Vol. 1, No. 2, June 2005 

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Postcard News From Courthouse Square

Vol 1, No.2 June 2005

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Vol 1. No.3. July 2005 COMING SOON!

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We have taken this approach with our newsletter: We send simple text in the email version you sign up for, with links to our sites and associates' sites and links to this web version with the actual complete articles and postcard images. We do this so as not slow down your email by sending you emails with attached images. If you have any suggestions for this or any other part of our approach, we look forward to hearing from you. We will occasionally post up 'letters to the editor' that we receive from fellow collectors. We see future email offerings to be of a "digest" nature, with events and collector information offered in a more concise format, with linking to this web version at http://www.courthousesquare.net/postcardnews.htm.

Enough of the notes: Here is our latest show information, upcoming events and information for collectors.

 ALL NEW SUMMER SHOW!!!! Columbia Missouri

Friday Aug 12, 2005 10 AM to 7 PM (Early Bird at 9am)

Saturday Aug 13, 2005 , 10 AM to 4 PM

Ramada Inn Conference Center

I-70 at exit 127, Hwy 763-N, 1100 Vandiver Dr,

Columbia MO

Call 888-451-0340 or email for details or contracts

Friday Aug 26, 2005 10 AM to 7 PM (Early Bird at 9am)

Saturday Aug 27, 2005 , 10 AM to 4 PM

Lamplighter Inn-North

I-44 at Glenstone Exit 80A, next to Cracker Barrel

2820 N Glenstone Springfield Missouri

 Call 888-451-0340 or email for details or contracts

Western Trail Trading Post

AMERICANA - OKLAHOMA HISTORY - VINTAGE RECORDS

9100 North Western, Oklahoma City

On the Old Route 66 Belt Line in the Old Town of Britton

GRAND OPENING 

Saturday, June 25, 2005  9 AM 'till 6 PM

TRADE TOWN PARK

TRADE DAY

ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES MARKET

20 DEALERS IN COVERED PAVILIONS

Tell John you heard about it here......Postcard News from Courthouse Square

LIVE MUSIC FROM THE WOODY GUTHRIE MEMORIAL STAGE

FEATURING

THE BELT LINE BESSENT BOYS

AND FRIENDS

3rd Annual

Land of Lakes Postcard & Paper Show

Saturday, July 30th & Sunday, July 31st in Rosemount, Minnesota,

Rosemount Community Center,

located at 13885 South Robert Trail (Highway 3)

Admission will be $3 for both days with Saturday hours 9 to 5:30 and Sunday 10 to 4

One of the most eagerly anticipated shows of the summer season is quickly approaching.....The 3rd Annual Land of Lakes Postcard & Paper Show will take place Saturday, July 30th & Sunday, July 31st in Rosemount, Minnesota, a suburb located southeast of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The summer's largest event of it's kind in the upper midwest - this year's exciting event includes 37 dealers from a dozen states. There are 27 returning dealers and 10 dealers who will be new to the show. Collectors will be able to find a wide assortment of vintage paper items including postcards, Victorian trade cards, stereoviews, photographs, maps, menus, Valentines, sheet music, magazines, photographs, posters, ephemera, reference books, supplies, and more.....

The Land of Lakes Show is easily accessible from the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America which are about 15 minutes away from Rosemount. Many hotels in the area offer free shuttles to the airport or the mall. Most of those driving will approach The Cities via Interstate 35 (from the south) or Interstate 94 (from the east or west). (Produced by Morgan Rogan, postcardlady@charter.net

Lake County Museum and the Curt Teich Archives will be co-sponsoring a summer event with Greater Chicago Productions August 5-6, 2005. The Show hours are Friday 10-6 and Sat 10-4. The grounds of the Forest Preserve will make a lovely setting for the event and the show will be attached to the museum so come see a spectacular display of antique postcards as well. Join the museum now and receive both Free admission to the show and free admission to the museum. Normal show admission is $4 and normal museum admission is $6. the Museum is located at Rt 176 and Fairfield Road in Wauconda, IL 60084. for further information you may contact:  chicagoshow@aol.com Hope to see you all there...Susan Nicholson

ALMOST EVERYONE PLANS TO ATTEND

28th Annual

Wichita International Postcard Show

Saturday, October 15 from 9:00 to 6:00

Sunday, October 16 from 10:00 to 4:00

All Saint's Gymnasium, west of Via Christi Hospital at 3313 Grand in SE Wichita, KS, just NE of Hillside and Harry Streets. Free Admission, Free Parking, Exhibits, Show Theme: Railroadiana.

