This and That: A Blog

 Thursday Postcard Hunt this week features Maps .  Greetings From Australia  Dominica  Geologic Map of Oregon  Berlin, Germany during the  Cold War (1947-1991)   Berlin was divided into four occupied sectors after WWII.  The Western zones were American (south-west), French (north-west), and British (west).  The Soviet Union occupied the largest sector to the east.  The Berlin Wall divided the city until 1989, when due to a miscommunication and mistaken announcement at a press conference, the spokesman stated the new travel rules began immediately.  He hadn't been at the meeting where it was discussed, nor had he been briefed on the issue.  The result was quite chaotic as the border checkpoints were flooded with ecstatic Eastern Berliners! Next week brings Halloween and/or Black and Orange postcards.

 

 Well, the Tuesday is here when I have no newly purchased "treasures" to share!   St. Vincent de Paul hasn't provided anything but a handful of 5¢ postcards.  While the former manager had her good and bad days, she knew what she was doing.  The shelves are becoming bare after losing a lot of volunteers.  I've had my best luck in the Goodwill Bins, but still nothing exciting.   So, here are some of my more unusual antique postcards.  While not strictly "thrifted" items, they are all second-hand purchases, which is sort of the same.  I consider them "treasures" too.  Some of them are so like new, it was hard to believe they weren't reprints. I got them all from my favorite eBay seller, who has cut back his inventory considerably.  I still order his lots of 10 or 20 now and again. c. 1900 - 1910 Postmark 1908 Postmark 1905 Just what is this supposed to mean?   c. 1908 -1912 This has glitter details, as was popular in the...

  Red is the theme for this week's Sunday Stamps . My Reds are all Little Red Riding Hood. Germany 2016  semi-postal for annual Welfare Care Great Britain 1994 Greetings edition, the theme is Messages.  Little Red Riding Hood has a letter for her grandmother.  Sold in booklets that included stickers to put next to the stamp with messages such as "Happy Birthday ," or " Get Well Soon ."  " Get Well Soon " may have been an appropriate message for a grandmother sick in bed.  Poland 1968  West Germany 1960 A four stamp series of semi-postals for annual Welfare Care.  The story progresses as the stamp value increases. Little Red Meets the Wolf The Wolf Fools Little Red The Woodsman Kills the Wolf and Frees Grandma Grandma Gets her Goodies in the End. Last month there was a poetry prompt about fairytale characters. I used Little Red Riding Hood. It's here if you are interested.  Next week is the last Sunday in October, and the theme is Light...

Postcards with Illustrations for this week's Thursday Postcard Hunt .  I've picked dog illustrations. A postcard that came with a book of dog poetry,  Doggerel: Great Poets on Remarkable Dogs. We Had a Rippin' Good Time! © 1909 We Love Each Other - Don't We? 1910  We used to be pals!   ©1909, postmarked 1910 Next week will be Maps. 

After a trip to St. Vincent de Paul, which gained me nothing once again, I stopped at the Goodwill Outlet store.  I was looking in one of the last few bins left when I found a vintage souvenir photo folder.  That gave me hope there would be more!  There were, two more folders, and a postcard booklet from Taxco, Mexico.  I had to gather up some of the interior pages of the Canadian folders that had fallen out.  There were also vintage postcards from the US, Canada, and Mexico. By vintage I mean prior to 1970 when the 3.5" x 5.5" was "standard size" in the US and Europe.  Now postcards are 4" x 6" which are called Continental size, because that was the standard size in Europe decades before the US adopted it.  In the US postage for postcards (65¢) is limited to 4.25" x 6" at the largest.  They also have to be a minimum of 3.5" x 5" and be rectangular.    The top postcard is  Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City with its historic canals and...