VICKSBURG TRADE CARDS

Victorian trade cards are an early form of advertising. Popularized after the Civil War by businesses, they offer a colorful and diverse look at popular culture and society in the late 1800s. The advent of lithography in the 1870s made it possible to mass-produce them in color, leading to a golden age from 1876 to the early 1900s when halftone printed newspaper and magazine ads became more economical. They typically had a picture on one side and an ad on the other, and were popular for medicines, sewing, and farm equipment, and a range of other products. Vicksburg's merchants actively utilized trade cards to advertise their wares. Even the newspapers used them. Below are photos of some of them:

COLT 1861 NAVY POCKET REVOLVER WITH ENGRAVING BY GUSTAVE YOUNG?

This is a recent acquisition from a local Vicksburg collector. The .36 caliber Colt 1861 Navy pocket revolver is (apparently) in its original walnut box with most if not all of its original appurtenances. The engraving is beautiful, with the hammer sporting the coyote head used by master engraver Gustave Young to mark his pieces. The very low serial number, "555", may indicate that this was one of Young's early products. The revolver is silver plated, with spots of wear where it has disappeared. The cylinder engraving appears to be a horse-drawn stagecoach along with other figures.

Coyote head on each side of the hammer.

The original Colt walnut case is in great condition.

 ii

Horse-drawn stagecoach.

All serial numbers match.