Postcard Seminar open to public at 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM on Sunday October 16. For membership and further show information, email Hal Ottaway at hottaway@cox.net

 DON'T FORGET!!! Wichita International Postcard Show is pretty much the greatest postcard show in America....as they say, if you can attend only one a year....it should be this one...that's what I think...Jim

UPDATE COMING SOON ON WICHITA INN EAST

DEL'S PAPER TREASURY

Real photo postcards, photography, printed postcards, posters, covers, broadsides.

All types of collectible paper goods. DEL's Paper Treasury will soon be offering an online auction of real photo postcards and photography. These auctions will be held online at their website delspapertreasury.com. Lyn Knight's 40 + years experience in building collections of U.S. currency and coins as well as 20 years in the auction business, helps make this a great opportunity to build your collection. Sales will be online, and catalogues will be available to subscribers. DON'T Miss This Opportunity.

Just Click here to Visit DEL'S PAPER TREASURY,, complete form to get on his list.

We get lots of inquiries for the latest in reference material for both postcards and postal history collectors. Here are some of the new releases, as well as links to other references. These are available now HERE

• NEW! Checklist of Curt Teich Linen Comic Postcards

by Thomas O. Garnhart

The Checklist of Curt Teich Linen Comic Postcards is the first definitive and systematic cataloging of linen comic postcards by this quality printer and publisher. Amidst the growing popularity of linens, it is a valuable resource for both collectors and dealers. Some 1548 detailed entries list cards in order of the production. Value ranges are provided to identify the comparative desirability/rarity of each postcard. Detailed information is given about each entry, including inscriptions, series names, and indicators of which are WWII related and which are black racial stereotypes. $24.95 + p/h visit this link for details and scan of cover.

Wichita Postcard Club's great listing of real photo images by the Indian Territory photographer famous for his portrayal of Native Americans, settlers, and historical Plains States real photo postcards.$12, plus shipping, use paypal at our website.We have this title in stock, ready for immediate shipment.

Postcards by Rick Geary: The Complete Checklist

Wichita Postcard Club's complete checklist of Rick Geary Postcards. Illustrated.. 410 plus shipping, use paypal at our website.We have this title in stock, ready for immediate shipment.

- "United States Post Office Volume 7: The Lower Mississippi Valley." (Richard W. Helbock.) The NEWEST book in this useful and popular series contains an alphabetical listing of all independent post offices that ever operated in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. In addition to post office names, the list includes location by county and state, years of operation and a scarcity index for every entry, relative to the most common postmark for each town. This is the first such scarcity information EVER published for these five states. 320-pages. Softbound. Price: $27.50 plus p/h, use paypal at our website.We have this title in stock, ready for immediate shipment.

- "United States Promotional Slogan Cancellations, 1899-1940." (Robert Payne & Bart Billings.) This publication, consisting of a Catalog and a Companion volume, will be the mainstay for all machine cancel collectors, with more than 1,000 illustrations representing nearly every marking listed, and a valuation rating for each. 394 pages total, for both volumes. Softbound. Price: $50.00 plus p/h. This book is scheduled to be shipped to us in the next 10 days. We will fill all orders immediately on receipt of our stock shipment.

The North Platte, Nebraska Canteen During World War II

by Hal Ottaway

I am always amazed and pleased to read or learn about something and be able to relate it back to my postcard collection. Such was the case several days ago when a friend loaned me an audio book CD titled "Once Upon A Town:" by Bob Greene. Since the book had a definite World War II connection, my friend thought that I would enjoy listening to it, and boy, was he ever right! I have listened to it three times now, and am ready to pass it on to another buddy before I have to return this to its owner.

