General Auction including Antiques & Collectables, Gold & Silver (14% Buyers Commission)
An assortment of British paper ephemera predominantly dating from the 1940s and 1950s, primarily associated with the Abrahams family of Southall, Middlesex. The collection includes several Ministry of Food ration books for the 1952-1953 and 1953-1954 periods, with serial numbers including BR 402817, AM 009010, BP 060233, BS 142722, BR 408470, BS 142720, BR 402811, and BR 402812. Surnames noted on these documents include Abrahams, Spencer, Durham, and Moore. Also present is a 1947-1948 Motor Fuel Ration book for a 9 H.P. private car and a green cloth-bound folder titled Ration Books with handwritten ownership details. Instructional literature includes a mid-century edition of The Highway Code by the Ministry of Transport, a Physical Training for Men manual by H. Fulford Bush and E. J. Harrison, and a December 1943 War Office publication titled Notes on the Care and Maintenance of Mechanical Vehicles (Wheeled). Miscellaneous items comprise a South Yorkshire District Co-operative Laundries washing book for a Mrs. Gregory of Handsworth, a London Co-operative Society grocery card, a Women’s Land Army card, and a 1968 Royal Air Force 50th Anniversary commemorative postcard addressed to Singapore.
Condition report:
The collection is in varied as-found vintage condition. Paper items show typical age-related toning, foxing, and minor creasing. Many documents contain handwritten ink inscriptions and residential addresses. The green cloth ration book folder exhibits significant wear, fraying to the spine and corners, surface soiling, and ink markings. Several ration books and booklets show rusted staples, thumbing, and edge wear consistent with period use.
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