A gold wishbone stands in raised relief against a cream ground, with a four-line rhyming greeting printed in green and brown type beneath its arch. The wishbone — the furcula of a fowl — is the traditional emblem of good luck and granted wishes, and cards like this were sent as New Year's and general good-luck greetings in the early twentieth century. The verse promises the recipient the happiest of fates the moment the card is opened.
Postcard Details
Message · English, in pen
June 16-10
[illegible] Mrs Nichol
Our dear Friend
wrote you when
over on the hill
at saw mill. We
have not been
very well this spring
hope you are all
well. We have had
plenty of rain this
spring. With kind
love Walter Lucy
Wishbone embossed in deep relief and finished in gold; cream stock with toning, brown staining, scuffs and a crease near the top edge. Postmark: ONEONTA JUN 15 12 M N.Y. 1910; divided-back postcard, copyright 1908 Sandford Card Co., Dansville N.Y.; embossed novelty front; light soiling, creases and a heavy vertical crease through the message. Address originally read East St followed by an inked-out illegible line; struck through and redirected to DeLancey, N.Y., Del. Co.
Cite this card
Wishbone greeting card with verse, Oneonta, NY, 1910, postcard, c. 1910. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/wishbone-greeting-card-with-verse-oneonta-ny-1910. Accessed November 2, 2026.
