1898 Scarbrough & Hicks Austin Texas Christmas Advertising Trade Card Victorian For Sale

Original 1898 Victorian Christmas advertising trade card issued by Scarbrough & Hicks of Austin, Texas.

The attractive illustrated front depicts a coastal or waterfront village scene surrounded by white flowers and carries the decorative greeting:

“A Hearty Christmas Greeting.”

The reverse contains a Christmas verse and is printed:

“Compliments of SCARBROUGH & HICKS, Austin, Texas. 1898.”

Scarbrough & Hicks was an important late-19th-century Austin dry-goods retailer. This card predates the later landmark Scarbrough Building on Congress Avenue, making it an interesting piece of early Austin retail and advertising history.

This appears to be a merchant Christmas greeting/advertising trade card rather than a mailed postcard; there is no conventional postcard layout, stamp box or postal cancellation.

An appealing piece for collectors of Texas history, Austin memorabilia, Victorian Christmas ephemera, antique advertising, trade cards, or Scarbrough & Hicks material.

Provenance: This card was discovered tucked inside an 1899 children\'s book, Nelly\'s Visit, acquired at an estate sale. The book is not included.

Date: 1898
Merchant: Scarbrough & Hicks
Location: Austin, Texas
Type: Advertising / Christmas greeting trade card