1905 Illustrated Postcard Company of New York 5004 Series Vinegar Valentine Poem Postcards Set and Checklist

‘It’s In The Details’

Title Illustrated Postcard Company of New York 5004 Series Vinegar Valentine Poem Postcards
Year 1905
Size 3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″
Images Color
Type Postcards
Number in Set
30

1905 Illustrated Postcard Company of New York 5004 Series Vinegar Valentine Poem Postcards Overview

Illustrated Postcard Company of NY College Football Girl PoemThese postcards featured various subjects with humorous poems. They included both sports and non-sports subjects and at least two football cards and one golf card are in the set. These are artist-signed postcards with artwork by H. Herman.

These postcards are considered to be Vinegar Valentine issues. That genre includes various cards with comical or insulting depictions on them.

The main football card, titled ‘The College Girl,” is the key to the set for most collectors. It features a female football fan for Yale as they are playing a game against Harvard. While the woman is featured prominently, a football scene is in the background, clearly making it a football issue.

This postcard includes the following poem:

“Of football she talks like a sport, 
And rooting and cheering’s her forte.
Whichever side wins
She’s sure of “frat” pins,
For she’s really a very good sort.”

A second football subject is included as well. This one depicts an athletic girl (titled ‘The Athletic Girl’) and features females playing a variety of sports, including football.

The cards are all numbered 5004 and have a suffix number added to the end. For example, the college girl football fan postcard is numbered 5004-4. Those are printed on the front as well as the Illustrated Postcard and Novelty Company of New York name and a 1905 copyright date.

In addition to the football and golf issues, a number of non-sports postcards are also included here.

As a brief aside, numerous other series depict women with pennants of various schools. While many do not include football players or football scenes, sets such as this one (that do have football present) make it pretty clear that those should also be considered a type of football issue.

Collectors should also take note that a similar series was also created in 1907 by the Rose Company. Those feature cartoon pictures and poems as well but are not numbered and have decorative borders.

1905 Illustrated Postcard Company of New York 5004 Series Vinegar Valentine Poem Postcards Checklist

The postcards I have seen in the set are listed below. Others exist but are currently unknown. As explained above, all numbers below are actually preceded by ‘5004-‘ on the postcard.

At least 29 exist in the series and more are possible beyond that.

  1. The Flirt
  2. The Saleslady
  3. The Athletic Girl (Football)
  4. The College Girl (Football)
  5. The Typewriter
  6. The SchoolMa’am
  7. The Masculine Woman
  8. The Lovesick Girl
  9. The Boarding House Mistress
  10. The Overdressed Woman
  11. Old Maid
  12. The Mother-in-Law
  13. The Talkative Woman
  14. The Sportsman
  15. The Auto Fiend
  16. The Golfer
  17. The Poet
  18. The Cheerful Liar
  19. The Lawyer
  20. The Gambler
  21. TBD
  22. The Tenor
  23. The Masher
  24. The Artist
  25. The Salesman
  26. TBD
  27. The Hot-Headed Man
  28. The Would-Be Athlete
  29. The Lover
  30. TBD

Follow Pre-War Cards on Twitter and also be sure to like our page on Facebook.