You’ve Got Mail!

Summer 2022 • WINCHESTERCOLLECTOR.ORG | 35 back of these earlier envelopes did not have advertising. The earliest postmark we have found is October 28, 1887, on the BuffaloArms envelope shown at the top of the previous page. However, this does not necessarily mean that the advertising envelopes were not used before this date. In addition to the Model 1873, these early envelopes also featured the Model 1886, 1892 and 1894 rifles, and the Model 1887 and 1897 shotguns as well. We believe that all of these were printed prior to 1900 and were in black print. The only example we have found using red print is the envelope shown above with a Model 1897 takedown shotgun on the front and a Model 1890 and a Model 1894 rifle on the back. The back also mentions the Model 1886 and Winchester reloading tools and is postmarked October 13, 1899. We see the use of full-color pictures featured on many of Winchester’s advertising envelopes after 1900. From approximately 1900–1903, the envelopes went back to a

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTE5MzU2