Early 1900s Ghost Train Roller Coaster Ride Folkestone Kent Railway Amusement Park Postcard

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Although Fokestone's original Victorian roller coaster ride has long since gone, it's image has been immortalised on this beautiful 1900's postcard.

Switchback Railway (early 1900's roller coaster ride) Folkestone, Kent

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Rare 1900′s Harry Houdini $2000.00 Trading Card Memorabilia 1924 Frys Magic Tricks and Puzzles Cigarette Cards

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Trading cards and cigarette cards were issued on a huge array of subjects, including that which has fascinated mankind since the beginning of time, magic. As with many card collecting subjects, there are certain cards that fetch colossal amounts of money. With baseball cards it’s Honus Wagner, one of which was the first card to exceed $1M, on eBay. With magic cards, the most sought after celebrity is Harry Houdini. His magic is still working after all these years as his cards conjure up nearly $2000.00 for a 1902 Ogden’s Guinea Gold card depicting him and almost £100.00 for a rare 1922 Boy’s Cinema (periodical) Famous Heroes card featuring this legendary man.

Although I, unfortunately, don’t have any Houdini cards in my collection, I do have a very rare Fry’s Tricks and Puzzles (Black Back), issued in 1924, just two years before Houdini’s death. This set includes fifty tricks/puzzles: disappearing coins, playing cards that produce smoke rings, dancing paper fairies, impossible handcuffs, bringing paper snakes to life and many more. One card also includes the politically incorrect act of creating silhouettes of different ethnic groups out of a candle and screwed up newspaper, not recommended these days. The backs of the cards in this set, as well as describing each trick and puzzle in detail , also advertise Fry’s “Cube Block Chocolate”, priced at just six pence each.


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Ogden's Guinea Gold , New Series 1 B (featuring Harry Houdini), 1902

Boys Cinema , Famous Heroes (featuring Harry Houdini), 1922

JS Fry & Sons Ltd , Tricks and Puzzles (Black Back), 1924 (50 cards)

Includes:Sixpence and Card Trick, Mr, Roly Poly, The Surplus Spill, The Fairy Dancers, Chalk Line Puzzle, Handcuff Puzzle, The Mesmerised Match Box, The Miraculous Apple, The Travelling Cubes of Sugar, Can you Count?, The Wandering Ace, The Q Trick, To make Smoke Rings, The Rising Flood, Pricking the Garter, The Vanishing Coin, A Square Puzzle, The Floating Needle, Cut String Restored or Vanishing Knot, The Magic Match, Gravity Dafied, Bottle Coin and Match Trick, The Disappearing Shilling, Philosphy Cheated, The Magic Bond, The Travelling-Coin, The Mesmerised Walking Stick, The Vanishing Egg, The Penetrating Smoke, The Indestructible Star, The Penetrable Matches, The Erratic Egg, The Magic Ring, The Restored Handkerchief, The Torn Paper Puzzle, The Cut Finger Joke, The Incombustible Handkerchief, The Revolving Serpent, Hot is it done?, The Watch Trick, The Ridiculous Rings, The Magical Adhesion,The Cigarette Joke, The Wonderful Designer, The Tantalising Cork, The Magic Penny, The Intoxicated Wine Glass, One Two Three Gone, The Restored Slip of Paper

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1900′s Beauties Edwardian Era Glamour Fashion, Hats and Hairstyles on Cigarette Cards

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Who said card collecting can’t be sexy hey?! Beautiful women appeared on some of the first ever cigarette cards. They were extremely popular with customers, most of whom were men during late 19th century. Those pioneering cards would have been quite shocking for their time. I bet the sanctimonious church-going puritans would have disapproved of the immoral illustrations on these cards . Of course, they are very tame by present day standards but this just shows how times have changed..

Here’s a set of Beauties (Leaf backs with playing card inset fronts), issued by the British American Tobacco Company in 1908. Wow! That’s over a century ago. These Edwardian era cards certainly are beautiful. They have immortalised a vast array of attractive actresses, dancers and music hall artists dressed in colourful and mesmerizing vintage clothing. Unfortunately these bygone personalities are not named, which was quite often the case on these early cards. Who needs Dr Who’s Tardis when we can gaze through these card windows to a world that is almost unrecognizable today. Society’s innocence and simplicity, mirrored on these cards, would vanish in the apocalyptic thunder of WW1 artillery, gas and machine gun fire. The 20th century juggernaut would promise a supposedly utopian modern world.

Is it any wonder that fashion designers and pop stars of today - Katy Perry, Amy Winehouse and Paloma faith to name a few - are turning back the hands of time to recreate the styles of this magical period. Why mimic the diluted interpretations of today’s trend setters when you can draw your own inspiration straight from that breathtaking period with these iconic cards.

These cards have stood the test of time, lasting over a hundred years. How much of today’s throw-away, consumerist society will last as long. Today’s consumables are designed to deteriorate as soon as we buy them to force us into buying infinitely more from a finite planet. We will soon find out how sustainable this way of life really is. I think that collecting antiques is very commendable, since we learn from history and recycle it and preserve it for future generations.

Beauties, Playing Card Inset (Leaf Back), British American Tobacco Company, 52 cards

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