nichepoetryandprose

Among my many genealogy projects is the study of a stack of 174 post cards sent to my Grandmother (Katie Clark) from 1906 to 1910.  The post cards are a record of her travels to the United States where she was studying to become a nurse.  To see more about this project, see https://nichepoetryandprose.wordpress.com/2015/02/09/a-stack-of-post-cards/

~

~

The stamps used to post the cards make an interesting study.  In the early 1900s, it cost 1 cent to send a post card in both the United States and Canada.  The postage requirements are printed in the upper right hand corner of this undated post card.

~

~

Since the post cards were mailed in both Canada and the United States, I have examples of stamps from both countries.  The numbers in brackets (below) indicate the number of stamps I have of the type for a given year.

~

Canada

Green, Edward VII, perforated, 1 cent, 1906 (2), 1907 (7), 1908 (9), 1909 (8), 1910 (41), unknown date (10) (Note: King George V came to the throne in May 10, 1910, but stamps with his image were not issued until 1911)

Green, Cartier and Champlain, perforated, 1 cent, 1908 (1), unknown date (1)

~

~

Very occasionally, people used a 2 cent stamp to mail a post card.

Red, Edward VII, perforated, 2 cent, unknown date (2)

~

~

USA

Green, Franklin front-facing, perforated, 1 cent, 1906 (4), 1907 (5), 1908 (9), 1910 (3), unknown date (4)

Green, Franklin left-facing, perforated, 1908 (1), 1909 (9), 1910 (4)

~

~

In the collection is one USA example of a 2 cent stamp.

Red, Washington, perforated, 2 cents, 1907 (1), 1909 (1)

~

~

One card of the collection was mailed in 1913 to my Great-Grandmother, Mary Jane, Katie’s mother.

Green, Washington, perforated, 1 cent, 1913 (1)

~

~

Since Katie also received two post cards from Mexico, two of the stamps are from that country.  They depict the scene on the Mexican coat of arms, an eagle holding a snake in its mouth.

Mexico

Green, Eagle Eating Snake, perforated, 2 cents, 1908 (2)

~

~

When I was young, I collected stamps for a short time, sorting through cloth pouches of bulk stamps from all over the world.  Philately, the study of stamps, is not really one of my interests, but I did enjoy making a study of the stamps on my Grandmother’s post cards, mailed over one hundred years ago to help people keep in touch – the modern equivalent of a text message or e-mail.

~

Copyright  2015  Jane Tims