Sunday, August 28, 2011

Mystery Massbuch

I have been collecting ephemera for a very long time, & usually can work out what things are, but today I had a Fleam Find that puzzles & intrigues me. Does anyone have a clue what these notes might be about? They all seem to involve color & historical events. At first I thought it might be stamp descriptions, but then what are all the grain measurements about? (Or is there perhaps a currency abbreviated gr? I couldn't find one.)

If anyone has a clue I would be deeply grateful-- my curiosity is tormenting me!

Oh, by the way, the notebook is a small Massbuch, a Catholic calendar, though if there is a connection I can't make it out.

Edit: The mystery is solved! A Twitter friend, @norlik, figured out that this is in fact a list of stamps-- Polish stamps. The gr is neither grams nor grains, but Groszy, 1/100 złoty.
@norlik even found a link to one of the stamps mentioned, the Madame Curie commemorative.

Thank you so much, @norlik! I love the internet!

3 comments:

Dave P. said...

I'm going to guess a sign painter or poster printer. There are what look like certain events or slogans (Let's fight for the six year plan; International Children's Day) followed by quantities of colors, which I'm guessing are either inks or paints. (The gr I'm sure is grams)

Dave P. said...

Also, if you haven't figured it out, it's from 1951 or 1952.

Curious Art said...

Ah, posters! I hadn't thought of that. And maybe the weights (whether grains or grams) are a sort of shopping list memo? They seem so precise, yet no mention of money, or on the other hand fonts, design, &c., so not intended for clients or employees.

The date is another curious thing, because while the calendar is dated 1914, it's clear the notes are much later.