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Valentine Real Photo Trade Fair Slogan USA Mail Industrial Travel Ephemera
OVERVIEW
Offered is an original 1933 Great Britain Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) depicting Liverpool Cathedral, published by the renowned Valentine & Sons. Postally used and mailed to Illinois, United States, this card is a true RPPC example confirmed by the printed back marking. It combines striking early 20th-century architectural photography, fascinating transatlantic travel correspondence, and a highly desirable interwar British industrial slogan cancellation.
STAMP DETAILS & VERIFICATION
The card is franked with a Great Britain 1½d (Three Halfpence) red-brown King George V definitive, correctly paying the Universal Postal Union (UPU) international postcard rate to the United States.
Casual sellers frequently misidentify this issue, but the stamp is definitively identified as Scott 189, Stanley Gibbons (SG) 420, Michel (Mi) 161, and Yvert et Tellier (Yv) 153.
POSTMARKS & POSTAL ROUTING
The card's journey is perfectly documented by a remarkably clear British machine slogan cancellation.
It is firmly tied by a:
BRITISH INDUSTRIES FAIR
1933 / FEB 20 - MAR 3
LONDON & BIRMINGHAM
slogan machine cancel, not an airmail cancellation.
The British Industries Fair was a massive, globally significant trade exhibition designed to showcase Imperial manufacturing.
This specific slogan cancel adds a fantastic layer of commercial and industrial postal history to the transatlantic routing.
IMAGE & PUBLISHER SIGNIFICANCE
The front image captures Liverpool Cathedral during its extended construction phase in the early 20th century.
This adds distinct architectural interest, as the structure is captured prior to full completion, making it far more historically significant than later tourist-era views.
It was published by Valentine & Sons of Dundee, Scotland.
Valentine is one of the most recognized and respected British postcard publishers, and their true Real Photo Postcard issues (marked "This is a Real Photograph" with their classic globe logo) are consistently more desirable than standard printed lithographs.
ADDRESSEE & HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The postcard is addressed to Mrs. James K. Root in Hinsdale, Illinois, USA.
The message perfectly complements the industrial nature of the slogan cancel. The sender, Frank, notes that he came up from London "to look at the refinery" and mentions that they sail on February 26th for Capetown. This incredible message ties together domestic British industrial travel with a planned onward international voyage to South Africa, elevating the card beyond a simple souvenir into a rich artifact of 1930s global transit.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Country of Origin: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
Year of Issue: 1933 (Usage Date)
Catalog Numbers: Scott 189 / SG 420 / Mi 161 / Yv 153
Denomination: 1½d (Three Halfpence)
Type: Real Photo Postcard (RPPC)
Topic: Liverpool Cathedral, Architecture, British Industries Fair
Theme: Transatlantic Mail, Industrial Travel Correspondence
Era: Inter-War (1918-1939)
Region: Liverpool / London to Hinsdale, Illinois, USA
Cancellation Type: Machine Slogan Cancel (British Industries Fair)
Publisher: Valentine & Sons, Dundee
Custom SKU: UK-1933-RPPC-LIVERPOOL-BIF
CONDITION
This Real Photo Postcard exhibits honest, authentic postal use and remains structurally sound and highly presentable.
It features light corner and edge wear entirely consistent with a 1933 transatlantic postal journey, along with mild, natural age toning.
The photographic clarity remains strong, the handwriting is perfectly clear and legible, and the critically important slogan cancel is exceptionally well-struck.
There are no major structural faults observed.
Please review all high-resolution images carefully for exact condition details.
