Historical information

The 120 cards in these two albums are very varied in content. There are many of birds and animals, some of great artwork reproductions, some of famous places and buildings, a couple of V.F.L. footballers, two from the Melbourne Olympic Games, some matching pairs and a couple of Australian aboriginal art work. They are all of high quality and many are very beautiful. Swap card collecting was a popular activity for young girls throughout the 20th century and cards were swapped with friends and sometimes sold. Usually the cards, bought from newsagents and fancy goods shops, were kept loose in a school bag or pocket and so the number of cards and the type varied from week to week. Boys also often saved cards of a particular nature – sports cards, nature cards etc though the idea of ‘swapping’ was not so prevalent among the boys. Card collecting, usually promoted by a business concern or a toy company, is still a pastime for young people today.

Significance

The cards in these two albums are of considerable interest as they are of good quality and are aesthetically pleasing. They also are good examples of a popular hobby of girls in the 20th century.

Physical description

.1 & .2 These two albums are similar in size and design. Both have grey/pale green covers with red printing on the front cover. Both are bound with two staples and both contain 10 pages with inserts to hold three cards each side of the page. The inserts are edged with a green decoration. Both albums contain 60 coloured cards. There is evidence of silverfish damage on the front covers of both albums.