If only this was a poker game!! I would have four of a kind – at least, at first glance I would think that.

The top two cards are the same picture. It is of a steam engine pulling passenger cars past the “hanging bridge” in the Royal Gorge of Colorado. In one of my earlier blogs I talked about how the same picture has been used by several publishers and printers. In this case, it is the same publisher and the same printer – thus the same postcard number (4427) on the front. The difference is found on the backs. The Interstate Company published the first picture – the one on the top right. The following information was gleaned from the website: www.metropostcard.com Van Noy Railway Hotel and News began a series of mergers and acquisitions in 1914, starting with the Brown News Company. On October 1, 1914 they began operating as Van Noy News. In 1915, the Company began consolidating operations with the New York City based Interstate News Company. The company name was changed to Van Noy-Interstate News Company in 1917, but the company headquarters remained in Kansas City under the leadership of Ira C. Van Noy. As a result of changes in railroad passenger train service, Van Noy Interstate began to focus more on the hotel side of their operations. In 1922, the Company acquired the Gem Fountain Company, and in 1926 the company began operating as the Interstate Company. (End of reference from the website) The printer not only of these two cards, but of all four cards, is the H. H. Tammen Curio Co. Again, from the website: They were a novelty dealer and important publisher of national view-cards and Western themes in continuous tone and halftone lithography. Their logo does not appear on all their cards but other graphic elements often remain the same. Their logo is a curious little critter.

The divider on a divided back postcard is an arrow pointing up with the letters “HHT CO” overprinted onto it. They existed from 1896 to 1953. (end of website reference). The third card is shared with another publisher. This time it is the Union News Company that published the card. (Once again a quote from the website - As a wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Company they became major distributors of postcards and other printed items through their newsstands at hotels, rail and subway stations. Their cards were published by a variety of different companies including American News, Curt Teich, Robbins Brothers, and Valentine & Sons. Sometimes only their logo appears on a card, but it is often hand stamped on cards not originally published for them.) Their logo is a diamond with UNCO in the interior.

The fourth card may look like the other three, but a very close investigation will show that it is not. It seems to have been taken a few feet up the canyon from the other three. It isn’t attributed to any particular publisher, but the HH Tammen Curio Company was also a publisher. They must have wanted some of the business that the other cards’ sales generated by selling it themselves. They changed the picture slightly, change the title on the front and give more information: The Royal Gorge Canon (interesting spelling of the word canyon! On some other cards the y is included and on some the Spanish squiggle on top of the n is there to pronounce the “ny” sound) of the Arkansas, Colorado. Height of Walls, 2,627 ft. D. & R. G. R. R. (Denver and Rio Grande Western Rail Road).

So, if I was a poker player, I would think that I had four of a kind. At closer examination, I see that I really do have four different cards. They were all printed by HH Tammen Curio Company and the word “Post Card” on the back is the same on all four. But this is where the similarity ends. They use two different pictures; they were printed for three different companies operating under four different names; three of the descriptions on the back are word for word copies of each other – the printings for the other publishers, but the fourth card – the one the HH Tammen Curio Company printed for itself – has its own unique description. The place for the postage stamp is in three different designs, too. It just goes to show you: a very close examination will show you the finer details and show that I really do have four unique cards, not four copies of the same card.