Mackinac Bridge Dedication Postcard

Old postcards are some of the "other stuff" I collect. This one features the Mackinac Bridge, the beautiful, five mile long engineering marvel that connects Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, spanning the deep, cold, and dangerous waters of the Mackinac Straits. It marks the division between two of the five Great Lakes, Michigan and Huron.
The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957 after decades of planning, three years of construction, and the tragic deaths of five crewmen, including a diver, welders, and iron workers.

Although the bridge opened in November (a notoriously unpredictable weather month in northern Michigan), the official dedication ceremony didn't take place until June 25 of the following summer. Bernice and Larry Kopp of Royal Oak, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, attended and cleverly mailed themselves this souvenir postcard. "Here for the dedication of the big Mac, June 26-27-28," Bernice wrote, before addressing the card to their own home on 1503 Mohawk.

Giant Jack Rabbit Postcard

Yet another variation on the "giant produce gag" postcard, this vintage linen example from the Western USA features a giant jackrabbit being ridden by a cowboy. The caption: "Punching Cattle on a Jack Rabbit." Circa the 1940s.

Giant Fish Postcard

A takeoff on the "giant produce gag" postcard, this variation from Port Huron, Michigan features a giant fish eating an angler, with the caption "They're Biting Well Here In Port Huron." Circa the late 1900s.

Giant Potato Postcard

I love old postcards, the kookier and kitschier, the better. There is a whole sub-genre of postcards that can perhaps be classified as "giant gags." These are often souvenir cards from rural areas, featuring gag photos of giant produce, like this one of an enormous potato on a flatbed train car from New Brunswick, Canada. Circa the 1950s-60s.

The caption reads, "We'll grow them bigger when flat cars are made longer! Famous New Brunswick Potatoes."

Swift's Space Guide Advertising Premium

This 1950s space guide is one of the coolest advertising premiums I've come across recently. Released by a meat products company called Swift's, the 5 1/4 inch space guide has a turning wheel and die cut windows that reveal all sorts of interesting astronomical trivia. Need to know the surface temperature of Mars? Just turn the wheel and find out.

If you find yourself wondering, as I did, what meat products have to do with outer space, the connection is revealed on the back of the guide:

I believe this is the same Swift's Premium Company that distributed this ham shaped charm or watch fob in the 1920s (seen here in the kitchen of an old dollhouse).

Strange Easter Postcard

This very strange German made Easter postcard from the 1900s features all the holiday sights one would expect (chicks, colored eggs), but also a little boy chef who is smoking a cigar while balancing a tray with an apparently live chicken on his head. I do not know why. Perhaps this is some little known European spring time custom, or perhaps the German Easter Bunny also brings stogies.

Antique Photo Post Card: Boy with Dog Cart

I'm always on the lookout for old photos of children with toys, to complement my toy collections. My most recent find was this, a real photo postcard from 1910, of a little boy posed in a dog cart.

The poor doggy looks very unhappy, but the boy is adorable, as is the message from him on the back of the postcard. Sent to a Mr. John Rurth of Jefferson, Wisconsin on April 28 1910, it reads:  

"What do you think of me now. I grow bigger every day. I have a pony now clear white with brown eyes. I take dinner to Papa with him when Papa is very busy and won't come home for dinner. Harold (last name illegible)."

Puzzle Book Valentine

This big, 8 1/4 inch tall, 1930s card was one of my most unique Valentine finds. It includes an attached 3 inch dot-to-dot game booklet, still intact. The aim was to complete the mystery pictures by drawing lines between the numbered dots. The clever caption reads, 'I've got a LINE on you to be my Valentine.'

Working Class Valentines

These two large, 5 1/2 inch tall movable valentines have some of the most unusual themes I've ever seen. Circa the 1950s, the American made cards feature busy factory workers. In the first, a girl spray paints a shiny, chromed automobile, while in the second, a boy prints kisses on a gigantic printing press.

A Kitty for Valentine's Day

Well, I guess the title gives it away, but in this movable 1930s valentine, a mailman delivers a little kitty to the lucky recipient:

A Doggie for Valentine's Day

I found this unusual 1930s valentine at a toy show recently. It's actually a booklet, with a story inside about a dog who moves to a town appropriately called Dogville. The outer cover features real glass eyes on the dog, very like those used on antique teddy bears at the time. The booklet is 6 1/2 inches tall.

Cupid Uses the Telegraph Lines

Dated 1908, this beautiful embossed postcard shows Cupid delivering his valentines along the telegraph lines:

Antique Airplane Valentine

This unusual valentine dates from the 1920s. Measuring a large 8 inches long, the beautifully lithographed airplane includes a pilot, whose love interest passenger appears when the tab at the bottom is moved.

Teddy Bear Valentine

This simple, 5 inch tall valentine, circa the 1930s, features a classic teddy bear, one of my favorite toys.

Home Appliance Valentines

Keeping with yesterday's anthropomorphic theme are these 1950s valentines, featuring a television and mixer with happy faces and punning sentiments. The television says, 'Tune in channel mine, Valentine!' and the mixer 'Let's get mixed up with each other, Valentine! Batter say yes!'

Anthropomorphic Hearts Valentine Postcard

I just found this 1911 valentine postcard a couple of days ago, and it instantly became one of my favorites. The anthropomorphic heart people include a sobbing lady and a smirking man. What's their story, I wonder? The man looks like a rakish character, and he has clearly broken this lady's heart. I hope she finds the strength to move on, and will some day find true love, like that of Mr. Carrot and Mrs. Bean from last year's valentine posts...

Freaky 1920s Movable Valentine

I found this big, 8 1/4 inch German made valentine at a toy show a couple of weeks ago. Circa the 1920s, it features a great caricature of a girl with a sleek bobbed hairdo and a freakishly gigantic ear. The ear slides up and down, making her tongue move, appearing to seal her valentine's envelope.

Romantic Sausages

While not technically a valentine, I thought this odd, 1911 postcard was romantically-themed enough to qualify. Definitely one of the strangest postcards I've ever found...

Goofy Girl Valentine

This vintage movable valentine is one of my favorites. Moving the goofy-looking girl's tongue makes her eyes move, revealing the words 'Be Mine'. American, 3 inches square, circa the 1930s-40s.

Flaming Heart Spinner Valentine

This itty bitty German valentine, just 3 1/4 inches tall and circa the late 'teens or early '20s, features a "spinner" that gives the effect of a flaming heart in the background. For some reason, the little boy appears to be dressed as a wizard.