Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-07
THE COLLECTORS OF CARDS.
AnEpidemfc that spares Neither Old
Nor Young. Esthcte Nor Simnla.

An Ep10em1c tn0t spares Neither Old
NOR Young, Esthcte Nor simple.
ut seems TO have first broken out 10
Boston" said q scrap book and album manu-
facturer, speaking TO reporter OF TIE Sun
about the card collecting mania AT least.
II was from that city thst the great Increase
In the demand for books first came. New York
soon followed; it has broken out with great
violence In Philadelphia, ana Is moving west
wan like the epiZooty. IL does not yet seem
to have penetrated the south 70 any extent,
but It looks as IL It would sweep the country.
our house manufactures 200 different styles OF
caro- albums, and turns out thousand Gay.
We are behind our orders. and yet we are only
one house among dozen here IN the bust
The books manufactured by this house for
the use OF caro- collectors range In price from
Is cents TO $40 apiece, and In quality from
common cardboard backs to full morocco, with
pages of fine cardboard on which TO mount the
CARDS All sorts OF designs embellish the COW
ers-Japanese, arabesque, EAstlake, and non-
SeSah p so mn silver si on gold
and birds OF gorgeous plumage sailing Ia
golden skies: some display groupings OF cards
IN u. various colors; put the most expensive All
We always have had more or less ap2lica-
lions for our cards. said member OF a firM
that uses q large variety o: picture cards for
mostly from school children, and saturday
was the day for the childrens visits But
during the last six months card collecting
SeSno w nave UcCSLuo u laSulOQSUlS pursuit
with all classes OF people. understand that
one OF the finest collections In the city has
been made by the wife OF one or the Vice
Pre- dents OF the Erie railroad. Another fine
COLI elton has been made by the Wife OF a lead
Ing officer OF the New York Central road. One
OF the nneSt collections have ever seen was
mace oy an up town doctor. AZ first We used
70 give cSroS freely TO callers, but the pres
sure became so great that We had TO stop the
practice. Now we make collections of cards
whlch we sell for postage stamps from three
thousand for some flne large oleographs.
which are In demand as 'centers' for album
pages When person comes In for cards we
and stating that We can attend to applications
received by mail only. We still receive many
ONCE applications, but the bulk now come OF
mall During the past year we have sent out
about Sc, 200 worth OF cards. There has been
q small pront TO US on them. while az the
same time they bear our advertisements. We
ouy cur cards In SO large quantities that we
can DISPOSE or them to collectors at q small
cheaply."
Every mail brings many letters, enclosing
stamps, 10 this house. Most come from New
York, Boston, and Philadelphia, but some from
as 1ar west as Chicago ami as far south as
Charleston. The flrm have cards put 10 10
collections ranging from three cents to 500
set.
Some few shops put up a notice OF "No cards
given away" In order 10 keep of collectors
put most OF them are making use OF the mania
3 L.
to draw trade. The cards OF Invitation Issued
by many uptown retail stores for their "opeD-
lngs" this spring were beautifully illumina ted.
The shape Of two birds OF gorgeous p,umage.
whose wings when opened displayed pictures
OF the latest styles In bonnets- Drug stores
receive innumera6le applications but these
are mostly from children.
Seekers for the beautiful In art cards have
learned that really fine cards are not to be
procured by the mere asking. A sort OF reel
h.,,.
which get out fine cards. In order to give va
riety to the collections which they send out,
they make exchanges OF cards among them
serves, each house thus getting the advantage
or the connections OF the others In sending out
advertisements. Care is taken not to dis1gure
the CARDS Ia printing advertisements upon
The demands of the collectors have also
created a special business In the supply OF
cards. 1t Is now common thing along the
thoroughfares to see card peddlers, with their
papers are full OF advertisements OF card
dealers The last issue OF the Weekly Sun con-
tanned the advertisements OF 81 firms which
make speciality Of supplying cards to coliec-
tors.
Great taste is displayed in the making OF
nne collections. In mounting cards on an al
oum page. a large, fine card must be had for
center, and small cards are arranged on the
borders. Pains are taken to mount the cards
so that they will harmonic In color and de-
sign, and be symmetrical in their arrangement
On me page collectors become very expert In
Judging OF the quality OF cards, and can
promptly tell whether a card is German or
French. or whether 1t is an American imita-
tion; how many Impressions OF color it has re-
ceiYed, and what quality OF colors has been
used. some OF the best collections have as
genuine an artistic value In their display of the
varieties and eXcellences OF color printing as
collections OF prints have Ia their exhibition OF
the graver's art While dealers do not expect
the present mania to last they say that It has
/ done great good by stimulating designers and
color printers TO do their best work. and by
creating demand for fine art cards that viii
be permanent
The clerks at the Pest Oflce say that last
year not over 600 Easter card passed through
the me, mails; this year there were 6o.ooo.-M r.