Bamforth "comic" series

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chrissy
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Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:51 pm

Bamforth "comic" series

Post by chrissy »

Hi, I am very new to this and have just been given about 80 Bamforth comic postcards. I have looked on e-bay and found one that I have and one the same with a different number.
The lowest number I have is 5 and was wondering if anybody could give any information on numbers=dates, roughprices etc.
Many thanks and sorry if this an old well used question.

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eastlondonpostcard
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Re: Bamforth "comic" series

Post by eastlondonpostcard »

Think of comic cards and the name of Bamforth springs to mind straight away - they have been making us all laugh for over a century or more!

Starting in 1870 as a lantern slide business, James Bamforth entered the postcard world in 1902 with his sets of song cards taken from his lantern slides - many of these early postcards are not numbered. In 1910 they produced their first 'saucy' postcards that we have become so familiar with and the output has never ceased - outstripping contemporaries like Miller & Land and Valentines who had originally followed the Bamforth lead.

As for a definitive list - well, with over 50,000 designs, I'm not sure if there is one! There are several good websites on-line dedicated to Bamforth and their seaside comic postcards output - worth asking them for a list. According to my current Postcard Annual, there have been many articles in the Postcard Magazine over the years about Bamforth and the myriad of subjects they covered.

As to value - very difficult - and there are dedicated collectors of this publisher who will have a better idea of what ones are more desirable of course.

The earlier comic examples will be more prized; it's worth noting that Suffragette comic postcards, for example, will command a higher price because of the subject matter. I would say, however, that most of their comic cards would be in the 50p to £2 range

Hope this helps
~ send it on a Postcard please ~

chrissy
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Re: Bamforth "comic" series

Post by chrissy »

many thanks for your reply, i'll get looking into it.

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About Postcards
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Re: Bamforth "comic" series

Post by About Postcards »

There was a published list, the book is out of print but copies occasionally come up on eBay/Amazon etc.

The title is "The Scherer-Silman Bamforth Postcard Catalog". Published by Bertram Silman in 1981. Text by Major Robert W Scherer. It was a limited edition print and has no ISBN number as far as I can tell.

The catalogue lists card titles by number and series name. It's far from complete but provides a good starting point for anyone wanting some form of checklist.

chrissy
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Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:51 pm

Re: Bamforth "comic" series

Post by chrissy »

Many thanks Linda, I'll see if I can find it

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