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Newport Bridge
Mailed from Providence, RI in 1991 with a torn 40-cent Lillian M. Gilbreth stamp, this card of New England’s longest suspension bridge (is it still?) also notes the “rarely photographed primary and secondary rainbow.” Grade: 4
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Providence, State Capitol
Slightly battered old card, mailed in 1908 with two different but overlapping postmarks and the 1-cent stamp. Grade: 3
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Providence, Roger William’s Monument and Betsey William’s Cottage (sic)
Unused Hugh C. Leighton Co. card No. 1080. Grade: 1
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Providence, Westminster St.
Can’t quite read the postmark but it looks like this card might have been mailed in 1909. If not 1909, then 1919. Maybe you can tell from the card. The stamp is there; the card has been heavily handled and has small tears and some creasing. Grade: 4
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Jamestown, Beaver Tail Light House
Unused card S-42716. Grade: 1
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Beaver Tail Light, Entrance to Narragansett Bay
Two of these Poly-Chrome cards A 8067 are available. One was mailed from Providence in 1908, with stamp and two postmarks. Some postmark ink transfer on the front also (Grade: 2, $6). The other is unused, with a smudge on upper right front (Grade: 3, $4).
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Narragansett Bay, Conimicut Light
Litho-Chrome card B 11956, mailed from Providence in 1907 with stamp and readable postmark. There is a very minor tear in the right edge. Grade: 3
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Narragansett Pier, Point Judith Light House
Desirable old card, mailed in 1913–and while a Colorado postmark is there, the stamp is gone. Grade: 4
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Providence, Pomham Light
Mailed in 1907, but in bad condition on both sides. Postmark but no stamp. Grade: 5
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Narragansett Pier, Point Judith Light
Mailed in 1909 from Boston’s Essex Street Station, with full postmark and stamp. Nice message! Grade: 2
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Narragansett Bay, Beaver Tail Light
Mailed in 1911 with stamp and full Providence postmark. Postmark ink transfer on the front. Grade: 3
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Block Island, North Light
Not the conventional sight of a lighthouse, but genuine nonetheless–this facility built in 1867. Unused Tomlin card 5D-38267-C. Grade: 1
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Watch Hill Lighthouse and Coast Guard Station
This unused B&W card is not attractive at all, has aged significantly and just looks overly handled; but at the same time this sets it apart from more conventional cards. Grade: 3
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Newport, Castle Hill Light
Unused Curteichcolor card D-14113, aging, a bit smudged. Caption reads “A storm warning flies over Castle Hill Light which guards the entrance to Narragansett Bay as an ‘America’s Cup’ challenger is towed to the course in Rhode Island Sound.” That should give search engines plenty to work with. Grade: 2
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Warwick Neck Lighthouse
Unused “Rooster Booster” card LK-86, with drawing of the state map printed on the reverse. Grade: 1
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Narragansett Bay, Plum Beach Light, West Passage
Classic vintage lighthouse postcard, Rhode Island News Company A 8064, mailed from Providence in 1912 with stamp and postmark and message. This is the kind of card you might say really has “character”. Grade: 3
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Newport, Ida Lewis Lighthouse
We wanted to know more about a lighthouse named after a person, so we went to Wikipedia to see the story. Beginning as the Lime Rock Lighthouse, this building served its purpose in one form or another from 1854-1963 and is now the clubhouse of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club. There was more than one Ida, and they both did their work well. Unused, undivided back card No. 957 from Hugh C. Leighton Co. The scan won’t show, but the card was made with some glitter along the shoreline and pier structures. Grade: 3
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Wickford, Old Wickford Lighthouse
Unused Transcolor Corporation card 48822, rounded corners, of a lighthouse built in 1831 and now (or at the time the card was printed) a private residence. Grade: 1
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Newport, Conservatory “The Elms”
Unused Curteichcolor card 4DK-866. Grade: 1
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Narragansett Bay, Sabin’s Point Light House
Mailed in 1909, the stamp is all here but partly folded at time of mailing; full postmark. Grade: 2
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Providence, Benedict Temple of Music
Unused vintage postcard. Grade: 2
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Providence, First Baptist Church
Unused Plastichrome card P13005, “the Mother Church of the denominations on this continent.” Grade: 1
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Barrington, The White Church
Appropriate that the White Church appears on this unused, vintage B&W postcard from Artvue. Grade: 1
