I found some fabric "cards" in my Nan's bible....

[CmdrVimes]

I'm just wondering what they were from really,  when carefully looking through my Nan's gold leaf edged VERY old (it was gifted to one of her ancestors in 1866!) Bible, I found a few fabric,  erm, can I call them trading cards?

They are of places within the UK, for example, Swansea and Burslem.. they have the place on them and little logos or pictures, probably associated with that place.

They have been wonderfully preserved in the bible, they are in pristine condition, not even discoloured I don't think... and I would really like to know more about them.

Please tell me that someone knows more about them, or collects them, or SOMETHING. They really are beautiful works of art! :-)

I am unsure of how many there are without removing them all for further observation.

EDIT: I would just like to point out my intro post, where I have made it clear that I joined the forum to find out about the tea cards I was given by my Nan, I didn't find them in the attic, nor am I feigning an interest in them to gain money.

With regard to the silk cards aforementioned, I am genuinely looking for more information about them, they are beautiful and of sentimental value as I found them in my Nan's beloved and treasured (you can tell by how old, but good condition it is in) bible, so they must have meant something to her?

I really don't wish to give the impression that I'm a money grabbing reprobate, because I am not, I just wish to find out about the cards I have in my possession, I wish to know about the value of the tea cards, so I can decide if I need to up my contents insurance should anything happen to them.

I have kept every little silly trinket that my Nan gave me, and that I was allowed to have from her possessions when she passed away, I have no interest in selling anything, I believe they came into my hands for a reason, because I am genuinely the ONLY non-materialistic person who has gained possessions from my dearest beloved Nan, my Gramps knew then, and still knows now, I'm not interested in their monetary value for my gain, simply to ensure I hold enough household insurance.

I wrote my intro post and this post BEFORE I read Fossil's post complaining about money grabbing liars and Charlatons, AFTER reading it, I feel a serious need to add this to my post (with a copy to my intro post)

Thank you for reading and I genuinely beg you to believe me.

Kind regards,


CV

[cragle]

Hi, could you upload some pictures of the fronts and backs to enable us to help a bit more. ?

[wolfie]

they sound like silks, if so are likely to be from around 1914ish, but without seeing some scans its hard to date or confrim what you have etc.

[fossil]

as Wolfie and Cragle , mention, without photo's, cannot tell what they are, but they seem very similar to what the americans call, 'reward of merit' cards, which were given away at sunday schools .
these, and other 'scraps' were very popular in the victorian era, and often found on ebay.
the reward of merit cards, are very collectable in america,
my wife too, has a bible that was handed down from a family member, with very similar cards and 'scraps', mostly with religious texts, or biblical scenes, but often with flowers, animals and birds, or pastoral scenes.
also , i think that CmdrVimes has got me wrong.
it is members that join for one reason only, and that is with the hope of making a sale on here, never to contribute again to discussions.
i always enjoy reading of new members, especially if they have no knowledge of card collecting and request genuine information and advice, after all, every collector on here had to start at the beginning , with few cards or sets, and it is only with time that they become more specialised in their particular field of interest

[CmdrVimes]

Unfortunately they are not in as good condition as I had hoped...

Anyway, as I'm not actually going to sell them, it doesn't matter. :-)

There are 10 of them, and most of the not so frayed ones have bdv cigarettes printed at the bottom.

They were found in a family bible that I cannot date at present, but the first dedication is dated 1866!  I did worry last night after searching through it with naked fingers, that I should be wearing protection on my hands when perusing it, like the professionals do when looking through such old documents.  

I'm now wondering how much the bible could be worth, again for house insurance purposes, it was passed down to me from my favourite member of my family, and when Bronnie is an adult, it will be passed down to her, IF I can guarantee she won't get greedy and try to sell it. Even if it was rather expensive in value, I would NEVER sell it, it was my Nan's pride and joy, and I will keep it forever. :-)

Right, time to resize them for viewing and get them hosted on photobucket. :-)












They are not in very good condition, as you will see.

I think - looking at the staining of the silks and of the pages they sat between, that the stains are caused by the aging paper,  as the stain patterns are a perfect match.

I am looking for an insured value, not a sale value, although, it would be interesting to see what they are worth, not that they are going anywhere, even for millions of pounds! :-)

Thanks in advance for your input guys! :-)

[CmdrVimes]

also , i think that CmdrVimes has got me wrong.
it is members that join for one reason only, and that is with the hope of making a sale on here, never to contribute again to discussions.
i always enjoy reading of new members, especially if they have no knowledge of card collecting and request genuine information and advice, after all, every collector on here had to start at the beginning , with few cards or sets, and it is only with time that they become more specialised in their particular field of interest

Apologies for reading your post wrong, but I can assure you, I would not join ANY forum for the purpose of "making a quick buck" I find that approach totally rude and out of order, if I owned a forum of this nature, I would insist on a rule such as: "Only members with X amount of posts are allowed to sell their items, or purchase other members' items, this would weed out the members who join specifically to make or spend money. :-)

[magpiemick]

This may give you some idea of current market value and if your thinking of getting into silks then its better to buy bulk lots that individual as less costly in long run

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CIGARETTE-SILKS-about-93-kinds-some-BDV-/190749615553?pt=UK_Collectables_Cigarette_Tea_GumCards_CA&hash=item2c699025c1

[wolfie]

as a quick guide, nothing stands out as a lottery win so dont go booking a holiday. 

its a nice starting point for collecting silks, most are BDV and would be worth around 50p - £1 each.

As a quick history, silks were issued in WW1 in order to save paper and after the war they died out with paper based cards becoming popular again.

As mick has said cheaper to buy silks in bulk, if you want to expand on the sets, also buy a couple of card sheets to hold them in the plastic will protect them and prevent further fraying.

welcome to the forum hope you enjoy what you have.

[CmdrVimes]

thank you.

I am actually VERY relieved that they are not of much monetary value, it saves me from upping our contents premium

Also, with our living situation, if they were of considerable value, I would be quite torn between sentiments and putting a meal on the table.

Thank you then, for putting my mind at rest.