I found a bunch of cool stuff this weekend including some ephemera items for my own collection. I found a Keystone tradecard I needed that put me within five cards of completing the set. The pics are of a Ball business card and two Howard trade cards(the
difference between trade and business is a matter of opinion).
-Cort

p.s.-The fine print under the cut of Cupid on a half shell is "Watches skillfully repaired", The even smaller print under that is "W.J.Morgan &Co: Lith:Cleveland,O."The back has "Garfield's
Favorite Hymn" Titled "Ho! Reapers of of Life's
Harvest".

next

and..

last..

Really neat !! .. any idea when these date from?

Great cards, by any name. Ball may already be an inspector, but seemingly does not yet have his own RR inspection business going, so pre-1891. First indication I have seen that he handled much regular jewelery stock.

MIke

Hi Cort,

Wonderful finds! I hope you will consider lending us your Ball business card for the 2006 seminar display in Kent, OH, which will feature W. C. Ball watches, clocks, artifacts and ephemera.

I googled Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) and discovered that she first became a French theatrical "star" in 1869, which probably coincidentally, was the year E. Howard & Co. finished their first stem winding watches. However, Bernhardt did not debut in the US until November, 1880. Thus I'd have to guess that the Howard business cards bearing her image were printed some time in or after 1880. (Perhaps someone knows something about the dates between which Howard was selling French bronzes?) Bernhardt toured the US nine times between 1880 and 1918. E. Howard & Co., of course, stopped making watches in 1903. If there is circumstancial evidence to suggest that the Ball card and all the Howard cards are of the same vintage (is there such evidence, Cort?), then, per Mike's observations above, we may have dated them to some time between 1880 and 1891. Bernhardt only performed in French (that is, when she wasn't making altogether silent films). Hence the use of her image on a card advertising French bronzes is very natural.

Clint