Picture sign for Horse Shoeing c. 1910

This is an AZO stamp box real photo postcard (RPPC) for a horse shoeing establishment.

I thought the picture sign was fantastic and probably pre- dates the date of the postcard by several decades.

Signs like these were popular in the 19th century and allowed those who couldn't read to still understand the sign.

The Antiques Roadshow had an interesting piece on these in a recent show that was filmed in CT. I was suprised at the values on the actual signs-- early to mid 19th century pieces were bringing in the hundreds of thousands of dollars (these were museum owned and the "cream of the crop").

Photographs are a great medium to collect. They allow you to collect any subject matter at a price that is usually significantly less than the actual items.

As a young Civil War collector, I tried to amass a collection of firearms. I was frustrated at the prices of quality pieces. I found that I could buy Civil War photographs at a much cheaper price. Instead of owning one M1861 Springfield-- through authentic period photographs, I could "own" several Civil War firearms!

Scott