Business cards. We all have them, we all use them. But do we collect them? In a hobby that goes well beyond just the collecting of stamps, even business cards from stamp dealers and other philatelic businesses can prove to be another interesting avenue for collectors to collect. This certainly was the case with Dr. Herbert Trenchard in his collecting as well.
As we continue to mine the resources of the Trenchard donation, we discover that as an avid chronicler of the history of the philately in the U.S., Dr. Trenchard’s collecting interests have gone beyond the normal pieces of philatelic interest to also include the business cards of the dealers, auction houses and others he met and did business with in the hobby.
When processing the donation, this collection of cards was found in a box titled “Associates.” Some of the cards were also alphabetically organized in a series of binders. Much in the same way as organizing and preserving stamps in an album, Dr. Trenchard saved and organized his collection of cards from “Associates” that he knew and had dealings with in the hobby.
Folded Card Closed (Left) Card Open (Right)
Folded Card Closed (Left) Card Open (Right)
The collection spans the entire United States with paper calling cards for businesses from east to west and north to south as well as businesses reflecting the varied collecting interests commonly associated with among collectors. Dealers in domestic and foreign stamps and covers are all represented. The collection is both colorful and diverse, including some familiar names and other not so familiar. Some dealers are still in business and others since past. Some are exclusively to the hobbies, others more general and including other hobbies.
The Aptly Named Pleasureville Shop includes Stamps, Coins, Appraisals and....Haircuts
The sheer size of the collection, estimated at over 2,000 cards, bears witness to Dr. Trenchard’s unique research interests in tracing the history and breadth of the hobby in the U.S. As more discoveries in the Trenchard donation surface we will continue to describe them in future columns. For any questions or comments about this collection of the Trenchard donation, contact the APRL at [email protected].