Essay and Proof Postal Cards

From the very first issue of the Essay-Proof Journal, the "Dean" of essays and proofs was a man named Clarence Brazer. His definitions of the terms "Essay" and "Proof" are generally used to identify these items, and these are found in our postal card catalog.

Essays and Proofs are a very difficult area to collect for postal cards. It's pretty safe to say that most of this kind of material is rare. Like with stamps, the beauty of these items frequently make the regular issue items pale in comparison.

A case in point: Take the infamous "garbage card", the so-termed "prince of all postal cards". I think of it as a garbage card in the sense of the garbage print job (like most of Daggett's work) for this issue. Look upon any of the existing specimen proofs for this card, and only then one can appreciate the true beauty of the design.

Even a couple of essays or proofs can really "dress up" a general collection of postal cards.