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Help Wanted Please

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:15 pm
by Dano1977
Good Evening

New to the boards, so please be gentle. :D

I'm after some information about a postcard I have.

More specifically what time period it came from and what sort of value.

It is unused and dates from what i believe is the early 19th century, but stand to be corrected.

On the back it says:

"The X-Ray Illusion Postcard"

Published by WH Smith & Sons 186 the Strand

On the front is an x-ray picture of a hand with a metal like disc/washer in middle of hand and a small hole, on side of picture it says patent applied for
under picture it says:
"RAYONS X STRAHLEN RAYS"

With instructions:

"To see the bones in your hand place the hole of the card to your eye and your hand with fingers apart 12 inches distance in front of a window".



thank you in anticipation

Re: Help Wanted Please

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 10:37 am
by eastlondonpostcard
Hello and welcome - well, I have found a reference to this Postcard (and an illustration) in Anthony Byatt's great work entitled 'Picture Postcards and Their Publishers' - it tells me that the firm were in full swing by 1906, but didn't offer a date for this Postcard, but did state that it works! Have you tried it yet, I wonder?

The words "RAYONS X STRAHLEN RAYS" are French, German, English for X Rays, I also discovered this morning.

Great novelty item, slightly gruesome maybe, I guess the value would be between £10/15

Re: Help Wanted Please

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 8:03 pm
by Dano1977
Thank you so much!

That's just the kind of information I was after.


Thank you