[Janet MacD]

I got this wonderful postcard at Roy’s auction last week. I let Hugh bid for me because I really, really wanted it and didn’t trust myself to stay sane if there was a bidding war. As it was, I started with a maximum bid of $25 and on the last day, while I was winning, I suggested he increase the maximum to $50. Just in case we were stuck on the ferry with no internet access when the auction closed. Hugh talked me out of that …

   

This card is from Valentine & Sons (John and James), a printing company founded in Dundee, Scotland in 1825. In 1903 they sent a representative to Montréal, followed by representatives for Toronto and Winnipeg. The six digit code on the lower left indicates that this image was first used in 1908. Valentine reused images when cards were reprinted, so you need to look at the postal history (if the card was used) as well as the Valentine number. This card was mailed in 1909.

Imperial Coaches operated in Toronto from about 1908 until 1930. Imperial had two motorized coaches built in Toronto at a cost of $6,500 each - almost a quarter of a million 2026 dollars. They were one of the first companies to introduce motorized buses to the city, and they differentiated themselves by having a roof instead of the more common open top. The buses were named “King” and “Queen”. 

I need to look at Roy’s auctions more often!

[Carmen]

Wow! $6500! That IS an amount... beautiful coach though, and glad to see they came up with the "innovation" of actually putting a roof on the thing. Are those rolls at the top of each window rolled up curtains? Didn't see anything online that would help me figure it out. But I assume they'd have found a way to deal with rain and whatnot.

I got a chuckle out of you letting Hugh bid for you... maybe I should get him to do that too! Hugh could start a side gig, with a business card:

Hugh MacDonald
Professional Bidder
"I Use My Mind So You Don't Lose Yours!"

And of course, most dealer business cards should probably have a tagline that says:
"Collector: You KNOW you're going to lose your mind... come lose it with us!"

[Hugh]

That's funny Carmen! 

But, no, too much like work. One of my graduate degrees was in Conflict Analysis and Management and I spent much of my career negotiating M&As, joint ventures, strategic alliances and outsourcing contracts. Not to mention employment and compensation issues. I like being retired. It's a lot less serious and more fun now. 

In any event. Janet hardly needs my help. At one point in her banking and finance career she was a certified appraiser. Stamps may be new ... but she can certainly calculate the value of construction equipment and 'yellow metal'. 

Hope to see you at the club tomorrow.

Cheers, Hugh

[Janet MacD]

Are those rolls at the top of each window rolled up curtains? Didn't see anything online that would help me figure it out. But I assume they'd have found a way to deal with rain and whatnot.

Well spotted! Yes, they had rolled up curtains. I found a photo from 1910 on the Vintage Toronto Facebook group. The company had another vehicle - The President - and you can see the rolled curtains better in this photo. I counted 6 benches behind the driver with up to 4 people per bench, which is consistent with the research saying they held about 20 paying customers.