Last week I posted some old postcards with
furniture advertising and August calendars for Sepia Saturday. This week I am posting some similar
postcards advertising banks. This type of advertising postcard was usually used by businesses throughout the country. The business names were added to a standardized picture and advertising message
The postcard above has an August 1909 calendar and was used by The Royal Oak Savings Bank of Royal Oak, Michigan with the following message titled
Vacation Days:
The vacation spent with the mind at ease permits you to return to your work with greater zest. The real vacation comes to those who have faithfully laid aside a portion of their earnings. When old age comes, the dividends on your labor and talent will take care of you. Money is a willing slave. It permits its owner to rest while it continues to work at interest. The bank book is a credential of thrift and wisdom.
The postcard below has an August 1911 calendar and was used by The First National Bank of Willmar, Minnesota. The image of the tree shows graphically how the roots of good financial habits like thrift and savings lead to benefits like independence and a happy old age. The message is titled
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS:
Great Oaks of Financial Success grow from very small Acorns - a small sum opens an account in our bank - but to have a big, healthy financial tree, you must be persistent in your saving. Systematic depositing is the root of financial independence. Get deeply rooted in the habit of depositing, then you will branch out into better things, and be safe against any ill wind that blows. Dollars are financial acorns. Plant them in our bank and watch them grow.
The financial advice on those postcards was true for a long time. Although savings can still protect you from adversity, they no longer grow like they used to. Unfortunately, the current interest rates from banks are so low as to be meaningless. You are fortunate if the bank doesn't decrease your account balance with its various fees!
For More Vintage Images