Have you ever wondered what windmills and bicycles have in common?The answer is energy. Energy comes in many different forms and means differentthings to different people. It is probable that common sense does not enterinto the decisions of politicians, corporations, and decision-makers, orthey might come up with a plan that would help not only antique dealers,but everyone.
   The concept that people should walk to work or use bicyclessounds good, but can you imagine taking any amount of your inventory orstock that you would normally place in your van and get it to a show viapedal power? This not only sounds ridiculous, it is ridiculous. Even ifyou could, assuming the show was nearby or the auction you purchased theitem from was down the road, how would all of these items be transported?Would the customers be able to bike the distance? Can you see dealers andcustomers leaving for a show like Brimfield months in advance? Certainlynot.
   Of course, if you can walk or bike to a local store, youcertainly should. Conserving energy is important. It always has been. Butnow, with not as many people going on the road to shop, in my opinion,we have to find different modes of transportation, or alternative fuels.
   Pardon me if I bring up Don Quixote and the windmill butthat idealistic gentleman from La Mancha might have been trying to "pointout" something to us. New England is blessed with many rivers and streamsand lakes. Windmills are not only beautiful to look at but they can supplymany areas with alternative fuel for our homes and businesses. Perhaps,it is time that towns and cities are prodded by those of us who have muchto loose, to recognize that windmills are not only picturesque like NewEngland, but will cut down on the usage of oil and gas enough to make backthe cost of erecting them. If a tax break or a tax incentive was givento towns or individuals to put up windmills, wouldn’t that leave more gasolineto be used in vans and cars to get people to work-their shops or the showsthey trade at-along with their customers.
   There is plenty of water and plenty of wind in New Englandand when one sees the wonderful cards of Holland and elsewhere that thesegraceful behemoths inhabit, it makes one wonder, with the exception ofthe few on Nantucket & Cape Cod, why there are not hundreds of themscattered about the landscape like covered bridges and lighthouses. Sometimesreaching back into the past via postcards gives us a vision for the future.Jimmy Carter placed solar panels in the White House, which should havebeen an inspiration to the country -- but the Reagan administration notonly did away with tax credits for those who followed suit on their ownhomes but, removed them from the White House. They were to be scraped butan enterprising university asked for and received them.
   Their gain, the nation’s loss. What a waste of taxpayer’smoney. There has to be an alternative to everyone hauling their stock toshows via pedal power!
   Real Photo cards are a good place to find images of bicycles,boneshakers, and tricycles. Advertising trade cards are another place tolook if you prefer the earlier images. There are also many pin-back buttonsof the celluloid variety and enamel pins put out by the cycling clubs andthe manufactures of the cycles or cycle parts manufacturers. The cyclesthemselves can sometimes be real, or a design made up by an artist of acycle made out of forget-me-nots or other fanciful images. There were alsowindmills done of these tiny flowers which attracted the Edwardian collector’sfancy but seldom find the same appeal with collectors today. Advertisingpostcards showing the actual cycle or parts manufacturer and used to solicitbusiness when the item was for sale, can be extremely well executed andgraphically important.
   These may fall into the category of poster art and ifthey do, can often be found as posters. There are collectors that liketo own the poster, postcard and poster stamp or "Cinderella’s" as theyare often called, so that they can be displayed together. Depending onthe company’s fame doing the advertising, the artist that produced thedesign or the artwork, and the product can make a significant differencein dollar value. Beware of reproductions of both the posters and the postcards.Be careful of the more important works by artists like Mucha, particularlyif they have been matted and framed as that is how we often see fakes passingthrough the auctions and at flea markets. Not that this is related, butcards by artist Harry Payne and Charles M Russell have been heavily reproduced.On the Payne cards, the Tuck back is still the one that says by appointmentto His Majesty George V. These are worth 50 cents not $10-15 each. Pullthem out of the heavy plastics and look at their glossier surface and youwon’t get fooled.
   Back to the windmills. Holland has many of them and thecards were produced in volume. Their value is low compared to those fromother countries. The picture-perfect towns with all things Dutch-windmills,wooden shoes, tulips, and people in their traditional native apparel arecommon and though exceptionally attractive and interesting to look at andcollect, do not demand much at the checkout counter. Windmills in Franceor England are more difficult to find.
   Today bike racing is back in vogue, but nothing like itwas at the turn of the last century. I wonder if today’s daredevils intheir tight little costumes, who think the yellow line in the road is wherethey are supposed to ride, know anything about the early days of bike racingand how once it was a national passion.
   Times do change, and manners and road courtesy are forgottenby many. If America has to go back to biking to work, I'll feel less safeas more two-wheelers without lights or directionals wobble down the roadoblivious to traffic patterns and reason. Add to that thousands of antiquedealers with chairs, trunks and boxes of postcards tied onto their conveyance.Traffic will screech to a halt, sometimes to avoid roads littered withbureaus, tables, and wicker baskets. Cycling to the job might work fora doctor or lawyer, but will never replace vans and trucks.
   Conserve energy, recycle as much as you can and save upall your Popsicle sticks. We might just go back to having time enough tomake tramp art-and if not, use them to start your wood stove instead ofusing lighter fluid. Olive pits also burn well and give off considerableheat for their size. In the meantime, plan for the future and only buyminiatures, or you'll never make it to another show with your stock intact.