Cover Or Postcard?

This was shown to us today.







Made of leather. A family's treasure from the past.

Thats a beautiful piece KGV! Is there any other info about its origins ?

Drew

The home place for this family was a farm outside of Newcastle Australia. They had a good life but a poor one.

One of the children married and started up there own farm in the high country N.W of Newcastle. So the family was at a stage where the children were looking for partners to start a life of there own.

The leather letter has its message burnt on and was sent by one of the children still living at home to her brother that had moved to the highlands.

As money to spare was hard to come by in this era many things were home made and not purchased, it gave that personal touch to the gift in the mail.

Its worth to the owner is great as it brings back the stories of the people and family from days of old!

Leather postcards! I see them every so often here in the states.

Once upon a time, I found a leather postcard in a box of random stamp stuff I bought at auction. Apparently it used to be a fairly popular hobby for "crafters" of the day (outmoded in the U.S. by a 1909 change in the rules regarding materials permitted to be mailed - leather postcards were no good for automated cancelling equipment). This card was from Port Arthur, Texas, with a cartoon on the front, and a particularly comical message on the back from somebody who had news to tell that would have to wait until he returned to New York City because the mosquitoes in Port Arthur were so bad.

I snooped online and found a museum in Port Arthur and sent the card to them. I had no particular use for it and the stamp on it was all ripped up, so I figured it might as well go someplace where it might be appreciated.

Ryan

Interesting thread here

In my collection ofr postcards, I have about 10 leather postcards. Some collectors say they are more of an oddity really.

Some years ago, there was a collector at a stamp club I used to be a member of (club no longer exists now) and he showed me a postcard that was sent through the mail that was made of Birch bark. I am told that they exist in fewer numbers than their leather counterparts.

I also once heard that the designs on leather postcards were supposed to be unique. However, after looking at the postings here I am inclined to say that this is not the case. In my collection I have a leather postcard that has the same design as the "Drop Me A Line" illustration that KGV has scanned for us. I wish I could find it so that I could scan it here in case there are some minor variations. I think it is in that famous 'safe place' in my metal filing cabinets

I am not sure what the cut off date here was in Canada with the postal authorities calling a halt to accept these in the mail. Maybe some other SCF member can provide us with that information??

Happy collecting

Bujutsu