This posting shows a pioneer patriotic postcard from Toronto Litho from their War Ships series, popular in light of the Boer War in which Canadian soldiers were participating at that time. This card shows Calliope, a 3rd class cruiser. The card has been postally used June 4, 1900 from Sturgeon Falls, Ontario by Gordon L. Cockburn to Albert Rudler Jr. of 227 William Street in New York City, by way Hamilton, with a Hamilton transit postmark on the front to the card.

This example of a Toronto Litho pioneer postcard from the Canadian Cities Series shows a late use of a 2¢ Jubilee stamp, no. 52, mailed March 22, 1904 to Sliema, Malta. The use of the Jubilee stamp may be attributed to the sender working as a post office clerk.

There is extensive correspondence on the reverse from H.B. Currie to a collector in Malta with whom he had been corresponding. H.B. Currie was a post office clerk in Walkerton in the 1901 census, living as a roomer in a local residence at the time. Born October 14, 1875, he would have been 28 years old when he mailed this card. Currie sought to sell the collector a map of Kimberley & Boshof, South Africa. The 2’ x 3’ map on canvas folded into pocket size, and was given to him by his brother who served in the Boer War.