Collecting Geographically: Don’t short change the United Kingdom.

One area that I like to collect billheads from is the UK. As you can imagine, UK printers printed some really nice elaborate and beautiful billheads. While trade cards didn’t take off in the UK as much as they did here, billheads are the exception. Recently I bought two lots of billheads from a dealer on ebay uk. As the dollar rises against these currencies, look for bargains amongst these European sellers. Be sure to go directly to the websites every now and again as not all items show up on the US ebay.

One example is billhead for James Howden a watch maker and jeweler in Edinburgh Scotland. The date on the billhead is 1824.

HOWDEN, James. Booked apprentice to Alexander Farquharson, Edin.,1764 — admitted freeman clockmaker, E.H., 1775. This well-known maker commenced business at 3 Hunter's Square, which premises he occupied till about 180.9, when he retired. He was succeeded by his son, also named James, who was admitted a freeman in 1809 — in 1825 he was at 56 North Bridge, while another brother, named John, was in business at 9 Waterloo Place — no trace of either after 1836.

A Handbook and Directory of Old Scottish Clockmakers from 1540 to 1850 A.D.
By John Smith p. 46.

Another nice and early billhead is that for Christopher Binks of London. This is a really early billhead dated 1806. Very very nice graphic is the shop with the word New Doyley's written on the outside of the building. The shop sold Ladies' Habit Coats, Gentleman's Cloaths, Liveries & c. completely made on the shorteft notice.

I found a mention of the shop being in Doyley's Warehouses from a London Directory printed in 17917.

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Baking Powder Billheads

In 1843 the first modern version of baking powder was discovered and manufactured by Alfred Bird, a British chemist. In 1846, Justus Von Liebig in Germany experiments with yeast made from sodium bicarbonate and hydrochloric acid with explosive results. In 1885, Eben Horsford and George Wilson manufacture chemicals which eventually became the Rumford Chemical Works. Horsford formulated and patented Rumford Baking Powder, the first calcium phopshate baking powder. In 1889, William Wright and chemist George Rew developed a double-action baking powder marketed under the name Calumet Baking Powder. Below find some examples of baking powder billheads.

Billhead of the Month: Schmit Bros trunks Oshkosh WI

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Oswego New York Mills

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THE EPHEMERA OF BUSINESS

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