One type of Victorian Trade (advertising) card I’m fascinated by, and could blow my budget on quite easily, is the die cut variety. These were made of sturdy, cardboard-like paper and shaped like real objects – horseshoes, shells and the like, and often very large. The cards I usually feature in this Wednesday column are more the size of business cards or small greeting cards, but some of the die cut can be extremely big.

I thought I’d share a few of my favorites today, and maybe more next week, as they’re quite amazing. This one, for example is  9 1/2″ by 9 1/2″! Here’s the back, with the actual advertising copy. (These are well over 100 years old so sometimes the condition is less than perfect.)
Here’s another horseshoe-themed die cut and then a lifesized shell.  How do you like this gorgeous castle? Makes me want to walk inside and join the ball, which must be going on!

And last but not least, a really amusing one for A&P Tea, that says “Grandmother is in the right boat.”  Not sure about the logic there but I loved everything about the card.