Middletown CT: c.1907 Postcard CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE MAIN BUILDING

Description

Middletown CT: c.1907 Postcard CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE MAIN BUILDING. The Connecticut Hospital for the Insane was formally opened in Middletown in 1868. It was historically known as Connecticut General Hospital for the Insane. No marks, bends, or creases. NEAR MINT (NM): Like mint but very light aging of very slight discoloration from being in an album for many years. Middletown CT: c.1907 Postcard CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE MAIN BUILDING Part of a Connecticut estate collection recently acquired, cards freshly removed from the old albums where they were placed over 100 years ago. Condition of this original vintage postcard is Excellent, NO creases. Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut, is a public hospital operated by the state of Connecticut to treat people with mental illness. It was historically known as Connecticut General Hospital for the Insane. It is a 100-acre (40 ha) historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The Connecticut Hospital for the Insane was formally opened in Middletown in 1868. Two years earlier, Middletown had granted the site to the State for the establishment of an asylum to accommodate Connecticut's mentally ill. By 1896, four groups of buildings had been erected and the institution was one of the largest of its kind in the country. Connecticut Valley Hospital Cemetery was established in 1878. The site is still used as a psychiatric care facility, operated by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The State has indicated that it wishes to demolish up to 24 buildings on the campus. Any visible security watermark is applied to the scan, not on the actual card you will get. 260506 / 5124 R5/10/2026 AUS The large scans below offer the best description of the condition of the postcards offered. I will try to describe any defects that might not be apparent on the large scans I provide. Right-click the photos below in your computer browser to select "view image" in order to see a full-size image, and then bid with confidence. A quick guide to the postcard grading standard we use: MINT: A perfect card just as it comes from the printing press. No marks, bends, or creases. No writing or postmarks. NEAR MINT (NM): Like mint but very light aging of very slight discoloration from being in an album for many years. Not as sharp or crisp. EXCELLENT (EX): Like mint in appearance with no bends or creases, or rounded or blunt corners. May be postally used or unused and with writing and postmark only on the address side. A clean, fresh card on the picture side. VERY GOOD (VG): Corners may be just a bit blunt or rounded. Almost undetectable crease or bend that does not detract from overall appearance of the picture side. May have writing or postally used on the address side. A very collectible card. GOOD (G): Corners may be noticeably blunt or rounded with noticeable slight bends or creases. May be postally used or have writing on address side. FAIR: Card is intact. Excess soil, stains, creases, writing, or cancellation may affect picture. POOR: Self-explanatory, sold as-is. Orders over $20 will require package service with delivery confirmation. Lesser orders of 2 or 3 cards (depending on thickness) will ship within US using eBay Standard Envelope. Additional purchases to US buyers will be combined if bought same day, for one low shipping rate, if you follow the directions for paying for all purchases with a single order payment, not multiple payments. The same applies to international orders using buy-it-now, but NOT for auction purchases (which cannot be combined in one package - eBay rules, not mine). Sales Tax, duties, etc. may apply, and are handled by eBay. Please read and accept my further terms of sale below before you bid. IN YOUR COMPUTER BROWSER, RIGHT-CLICK ON A PHOTO AND SELECT "VIEW IMAGE" TO SEE THE ORIGINAL LARGE IMAGE: You will find that the originals of the photos below are often larger than what ebay provides above. BY BIDDING ON OR PURCHASING THIS ITEM, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING SELLER TERMS: 1) COMBINED SHIPPING/POSTAGE: a. I happily combine shipping (where possible, sometimes it isn't), but postcard orders of more than 2 or 3 cards (depending on thickness) and/or $20+ require tracked packages. So there might not be a discount on several inexpensive cards combined, and you accept this. Non-postcard purchases generally require a tracked package. International orders combine shipping per eBay's latest global delivery rules, which are (at time of listing) combined for store purchases only, when paid as one order, and NOT on any auction purchases (their rules, not mine). b. If you haven't paid yet for multiple purchases, please wait for a combined invoice, which may take up to 24 hours to send you. Don't worry, it's not a race to see how fast you can pay. c. But, if you must pay immediately, make sure all the items are on the same payment transaction (same order). I will then be able to combine shipping (if possible) and send you a partial refund for overpayment of postage. Some people make numerous multiple purchases with separate payments and look for the best shipping discount. That will not happen, so please add your items to your cart, and when you are done looking at my stuff, buy it all at once. Thanks! 2) POSTAGE: All USPS postage rates are calculated using the most affordable (not the quickest) shipping class, based on a pre-sale estimated weight and size of the package. Sometimes multiple options are offered. If you want to upgrade to a quicker, more expensive postal class not shown, you must let me know BEFORE you pay. All requests for special handling, extra packaging, etc. must be made prior to payment so that invoice can be adjusted A handling fee of 30-40¢ is added to every order, depending on sale price. Media Mail rates will incur a handling fee equal to about 15% of the postage costs, because that's what ebay charges me right off the top. Otherwise the postage is as-calculated from the USPS. (Did you know that eBay takes 12-15% from sellers as a fee on the postage we collect from you on every order?) 3) INSURANCE: In the event of loss or damage on insured packages, buyer agrees to cooperate and to fulfill all requirements of the insurer in the processing of a claim, or forfeits their right to request a refund. 4) SALES TAX: Ebay has taken over all responsibility for sales tax collection for all states that require it. I have no control whatsoever over who pays sales tax, it is out of my hands. The same is true for all international taxes, duties and VAT. Please direct all questions/complaints to the good folks at Ebay. 5) INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: We no longer ship any merchandise (as in postcards) via letter rate internationally. It is prohibited by the UPU (subject to seizure or return), and is also not trackable. International shipping is offered as a courtesy to buyers outside the U.S, and is handled entirely through eBay. All Import duties, taxes, and charges are handled by eBay as well. I no longer ship directly, because of the excessive amount of “item not received” claims, resulting in my loss. Most of my international postcard buyers, who prefer to pay the lower letter rate postage, have a friend/relative in the USA to whom I can ship several postcards in a letter (for about $1.00-1.50 at time of this listing), and will specify this prior to payment. If you do this, then that friend can forward the postcards in a letter rate envelope to you the buyer, and the shipping risk will be yours, not mine. Multiple purchases can be combined when you ship to a USA recipient, and is also available internationally for the buy-it-now store purchases, but not auctions. 6) REPRODUCTION OF IMAGES: Seller is not selling exclusive rights to reproduce images of the items offered for sale. Buyer is of course free to reproduce as they wish, but seller retains and may exercise the right to reproduce any images of the item for any purpose before or after the sale, without permission from or compensation to the buyer. 7) LISTING DISCREPANCIES: If the Title, Description, and/or Photo on a listing do not match, for gosh sakes don't buy it. Mistakes happen. Let me know instead so I can fix the listing. If you do buy, the item described in the Title of the listing takes precedence over anything else. If you disagree with that, it will be considered your request to cancel the transaction of the faulty listing.