In the nineteenth century, many departures of clipper ships were advertised by sailing cards. With their stunning appearance, rarity, and importance as artifacts of nautical, Western, and printing history, clipper cards represent classic ephemera and are highly prized by both private collectors and institutions. Clipper Ship Sailing Cards begins by tracing the history of the clipper ship, particularly as it relates to the California Gold Rush. It then does the same for clipper ship cards, documenting their development over two decades. The printing techniques employed to create clipper cards are examined, followed by chronicles of every printer and engraver known to have turned out clipper cards. All of this is a prelude to the exploration of the images and graphic design concepts that make clipper cards so intriguing. With 115 full-color illustrations, observations drawn from thirty years of study and research, and engaging writing, Clipper Ship Sailing Cards is the definitive work on this topic!

In the nineteenth century, trade cards advertised every business, product, and service imaginable. Among the most interesting products promoted via trade cards were mechanical banks. These were toy savings banks, usually made of cast iron, with one or more moving parts. Toy mechanical banks are eminently collectible today. This alone would ensure interest in the trade cards that advertise these banks, but mechanical bank trade cards stand on their own. They are absolutely terrific trade cards from any objective graphics standpoint, and they are extremely scarce. Mechanical Bank Trade Cards, originally published privately by Bruce D. Roberts in 1996 in a limited edition of 100 copies, looks at each known bank trade card in depth. Full-size, full-color illustrations of each mechanical bank trade card (including variants) are here, along with approximate valuations. Information on bank manufacturers and trade card printers is included as well.