Saucy 1950s and 60s postcards could fetch hundreds of pounds when they are sold at a Nantwich auction.
The smutty vintage cards up for sale contain punchlines like “It’s time you bought me some new drawers Mr Smith” and “Would you like to come in and demonstrate your apparatus”.
And the original artwork for six of the cards go on sale at Peter Wilson auctioneers on Market Street on July 7.
The 12.5x8in (31.5 x 20.5cm) cards featuring busty ladies and wide-eyed or red-faced gents, will be sold in twos, each pair expected to sell for £200-250.
The artist who painted them was A.J. Williams and he lived and worked in Manchester.
But he had a wicked imagination and a sense of humour that would have been at home in any “Carry On” film.
The risqué views are typical of the saucy cartoon-style postcards featuring stereotypical characters such as large ladies, naughty vicars, Jack the lads and put-upon husbands.
They were found in every seaside resort souvenir shop and newsagent from the 1930s on.
In 1954, the newly-elected Conservative government launched a morality campaign and some of the cards were banned.
Changing attitudes and a decline in the quality of artwork and humour led to their decline in the 1980s.
Auctioneer Robert Stones said: “Old original postcards featuring views of resorts, towns and villages are important pieces of social history that document change.
“They can fetch surprisingly large sums at auction, particularly in the case of well-filled albums.
“When thumbing through a postcard album stuffed with those seaside gems, don’t overlook the less obvious topographical scenes.
“Non-tourist picture postcards make significantly more money.
“A black and white card showing Crewe would be so much harder to find than a view of the promenade at Blackpool or Rhyl.
“Saucy postcards were so popular, many hundreds of thousands were printed and so they remain more common and invariably worth less.
“However, original artwork for cartoon cards is rare and collectable for the postcard enthusiast, even though our idea of humour might have changed, and we expect them to sell well.”
The postcards are among more than 500 lots to be sold on Thursday July 7.
Viewing at the Victoria Gallery in Market Street is Sunday July 3 from 2-4pm; Monday July 4, 10am-5pm; Tuesday July 5, 10am-4pm; Wednesday July 6, 10am-4pm and on the morning of the sale from 9-11am.
Contact Peter Wilson on 01270 623878 or [email protected]
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