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We want to
thank the Texas Sporting Journal for working with us on this
article. Hunting for Covers Artist throughout the years have traditionally expressed themselves through the medium of painting. With the progression of printing, artists were able to express themselves through the medium of colored lithography. One of these artist types was Francoise Mucha. Born In Czechoslovakia and living in France, by 1887 the mass production of his art work using colored lithography allowed European companies and others to advertise themselves along with their wares and events. By the early 1900’s, colored lithography was being used by many North American companies in the form of advertising covers (a stamp collectors term for a stamped or unstamped envelopes promoting products, goods or services). Hunting related advertising covers are numerous, but the colored lithography covers by Winchester are most eye appealing. As a matter of fact, the covers have become so well known over the years that some have even been named. With the likes of “Mountain Man” etc….. these covers are very sought after, with an additional bonus being the potential of a correspondence inside. In studying the subject more closely we find that the same colored drawing on the Winchester and other covers may or may not have the name and address of the merchant sending the correspondence. Additionally some of the same Winchester covers were produced in both color and black and white. Based on my research it appears that most likely Winchester and other companies produced the cover and artwork then the individual merchant storefront added his name at the local printer or with a rubber stamp. Now both the merchant and Winchester were being advertised on the same cover. Hence the reason for seeing the different look of very similar covers. For the collector of hunting covers, there is certainly more than just Winchester to chose from and furthermore there are different printing methods used by the different companies. From simple line drawings to the colored lithography used by Winchester each company managed to get their name in front of the public. Here are a few of the other companies which I know have produced covers: Parker Shotguns, Dupont Powders, Dominion Cartridge Company, Peters Cartridge Company, Laflin & Rand Smokeless Powder, The Union Metallic Cartridge Company, Hazard Powder, Hunter Arms Company, Atlas Powder Company, Savage Rifles, J. Stevens Arms, Hercules Powder Company, Dead Shot Powder, Remington Guns, and others. As always condition is important related to price. In the early 1900’s people had a tendency to open correspondence from the side of the envelope. This in my opinion reduces the value by 80% as it takes away from the entire look of the cover. So a common colored lithograph cover with the above problem should be purchased for $40 or less. Winchester covers can go from $200-700+ depending on desirability and condition. For more information about hunting covers go to http://www.acp-web.com.
This site is managed ACP-web.com a web site dedicated to the photography,
description and pricing of all antiques and collectibles based on condition. |
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