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Providence, Rhode Island State House
Mailed in 1957 with 2-cent stamp and full postmark. Grade: 2
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Newport, Easton’s Beach
Imagine having to go to the beach like this. (In Newport, you don’t still have to, do you?) Card mailed in 1910 with everything so clear on the back it feels like yesterday. As a side note, not all cards have that effect, but this one does. Grade: 1
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The Ocean State
We know Rhode Island is small, but there must be more to it than the “boiling, pounding, crashing surf” on this unused card from 1986. Grade: 1
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Providence, Statue of Roger Williams
Unused linen Tichnor Quality Views card 74507. Aging with a bit of foxing, but clean. Grade: 2
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Westerly, Cristoforo Colombo Monument at Wilcox Park
Unused “local” card. Grade: 1
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Warwick, Midland Mall
Unused “local” card 38724, showing “Rhode Island’s most modern shopping center”. Grade: 1
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Providence, Atheneum. Private Library and Drinking Fountain
This card is proof that there were postcard clubs in 1912, when it was mailed. Stamp and postmark are there. We very much hope that Louisa enjoyed a long and productive exchange with Lynn. It’s a very nice old card. Grade: 1
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Newport, “Old Stone Mill”
In 1914, Mrs. Lawton mailed this to Mrs. Briggs, so politely. Stamp and postmark are there, along with a significant crease diagonally through the upper left corner. Grade: 3
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Newport, “Chetwood,” Residence of J.J. Astor
Also known as Chetwode, this residence appears on an unused old linen postcard. It’s easy to see just an old house — but do a short internet search and you’ll see what happened: “Five years after divorcing, the J. J. Astors placed the estate and contents on the auction block and it was sold in October of 1948 for $70,000 to James C.O’Donnell, a Washington investor. His daughter, Mrs. Florence O’Donnell Maher, sold the estate to the Texas-based Church of Christ for $45,000, in 1954, for use as a church and center for servicemen. In June of 1957, the Church sold Chetwode for $40,000 to Thomas Diab and John P. Curran, Boston developers, for conversion to apartments. Finally, in November of 1958, the estate was sold, again for $40,000, to Miss Phoebe Warren Andrews of New York who, as President of the Newport Art League, held exhibitions and sponsored an art school in the house. During the morning of January 29, 1972, a chimney fire spread through the three floors of the villa causing devastating damage. Much of the French paneling and several mantels are known to have been salvaged and are today dispersed between shops, restaurants, and private collections in Newport,Boston, New Jersey, and Paris. Chetwode, one of the chief glories of Newport,was razed in May of 1973. The outlying acreage along Ruggles to Carroll Avenues had become, after 1948, the setting for multiple residential subdivisions. The surviving five acres of gardens sold in August of 1976 for $96,000 for development into a six-lot subdivision and the surviving stable-garage building was converted into condominiums.” (See what we mean?) Grade: 1
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Providence, City Hall and Soldiers Monument
You’ll have no doubt about the date of the card, from what you see on the front as well as the two postmarks (sending and receiving offices) on the back. Stamp is also there. Undivided back card. Grade: 2
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Providence, Rhode Island State Capitol
Unused, undivided back, appropriately aged card. Grade: 2
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Providence, Rhode Island State House
Unused, aged, H.S. Crocker card LK-16 whose caption boasts that this building “has the second LARGEST UNSUPPORTED MARBLE DOME IN THE WORLD, the largest being St. Peter’s in Rome.” (The caption goes on to tell us more about unsupported domes around the world.) Grade: 2
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Westerly, The Hospital
Mailed in 1936, this card has its stamp, full postmark, and a short strip of gummed tape along the upper reverse edge. There’s also some postmark ink transfer on the front. The card had been part of a postcard swap from a long-ago club. Grade: 4
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Pawtucket, Narragansett Race Track
Mailed in 1958, this Curteich-Chicago linen card 6A-H570 has a three-cent stamp, postmark, and some postal ink transfer on the front. Grade: 3
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Newport, US Naval Training Station, War College and Administration Building
Unused, Berger Bros. linen card 62467. Grade: 1
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Providence, Civic Center
One would have needed good eyesight then–and now–for this map to be much of a reference, but they put a lot into a small space. Unused old Rhode Island postcard, aging but in excellent condition. Grade: 1
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Pawtucket, Slater Mill Historic Site
The unused Rhode Island postcard’s detailed caption tells you more (or less) everything you might need to know. Grade: 1