Briefly, this North Platte Canteen had its roots in a letter to the editor in the local newspaper, (North Platte Bulletin) dated December 18, 1941. Here Miss Rae Wilson and some of her friends got word that a troop train would be coming through town that evening with Nebraska boys on their way to training camps. The train pulled up and instead of Nebraskans it was filled with Kansas boys, and they nevertheless made them all feel welcome. The next day in that letter to the editor Miss Wilson suggested that everyone "…get back of our sons and other mothers' sons 100 per cent. Let's do something and do it in a hurry! We can help this way when we can't help any other way."

They started on December 25, 1941, and continued throughout the war and did not close their doors until April 1, 1946. Through those years more than 6 million servicemen and women were made to feel welcome. The author, (Bob Greene,) mentioned above went to North Platte and talked to people who had worked at the Canteen and then went on to interview men and women all over the country who had passed through and had been so wonderfully served by these marvelous and generous people.

The troops would roll into North Platte and would be allowed ten to fifteen minutes only and this is the reason for the postcard showing them literally running to and from the Canteen. Inside they would find tables spread with sandwiches, apples, fruit, candy, cookies, milk, coffee, cigarettes, magazines, pie, cake, and it was all free. Girls at the high school made pop corn balls and would slip inside the ball their name and address and this led to letter writing back and forth, and after all these boys were lonely and were so appreciative for all of the incredible kindnesses that had been extended to them. The china coffee cups used then, (long before Styrofoam throwaway cups,) were taken back to the train and collected and dropped off at the next train stop and that station would then return them to North Platte where they would be washed and hand dried, and the ladies claimed that they never lost any cups. Everyone was on their honor.

If it was someone's birthday, there were usually at least ten birthday cakes available and the whole cake would be given to the man to celebrate his special day. Three hundred cakes were given away each month in this way. Children would go without a personal birthday cake so that a soldier might have one instead. Everyone got involved. Word spread about what was going on in North Platte, and neighboring communities wanted to be a part of this too, and so they would organize and get their name on the list for contributing, providing, and manning the tables for a particular date, or time each month. During pheasant season in the fall, people remember taking the pheasant meat and making sandwiches. Another lady remembered how her family had honey bees and used the honey instead of sugar for their home cooking, and saved the sugar ration coupons for what they prepared to take to the Canteen. The Canteen opened at 5:00 AM and did not close until the last train passed through at night. They served every day and were there for some 32 trains daily, 365 days a year.

Attached to these notes you will please find some of the North Platte Canteen postcards that were published by the Union Pacific Railroad, and these too were given to the troops to make it possible for them to write a postcard home. During wartime the men and women FREE franked their mail instead of using stamps. Now that I know more about this Canteen and of the sacrifices that were made by so many wonderful people for the good of the men and women who were troops in Worth War II, these postcard images mean so much more to me than they did previously.

By going to Google or other search engines, you need only to type in North Platte Canteen, and you will find several outstanding websites with more pictures and reminiscences of these times. One of my favorites is http://npcanteen.tripod.com/canteen/canteen.html

(Our thanks to friend Hal Ottaway for his article and photos. )

Here are some links to some of our favorite postcard websites and ebay sellers. Be sure to visit our website for images and more great postcard collecting information.

 For a complete listing of the postcard shows produced by Jim Taylor and CourthouseSquare.net visit

http://www.courthousesquare.net

Some great postcard Auction sites include: (more to come!)

Jim Taylor

Courthouse Square Antique Cards

PO Box 399

Neosho MO 64850

Member APS IFPD

Specializing in Mail Approvals, Sales, and Shows, of Antique Postcards,

Historical Photographs Paper Americana and Archival Supplies

Visit the front page of our Web site at:

http://www.CourthouseSquare.net

email: Postcards@CourthouseSquare.net

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