Antique & Vintage Postcards

A die-cut red felt heart — still boldly crimson after more than a century — swings open on a tiny metal clasp to reveal a fold-out accordion of black-and-white Syracuse, New York street scenes tucked beneath it, making this one of the more whimsical mechanical novelty postcards of the Edwardian era. Labeled "Heart of Syracuse, N.Y." in bold black lettering, the heart-shaped cover flap is attached by a small metal brad to the card's main face, which features photographic views of Syracuse's Post Office and City Hall against a moon-lit skyline. Pull the heart aside and the concertina unfolds to reveal Onondaga Lake Outlet, the High School, Smith College of Applied Science, the Hall of Languages, Salt Pans, and further city landmarks — a civic portrait of a mid-sized industrial city at its early-20th-century peak of confidence. The reverse bears a postmark from Clifton, N.Y., dated September 1906-ish (partially legible), with a 1-cent Franklin stamp addressed to a Miss Marie in Alton, N.Y., care of Fremont. The sender identified themselves only as "Lyon" on the address side. This is a rare format — heart-shaped mechanical souvenir fold-outs are significantly harder to find than standard accordion cards, and the felt cover material has survived in exceptional color.