RARE 1886 ESSEX CARD WORKS VICTORIAN SALESMAN'S SAMPLE SHEET — 140 YEARS OLD For Sale

Offered for sale is an outstanding piece of American Victorian advertising history: an original 1886 Essex Card Works manufacturer's sample sheet from Ivoryton, Connecticut.Approximately 140 years old, this beautifully illustrated antique features dozens of colorful Victorian calling cards, visiting cards, novelty cards, and decorative stationery designs.The original sheet is displayed in a wooden DOUBLE-GLASS PRESSED FRAME, allowing both the colorful front and historically significant printed advertising and price lists on the reverse to be viewed.This is not simply a collection of antique cards. It is an original manufacturer's sales presentation featuring numbered card designs, product descriptions, and 1886 pricing.HISTORICAL DETAILS:• Manufacturer: Essex Card Works
• Location: Ivoryton, Connecticut, USA
• Date: 1886
• Age: Approximately 140 Years
• Period: Late Victorian Era
• Type: Salesman's Sample Sheet / Advertising Catalog
• Printing: Period Color Lithography
• Presentation: Wooden Double-Glass Frame
• Original Victorian Advertising & Price ListsBEAUTIFUL VICTORIAN ILLUSTRATIONS:The sheet features an extensive assortment of colorful designs, including:• Roses, flowers, and botanical illustrations
• Birds, doves, and woodland scenes
• Victorian children and romantic imagery
• Gold-leaf-style decorative designs
• Embossed and novelty calling cards
• Hidden-name cards and ornate typography
• Fringed and personalized visiting cards
• Holiday, sentimental, and religious designs
• Monogram and decorative lettering samplesMany illustrations are individually numbered and correspond to descriptions and prices on the reverse.The prominent gold-colored heading reads:“SAMPLES FROM ESSEX CARD WORKS — IVORYTON, CONN.”ORIGINAL 1886 ADVERTISING:The reverse contains the company's original sales literature, including product descriptions, prices, ordering instructions, and sales-agent commissions.Advertised styles include Gilt Edge Floral, Dove Lap, Border Motto, Oriental, Frosted Beauty, Princess Anne, Gold Leaf, Oval Fringe, Gold Leaf Victoria, and Fringe Chromo.Original prices ranged from approximately 15 cents for inexpensive assortments to 90 cents per dozen for elaborate premium cards.The company offered sales agents a 25% commission on qualifying orders, documenting an early American mail-order sales system.The literature also describes embossed cards imported from Berlin, Germany, demonstrating the international connections of Victorian stationery merchants.HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:During the 1880s, decorative calling cards were an important part of American social customs. Manufacturers offered increasingly elaborate designs featuring colorful printing, embossing, metallic decoration, and personalized names.Sample sheets like this allowed sales agents to demonstrate merchandise and collect customer orders.This surviving 1886 example preserves both the artwork and original commercial information, making it an interesting collectible for enthusiasts of Victorian advertising, chromolithography, antique stationery, and Connecticut history.CONDITION & DISPLAY:Original antique paper artifact displayed in a wooden double-glass pressed frame.The illustrations retain attractive colors and detail. Age-related discoloration, creasing, and other imperfections are visible. The frame may show normal signs of age and handling.The sheet has not been removed from its frame for examination.Please carefully review ALL PHOTOGRAPHS, as they are part of the description and show the exact item being offered.SHIPPING:FREE SHIPPING TO THE CONTINENTAL 48 UNITED STATES ONLY!The framed antique will be carefully packaged for shipment. Shipping outside the contiguous 48 states is not included.SALE TERMS:ALL SALES ARE FINAL — NO RETURNS ACCEPTED.This is an approximately 140-year-old antique sold in its existing condition, AS IS, with age-related wear and imperfections.Please examine all photographs and ask any questions BEFORE purchasing.No returns are accepted for buyer's remorse or change of mind.A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF VICTORIAN AMERICAN ADVERTISING HISTORY!You will receive the exact framed 1886 Essex Card Works sample sheet pictured.BUY IT NOW OR MAKE YOUR BEST OFFER!