Now, as the air is still mighty sulphurous with the miasma of a third day of Fireworks, shall we continue with another unusual card..... ?
Oh why not.....
This one, again, is quite a rare sighting, but it is more modern, being one of a set of fifty numbered cards measuring 75 x 40 mm, issued by Universal Fireworks Ltd, London.
This is No.50, “November 5th in England” and appears to show a hatted figure on a towering bonfire, presumably designed to represent Guido “Guy” Fawkes.
This came from a back issue of Cartophilic Notes and News, our magazine, so I have no idea of what the reverse of the card was like - so anyone having a copy please send us a scan to webmaster@card-world.co.uk
Now to the technical bit!
Our original “British Trade Index, Part IV”, which was published in 1997, gives it the reference code of UNU-1, and a date of “about the 1950s – 1960s”. I tend to disagree with this because the title of the set is “Festival Fireworks”, and surely that is in some way referencing the Festival of Britain in 1951.
Our updated “British Trade Index – to 1970” published in 2006, has changed the reference code to UNI-470, and has also changed the date but to “Late 1960s”.
Neither of these books cross reference the cards to the fact that in that magazine it mentions that Universal Fireworks was actually a trade-name of Searle and Wilson. However I have not been able to find them as a company, or Universal Fireworks from the 1950s or 60s, the only company by that name is much later.
By the way, we thought we would send you off with a sparkler of a new discovery - check out https://csgb.co.uk/auctions/001