Anyone Else Collect Ad Notes?
cinch
Posts: 127 ✭✭✭
I read once that advertising notes became popular in the years after the Civil War because people were nostalgic for the days of obsolete currency. You can certainly see a similarity of design in the ones I’ve collected. I like that some are a playful, almost satirical take on the more formal look of obsoletes. They also give you an insight into local businesses of the time, selling everything from pickled fish to blue flannel suits to stomach tonic.
Anyone else have some they’d like to post?
Louis Lewisson Readymade Clothing $2, Providence RI, 1850s-60s
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I.T. Davis & Co. Ad Note, Providence RI, 1870s-90s
The red "OTN" overprint stands for [O]ne [T]hree [N]ine (the street number of the store).
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Dr. Flint's Quaker Bitters $500, Providence RI, 1870s
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Ballou, Cram & Markham Ad Note, Providence RI, circa 1877
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City Cash Fish Market $5, Pawtucket RI, circa 1890s
Comments
Those are cool, thanks for sharing.
I have a magicians coupon with four symbols of Good Luck at the time. A Wishbone, a Four-Leaf Clover, a Horseshoe and a Swastik. And I have a bank handout used for educating customers about the new small-size currency being introduced. It was the exact size as the new U.S.paper currency and listed which portrait was on each denomination.
_Good Stuff 👍Thanks for Sharing _. I need a bottle of that “Blood Purifier “ 😀
Those are really interesting. Thanks for posting them and I hope we see more.
Well these go along with collecting fractionals
Wow, they’re all so great Tom! That Utica note with the Morse code! That Merchant Bank of Colorado 5 cent looks like something from a board game, and I like the Mt Pleasant Apothecary Shop with the building on it, plus those three examples with the bust of Columbia are very nice. Great collection!
Wow so true …… great collection & that guy on the Colorado look like he came straight from a monopoly’ game 😀
Never heard of ad notes til now. They look very interesting.
cool notes and ads as well I like
Here are a few more of mine:
Perry Davis 1¢, 1854 (from a "medicine" bottle)
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Providence Furniture Company $500, 1875
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Atwood’s Boots and Shoes
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I.T. Davis & Co. $15, 1870s
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Narragansett Beer $4, 2006 (this is really a coupon, but I like the look of it and the local connection)
Great stuff.
I have a few of the types of notes shown above.
I mainly color foreign notes and I don't need any competition.
Here are a couple I bought on Ebay that arrived from Greece today.
The top one predates zip codes but includes a ball point pen notation, so I am guessing early 1960s.
The bottom one seems just a bit newer based on zip code use.
The business college notes make up quite a collection in themselves. I believe Krause Publications issued a book on them back in the 1990's. They are not really advertising notes but were used for class work at the business colleges in the 19th century.
I only have one, but I like it.