Burroughs Wellcome Matched Pair

by Tom Fortunato, June 24, 2011


John Hotchner mailed me a number of his "Dear Doctor" cards to review and catalog from various manufacturers and their "tours." While there were several new discoveries amongst his holdings, two cards in particular drew my interest, shown here.

At first I noticed the similarities in the name and address--perhaps a father and son or brother and brother practice--but then I looked at the stamps on the postcards. It's a perfect match! The excess on the first card fits the notch on the second. As has been reported on other card mailings, separating the stamps and applying them to each mailpiece was a completely manual process. Obviously the cards were kept in alphabetical order as well when they were handed to the assemblers.

So what are the odds of finding a similar matched-up pair?