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1908 Embossed Santa Claus Head Christmas Postcard with Gold Holly, Copyright 1907 P. Sanders, Mailed Christmas Eve 1908 from Oklahoma, Okla.
DESCRIPTIONA deeply embossed vertical Christmas postcard: a large close-up head of Santa Claus, almost sculpted in relief, with a lavender-white fur cap, heavy brows and a long beard tinted soft pink and lavender. Gold holly at his cap; over his shoulder a gold-outlined sack holds a gold horn and a small doll. Rose-red coat with gold outlines. Gold greeting at upper left: \"A MERRY CHRISTMAS.\" Printed along the left edge: \"COPYRIGHT \'07 P. SANDERS, N.Y.\" (best reading). Note: the current front scan is cut off at the bottom of the card. Please see the photos, which show the actual item.
Divided back with an eagle-and-shield emblem. 1-cent green Franklin stamp (Series 1902) with a flag machine cancel; datestamp \"OKLAHOMA, OKLA., DEC 24, 3 PM, 1908\". Addressed to Miss Jennie Schadek (best reading), Yale, Okla., R.R. #1, with a chatty holiday message about a dance (signature not legible).
HISTORICAL CONTEXTMailed on Christmas Eve 1908, a little over a year after Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907. It went out on a rural route to Yale, in Payne County, later home of Olympic champion Jim Thorpe; his house there is preserved as the Jim Thorpe House. German printers dominated early postcard printing until the 1909 Payne-Aldrich Tariff and World War I; this card does not name its country of printing.
CONDITIONFair to good, with honest age. Back strongly toned to tan, with lighter diagonal bands across the corners, likely from old album corner mounts; small area of surface paper loss at the lower edge of the back, left of center. Front: soft peach toning at upper right and faint gray offset marks at the top. Corners lightly worn; small nick at the upper right corner of the back. Embossing strong and intact; gold bright.
ABOUT THE PRINTINGNo halftone screen or stipple under magnification: the soft, shaded color has the fine spray grain of airbrush work. Heavily embossed, with the holly, horn, lettering and outlines in metallic gold.
ALSO IN OUR STOREAnother card sent to Yale, Oklahoma, likely the same family (surname a best reading): visit TF sales Intl: my family\'s estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders.
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