Biography of Jack Gurner - Business Card Collector
Is Anyone Else Out There?
Search For Fellow Collectors Not Easy In 1970's
My accumulation of business cards started around 1972 when I was working for The Daily Sentinel-Star in Grenada, Mississippi. Because I was a writer and photographer, someone was always handing me their card. At first, I just dropped them in a box and usually forgot where I put them. Some really interesting cards were lost including one from a farm equipment salesman named Byron De La Beckwith.
By the time I started to work for the Memphis Press-Scimitar in 1977, I had become interested in the cards I was getting from people I met and photographed. I began to store them in a three ring binder.
The cards intrigued me for a number of reasons. First of all, some of the people were famous, or perhaps infamous would be a better term for some. Secondly, the cards were grand examples of the latest in graphic technique and I have always been interested in
graphics and printing. Finally, I was fascinated by the simple but effective way they communicate.
I began to wonder if there was anyone else out there who shared my interest. For years I had felt all alone. So, I went to the library and looked through a book of associations and found two listings for business card clubs. Although neither were still active, one of the
contacts directed me to Darrell Christopher and the American Business Card Club.
I am still fascinated by business cards. Like many collectors, I started with a passion for any and all cards. Over the years, my interests
changed and I have narrowed my collection to mainly old cards and cards from any era which are odd or unusual. I also have a large collection of photographer's cards as well as many from newspapers and magazines.
There is much more than just cards in my collection. I also have catalogs from business card printers and a few books on the subject. I have articles about the cards and about collectors. In fact, my collection of information is becoming almost as important as my card collection.
I retired from full-time work in November of 2014 and now have more time for my collection, my personal photography and working on my hometown's history, especially its railroad history. Water Valley was the headquarters of the Mississippi Division of the Illinois Central Railroad. The most notable railroader in American History, John Luther "Casey" Jones worked here from 1888 until he moved to Memphis to take the passenger run between there and Canton. Only a few months into his new job, he was killed in the wreck at Vaughn, Miss.
They tell me Casey had a card. But, I haven't found one yet.
Is Anyone Else Out There?
Search For Fellow Collectors Not Easy In 1970's
My accumulation of business cards started around 1972 when I was working for The Daily Sentinel-Star in Grenada, Mississippi. Because I was a writer and photographer, someone was always handing me their card. At first, I just dropped them in a box and usually forgot where I put them. Some really interesting cards were lost including one from a farm equipment salesman named Byron De La Beckwith.
By the time I started to work for the Memphis Press-Scimitar in 1977, I had become interested in the cards I was getting from people I met and photographed. I began to store them in a three ring binder.
The cards intrigued me for a number of reasons. First of all, some of the people were famous, or perhaps infamous would be a better term for some. Secondly, the cards were grand examples of the latest in graphic technique and I have always been interested in
graphics and printing. Finally, I was fascinated by the simple but effective way they communicate.
I began to wonder if there was anyone else out there who shared my interest. For years I had felt all alone. So, I went to the library and looked through a book of associations and found two listings for business card clubs. Although neither were still active, one of the
contacts directed me to Darrell Christopher and the American Business Card Club.
I am still fascinated by business cards. Like many collectors, I started with a passion for any and all cards. Over the years, my interests
changed and I have narrowed my collection to mainly old cards and cards from any era which are odd or unusual. I also have a large collection of photographer's cards as well as many from newspapers and magazines.
There is much more than just cards in my collection. I also have catalogs from business card printers and a few books on the subject. I have articles about the cards and about collectors. In fact, my collection of information is becoming almost as important as my card collection.
I retired from full-time work in November of 2014 and now have more time for my collection, my personal photography and working on my hometown's history, especially its railroad history. Water Valley was the headquarters of the Mississippi Division of the Illinois Central Railroad. The most notable railroader in American History, John Luther "Casey" Jones worked here from 1888 until he moved to Memphis to take the passenger run between there and Canton. Only a few months into his new job, he was killed in the wreck at Vaughn, Miss.
They tell me Casey had a card. But, I haven't found one yet.