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Posted By: Dwight DavisAnyone care to take a stab at identifying the markings on this card? Under magnification at least two of them - one front the other on the back - appear to be postal cancellations and the words "Ashville & Murphy." Also a date that appears to be 1925. Those two cities are western N.C. towns, but the correct spelling of the former is "Asheville," at least it is now. But, for what reason would a card have a postal cancellation? Also strange grid marking on the back that appears to have come from some sort of stamping. I've had the card for many years and I believe the original owner lived in N.C. In addition, the two cities are not that far from Ala., if that's relative at all. Many thanks in advance to all. <img src="http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff242/unclerube/thorntonfrontscan.jpg"> <img src="http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff242/unclerube/thorntonbackscan.jpg">

Posted By: scott brockelmanLooks like someone was bored at the Post Office , however the date may be 1909 in the circular date stamp, all are postal cancellations, further they may be railroad cancellations. Scott

Posted By: Dwight DavisThanks, Scott. A railroad cancellation(s) seems highly plausible. A conductor needs to test his stamp, has no paper handy, then realizes he has this useless piece of cardboard in his pack of Old Mills.

Posted By: Jeff MohlerYes, it appears to be a postal railway cancellation. On the back of the card, the part of the cancellation that resembles a shoe print has the letters "RMS" in the middle. Those letters stand for Railway Mail Service. Even though it is hard to see, the letters in the 6 o'clock position of the round cancellation would be RPO, which stands for Railway Post Office. The Ashville & Murphy most likely would be the name of the railroad company. A google search reveals that a passenger train did run between Ashville and Murphy in the early part of the 20th century.

Posted By: Dwight DavisThanks for the research and sharing the railford info, Jeff. I would imagine it took some effort to turn up that information on the rail line. I was thinking, instead of vintage card with issues, I have a rare rail service postal cancellation <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

Posted By: Ken W.This is precisely why I don't give a hoot about collecting only high-grade cards (no disrespect, intended). If this is, indeed, from some old railroad clerk, what a COOL piece of history!!! For me, that's what this hobby is all about.

Posted By: Dwight DavisAbsolutely, Ken. I was just kidding in regard to the stamp. It does add character to the card, perhaps more than it had in its "mint" condition. Not all agree, I know.

Posted By: Jeff ShepherdGreat card! I love traces of past ownership. I have this one in my collection which appears to be a postal cancellation dated Aug. 20, 1910. I can make out Gettysburg, but that's about it. Cards like these help in identifying release dates, assuming the stamp was correct. Anyone have any others? <img src="http://img.inkfrog.com/pix/ladypaper/img155.jpg" width="324" height="576">

Posted By: Frank WakefieldAshville & Murphy... the Murphy Branch ran between Ashville NC and Murphy NC. Ashville is a city, to the southwest, in the corner of the state, is Murphy. The line only runs as far as Andrews now... I think a kid did both cards. Different kids. It looks to me that the Thornton card is cancelled Dec 25, 1909. Multiple times. Without reinking the stamp. That's what a kid would do. Bang away at it. I think the other cancellation is from the Washington, Frederick, and Gettysburg Railway, and it has a date of August 20, 1910. The line ran, obviously, from our nation's capitol, Washington DC, to Gettysburg, or at least that was the plan for it. Again, I think this is the result of a kid banging away with a stamp. An adult who worked the mail car would have most likely not done this, or if they had they'd have inked the stamp before using it. All of these strikes are a bit weak. My Mom told me that when she was a kid, 7 years old, she'd ride the Louisville & Nashville Railroad from Franklin, KY at the state's southern boarder, up to Louisville. About 130 rail miles... She'd do that alone. Her Aunt would pick her up at the station. The train folks would keep an eye on the kids. Other people who lived that time have told me similar stories. The idea of putting a 7 or 8 year old on a train by themselves seems a bit careless by today's standards. But I think lots of kids were on the trains 100 years ago. I'd imagine someone on the train gave the kid a card. And the opportunity came along to pound that card with the cancellation stamp (the little snot-nose couldn't reach the ink pad), then wham, wham, wham!

Posted By: Dwight DavisDo you live in N.C. Frank?

Posted By: Frank WakefieldI live in Franklin, Ky. Oddly enough, my fascination with railroading, model and real; as well as my philatelic interests, all overlap with a passion for old baseball cards. With these 2 cards, we can see that the southern league card was in the southwestern most part of North Carolina at the very end of 1909 (assuming the cancellation was dated correctly), and that the Piedmont 350 is from further North, nearer to the major league cities.

Posted By: Dwight DavisJust curious. You knew about Andrews, N.C., which is about as big as a minute. I'll have to look you up next Sept. We're planning a trip to Louisville to see my son particpate in the Iron Man (I'm getting a bit winded, now). Always learning something new here. As a college professor I'm embarrassed to say I had to look up "philatelic." (But now I can use it in class.) I've never ridden on a train (subway plenty, not the same) ... but my wife, as a 13-year-old, caught the train in High Point, N.C., transferred from Grand Central to Penn Station, and continued to Connecticut... alone. Mid '50s, though, not early 1900s, so she says <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>. So, yes, it was common for kids to take the train by themselves back in the day. Wish they would have found something other than tobacco cards to stamp. Thanks for the insight. The Norfolk-Southern line ran (still runs) behind my childhood home. A group of us would often gather at the tracks and when the train came by, the guys in the engine car would toss us candy. What a thrill. P.S. Frank, I apologize for bidding against you on the T210s.

Posted By: Jeff ShepherdThanks Frank - the card I scanned was of minor-leaguer Moran for Providence. A beautiful card that graded an SGC 10 because of the stamp.