bald Eagle
Unused card of Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Grade: 1
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Fort Scott National Historic(al) Site
Either the wall or the card’s caption gives the correct name of the place. The card is unused. Grade: 1
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Keene, Butterfly Milkweed
Unused. Grade: 1
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Cowley County, Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Unused card of Pterourus glaucus. Grade: 1
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Big Brutus
The caption on this unused card is extensive, focusing on Pittsburg and Midway Coal Mining Company and Big Brutus’s subsequent conversion into a museum. Grade: 1
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Topeka, State Capitol
It’s 304 feet high. (The Capitol, not the postcard.) Unused (The postcard, not the Capitol.) Grade: 1
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Cawker City, World’s largest ball of twine
We like postcards of quirky things like this, somewhat more than we do of mountains and beaches — but don’t hold that against us. Frank Stoeber started this in 1953, and as far as we know, Cawker City is still at it. Unused. Grade: 1
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Liberal, Dorothy’s House
In the unlikely event you’ve not heard of “Wizard of Oz”, this card may not have much meaning for you. But if you have, here’s an unused card with a long caption, transporting you in its own way. Grade: 1
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Buffalo Soldier, Fort Leavenworth
This unused card has an extraordinarily long and detailed caption. Grade: 1
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Howdy from Kansas
Unused. Grade: 1
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Historic Kansas Barns
Unassuming as these might seem, all three have back-stories and are open to the public. Unused card. Grade: 1
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Wound Up In Kansas
Be reassured, nobody was hurt during the taking of this photo. According to the caption, “Variations of it show up in fields across the state”. Unused card. Grade: 1
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Fireworks Over Kansas
Unused card. Grade: 1
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Saturday Bath
A little typo in the caption on the back of this unused card. Grade: 1
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Interstate 70
Cute caption on the reverse of this unused card, reminding all and sundry that “Contrary to popular belief, Kansas is not ‘flat’.” Well, compared to Colorado, it is. Grade: 1
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Kansas, The Sunflower State, map and flag
Unused state map postcard. (Why do we say it this way? We would really like some search engines to start registering us with “state map postcard”. All in good time.) Grade: 1
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Kansas Map and Western Meadowlark
Unused card. Grade: 1