How Many Of US Collect Expo/Fair Related Items

carlberky, Greetings:

https://goscf.com/t/3290 ... the earlier "World Fairs and (stamp) Expos ephemera" thread to which all of these posts woulda-shoulda-coulda been appended

https://goscf.com/t/39874#343866 ... 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair postcards

And, okay, if you insist ...

... the 1940 Official Guide Book ... 160 pages ... and, as is typical of these items, the rest of it being in better shape than the front cover would suggest.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

I found this little diddy searching through my great grandfathers collection



And some more cancels



I am really enjoying all the other items posted.

Ikey, I saw that other thread you mentioned on expo material, but it quickly veered into philatelic exhibitions. This one seems to stick more specifically to actual world's fairs (and I'm hoping it stays that way).

carlberky, as it happens I scanned something from the 1939-40 NY World's Fair just yesterday. This is a "last day of service" cover from the fair's RPO exhibit, with a special RPO cancel only available onsite. Do you recall visiting this?

Greg, to tell the truth, I can't tell the difference between what I really remember ... and things I've talked about ... and things I've read about. So many childhood memories are like that.

With the holidays over, it's time to fire up my scanner and post some more cool exposition material! Tonight - the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair a.k.a. the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. If you now have Judy Garland singing "Meet Me in St. Louie" stuck in your head you can blame me.

First, a strip of four labels from the expo, which fall into the category of cinderella stamps. This was from a larger sheet of maybe 40, showing most of the major buildings. These labels were printed in at least two colors as you'll see from the one on the back of the next postcard.



I really wish the purple label was tied to the card with a cancel, but you take what you get. It does match the Palace of Varied Industry on the front and it has a world's fair cancellation, during the actual fair. Interesting that this was still in the the short window when postcards could have nothing but the address on the back - you had to write any message on the face of the card. I believe this changed the following year.





The next postcard shows the lavish Arts Palace. The scan has a gray cast -- in fact it is a metallic silver ink, which you don't often see.



Lastly, one of my favorite cards, just for the name: The Brazilian Pavilion! Where they held the cotillions! Okay, I made up that last part.

For GregAlex,
Messages were allowed on half of the address side beginning March 1, 1907.
Also, hold your silvered card up to a bright light. The building will light up against the silver background. These Hold-To-Light cards are very common from this expo. Others were made from stacked layers of diecut paper to produce almost the same effect.

I don't really collect them but I purchase few time to time

Well, look at that! All this time I'd heard of hold-to-light postcards but never knew I had one. Many thanks, John, for the insight! Also for the date when writing on the back of postcards was permitted; later than I thought.

Just to keep us honest (read "less Americentric"), the UK allowed divided backs from 1902.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

The Brits always were ahead of their time!

Tonight a ticket. This one was for San Francisco Day at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Int'l Expo. It doesn't appear to have been used, as the stub is still intact. The Palace of Fine Arts remains one of my favorite structures -- I'm glad it's still with us today.

This Panama-Pacific Ticket is very nice

Earlier in the thread someone posted one of the official souvenir postcards from the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition. All of these were printed on the back of UX10 postcards; a full set of six in good condition can run over $100.

I've only been able to pick up one of these for a reasonable price and, alas, it has some sun toning. But it's still a beautiful card.

Time to refresh this thread with some covers this time. I'd love to see some other expo cancels posted.

The first is a rather ratty advertising cover for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Expo in Portland, OR. My favorite element of this one is the small slogan found under the cancellation - "Where Rolls the Oregon". Perhaps this was printed by someone unfamiliar with the local geography; there is no Oregon River that I'm aware of. "Where Rolls the Columbia" would be more accurate.



Next, an early slogan cancel from 1899, promoting the upcoming Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901. This particular cancel is quite scarce. I only wish the cover was in better shape, but I pulled it from a dollar box so I can't complain.



Lastly an onsite fair cancel (and stamp) from the 1926 Sesquicentennial Int'l Expo in Philadelphia. You don't see too much material from this fair, which wasn't very well attended or promoted. I'd be interested in learning more about the "Model Post Office" where this letter was cancelled.

I didn't respond to survey because there wasn't a choice for 1964 Worlds Fair. While considered a modern Fair, I feel close to it because I was able to attend it. In fact, I have a home movies of the Fair. At the risk of boring some folks with home movies, here is one of them... (I'm the little kid waving).
Don

Here's another example of an "under the radar" exposition - The Great Lakes Exposition held in Cleveland in 1936 and 1937. It's of interest to me given that the main entrance to the exposition grounds is directly opposite my office. This is one of only 2 or 3 examples of this marking that I know of.