Jack Phillips Postcards

[Nicole Dougherty]

Does anyone know if the over 300 postcards written by Jack Phillips were ever collectively catalogued? Were the mailing locations and messages ever copied down in a single collection? I tried several years ago to discover this when they first surface but with no luck. I'm hoping there may be someone out there with this information.

 

[Darren Clossin]

Thats a good question! Until seeing your post, I had no idea there were that many of them that surfaced. If you'd like to know about the one I own, let me know! That would be quite an interesting archive of information if they were located and cataloged.

 

[Nicole Dougherty]

I would love to know all about the postcard you own. When was it mailed? From where? What does it say? I have been wondering about these for the past few years.

 

[Inger Sheil]

That is indeed a good question, Nicole. I had wondered as well whether the album of his postcards was catalogued and the information in them compiled before the collection was broken down for individual sale. If there is a complete, central record I'm not aware of it, but it may be in a private collection. Perhaps Jemma or Mandy might know more, as they have been compiling information on Phillips, including data on at least some of the cards that have been sold.

 

[Darren Clossin]

Hi again-
The postcard I own apparently came from the Guernsey's sale last june- I bought it on eBay but the G auction sticker was left on the plastic holder-
Anyway, it shows the "Indo-China Palace, Franco-British Exhibition, London, 1908" The postmark shows that it was mailed directly from the exhibition at 430 PM, SP 30, 1908. His message states: "Boiling Hot- Having good time. Jack" Id post a photo, but my camera doesnt do well w/ small things like postcard close-ups.
Darren

 

[Inger Sheil]

G'day -

One well informed source I've spoken with has told me that the cards were not documented before dispersal.

Our best hope now is that owners like Darren will come forward so that as much of the information from the PCs as possible can be compiled.

 

[Nicole Dougherty]

Darren,

One more thing, to whom was the postcard addressed?

Thanks,
niki

 

[Darren Clossin]

Ahh sorry- Forgot to mention that- it was addressed to 'Miss E. Phillips" I assume that was his sister? By the way- Where was this 'cache' of his postcards found and when? I mean what were the circumstances?
Thanks
darren

 

[Nicole Dougherty]

In 1997 I wrote a letter to the Godalming museum asking for some information. They put me in touch with a local who had done some research. In her letter to me she stated that (if I remember correctly) a group was found in someone's home in Godalming (I'm not 100% on this) and was being sold for profit--this being shortly after the movie was released and interest was very high. She said she had seen them but did not have the time to do much more than read through a few. On another post on Titanica I noticed that someone else mentioned the postcard "album" -- there were 312? It's been awhile since this transpired and I have been unable to find my correspondence with all the details. I'm hoping someone, somewhere out there can fill in the missing pieces.

 

[Inger Sheil]

Hallo Nicole -

It was Ken Schultz (a well-known specialist dealer in this area) who purchased the album. I can't recall off-hand how many PCs were in it, but it was a substantial number. They appear regularly at auctions - there's usually a couple in the Henry Alridge and Son auction. Hope this helps.

 

[181218]

I think the closer to the sailing of the Titanic the more the price goes up for these cards - no ? I'm sure someone said there were a couple of cards where Jack talks about his job on the Titanic and one card was posted onboard. Of course these royal items went for a lot more than the usual price range.

 

[Darren Clossin]

Hiya Miles! Glad to see you back again- What does the message on your Phillips postcard say?- and do you remember what the picture on it was?

 

[Inger Sheil]

You're right, Miles - as always, the Titanic connection pushes up the price tag. It's my understanding that the dealer made enough on the sale of one Titanic card to cover the cost of the album - the rest has been pure profit.

 

[181218]

My card went for the expected price or maybe a bit over. About $800 plus the extra fee's you get at auctions. Something like that - I really can't remember, which is a bit odd. It was posted just a few months before the Titanic hence this ( for me ) is more appealing. Plus I think the message on the card is very nice and the picture has a lot of character. Darren there are some pictures of the card and the message in this part of the forum.

 

[Mandy Le Boutillier]

Hi Nicole,Good to hear from you again. Yes, Inger is right, the collection was sold at Christie's in 1997 at Christies and went to the USA. The cards turn up individually, usually either on eBay or at Aldridges sales. Sadly,they were not catalogued before the Christies sale. I know of several JGP card collectors around the world and it is always nice to 'meet' others, so Hello Darren!
Finally, Darren asked about 'Miss E Phillips' - Both Jack's sisters had the initial 'E' (Ethel and Elsie).I can tell you which one was sent your card if you tell me the address it was mailed to. Happy New Year everyone.