Great West Saddlery Company Vintage Ink Blotter Trade Card – Summer Holiday Closure Notice, July 7–21

A charming piece of prairie business history: a vintage ink blotter trade card from The Great West Saddlery Company Limited, the big Winnipeg saddlery house. These cards went out to dealers and customers, and this one announces the company's summer holiday shutdown in proper mid-century style — warehouses closed from July 7th to 19th while the staff took summer holidays, reopening July 21st. One side shows the sleeping "CLOSED" warehouse under a July 7 calendar page; flip the wording and the building is wide awake and smiling under the sun for July 21. The blank blue reverse is the blotter side, made to sit on a desk and soak up fountain-pen ink. The dates give a neat clue but not a year: July 7th to the 19th with a Sunday the 20th and a Monday reopening fits several mid-1900s years (1941, 1947, 1952 and 1958 all line up), so the exact year is unconfirmed. Ships in the clear protective sleeve shown.

Details
Brand: The Great West Saddlery Company Limited (printed on the card)
Item Type: Ink blotter / trade notice card
Measurements: 6" x 3.5"
Material: Card stock with absorbent blotter back
Colours: Cream card with magenta-purple print; plain blue blotter reverse
Design: Cartoon calendar pages and warehouse buildings; printed summer holiday closure notice (July 7–19, reopening July 21)
Quantity: 1 card
Included: 1 x Great West Saddlery holiday closure ink blotter card, in a clear protective sleeve

Condition
Very good for its age. The printed side is clean and bright with sharp magenta print and no folds or tears visible. The plain blue blotter back shows a few faint spots and light marks from age and desk use. Card lies flat and is stored in a plastic sleeve. Sold as a collectible paper item.

Pickup and Shipping
Local pickup in Saskatoon by arrangement — cash accepted. Shipping is calculated at checkout by total order weight: Canada from $5, US from $18 (full chart in our shipping policy). Oversized items may be quoted separately. Shipped Canadian orders: Interac e-Transfer or PayPal. US orders: PayPal; US buyers are responsible for any duties, tariffs, and taxes.

JAY'S MERCANTILE
Recycling the past, one item at a time.
Pacific Heights, Saskatoon, SK