Children's Newspaper giveaways (part 2)

The second of the two Poster Stamps albums appeared in issue 888 (28 March 1936), with stamps to complete the album given away in subsequent weeks. The competition echoed the first such competition giveaway from the previous year and was introduced by the editor:

Poster Stamp Collections 

FINE OFFERS TO C N READERS

Poster Stamp collecting is becoming a popular hobby, and some of teh best examples are to be given away by the C.N.
    A new series begins this week, four beautiful examples of British Railway Posters in miniature being given with each copy of the C.N., and a magnificent Album in which to keep the stamps. Forty stamps will complete the series, and four will be given each week for the next nine weeks.
    In the Album particulars will be found of a new Mapping Test. Readers not over 15 are asked to fill in 40 place-names on the map of Britain which appears in the middle pages of the Album, and for the best attempts received not later than April 22 awards are to be made which will amount to

100,000 Miles of Free Rail Travel

There will be 100 First Prizes of 500 Miles of Travel, 100 Second Prizes of 300 Miles, and 100 Third Prizes of 200 Miles.
    Boys and girls of all ages will have an equal chance, for the prizes are to be divided in proportion to the numbers of entries received from each age. Please turn to the Album for full particulars of this most interesting test, and enter now.
    Winners of the travel awards will be able to share their success with others, and, with the holiday season not far ahead, the free travel vouchers may be used for the family holiday.
    It is regretted that it is not possible to make the Mapping Test open to overseas readers, owing to the nature of the awards. Overseas readers will, however, be able to complete the collection of Poster Stamps, and thus form a very beautiful Colour Gallery well worth keeping.
    Please remember that four Poster Stamps will appear with the C.N. each week for the net nine weeks. Make certain of completing your collection by asking your newsagent to deliver C.N. regularly.

Why not tell your friends about these magnificent C.N. offers?

As far as I'm aware, this was the last of the poster stamp giveaway competitions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(* Children's Newspaper © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Children's Newspaper giveaways

The following two booklets were giveaways with The Children's Newspaper in 1935. The first, The Book of the Southern Railway, was given away with issue 831 (23 February 1935) and the second, British Railways, with the issue 888 (28 March 1936).

The first giveaway was accompanied by a competition for 300 readers of the paper to win 100,000 miles of free rail travel, which the editor, Arthur Mee, announced thus:

100,000 Miles of Free Rail

Travel For C.N. Readers

With every copy of this week's C.N. readers should find four beautiful reproductions in miniature of Southern Railway posters, the first of a series of forty, and also an album for the Poster Stamps.
    It will greatly interest boys and girls to collect these beautiful pictures and fill up the blank spaces in the album as the Poster Stamps appear each week. But there will be just as much interest in the Mapping Test which is announced in the special supplement to the album.
    Never before have such novel awards been offered. There will be 300 prizes consisting of 100,000 Miles of Free Rail Travel, and all boys and girls not over fifteen will have an equal chance of winning, because the prizes, which are to be given for the best maps received, are to be divided according to the proportion of entries received from each age.
    Successful entrants will be able to share their prizes with others. Think how jolly that will be in the happy holiday times before us! A winner of 500 miles of Free Rail Travel may have tickets for two for 250 miles, or otherwise by arrangement with the Editor, and they will be available on any British railway.
    Now please turn to the centre pages of The Book of the Southern Railway and see what you have to do to win one of these novel awards. It is regretted that the Mapping Test is not open to overseas readers, but this is not possible owing to the nature of the awards. Our readers abroad will, however, be able to fill their albums with the very beautiful Poster Stamps.
    Readers are asked to give their newsagents instructions to deliver the C.N. regularly each week. By doing this they can make sure of completing their collections of Poster Stamps and also of seeing the many good things which are to appear from week to week.

The competition clearly proved popular as there was a follow-up a year later. From the second editorial it was clear that Poster Stamps were a popular collecting pastime. In fact, they date back to the 1860s and were inspired by postage stamps. They had no cash value but were used for advertising and promotions. The brief Wikipedia entry on the subject reveals that they were indeed still popular in the 1930s.

We will cover British Railways tomorrow. For now, here is The Book of the Southern Railway.

(* My thanks to Jenny Cefai, who discovered these two rarities amongst the effects of her late Uncle, and to Norman Boyd for the scans.)