The W.Reginald Bray Appreciation Society

A year ago I happened to have sent John Tingey's book on W.R. Bray from the Netherlands to the USA.
The company 'Ripley Entertainment' had a contest about sending strange objects naked in the mail. And I felt obliged, and found it a pleasure, to send them W.R. Bray, to remind them to the fact that this postal hero has been sending interesting objects (including himself) already 114 years before. The Americans didn't know this Englishman so far and were happy to receive this book.

Also for the Ripley contest I sent clapping hands (which made me a winner, so they sent me a book) and tiny objects, which almost all arrived.

I've posted these in the IUOMA 'Odd shaped postcards' group.

I love the image of the book Heleen. Since writing it I have been fortunate to acquire quite a few more "Brays" including this rather nice rebus puzzle.

I was so happy when Positively Postal gifted me with a copy of the book about Reginald. I'm not one for testing the tolerance of the postal service really, though I've sent unwrapped stuff - like a pill bottle with a tag/label attached by a study string. It arrived. And DVD discs that I'd collaged and old timey floppy disks that I'd collage. All recipients received them. Not too challenging. I use the Dean, Artist In Seine method of not putting a return address on those items.

Yeeeee!!!! That Bray stamp is just about the greatest thing I have ever seen!!

Most recently for Easter I sent my fellow PDXCC friends packages of Peeps. Marshmallow chicks. They did stay in their store package, I didn't send them loose and sticky. Just a stamp and an address label and they all arrived! I've also mailed tiles, a brick, a flip-flop sandal, a rock, a chocolate bar. I was made for this group!! Who wants to exchange some goodies?

sent to a moderator on National TV, and it got shown on TV live.....

in the collection of Guy Bleus - 1992

Some mail art objects and packets going out to John Winsor in Suffolk back in the 90's.  He wrote a nice article about mail art for the Guardian newspaper. Objects included a CDROM,  CD shaped bubble gum ( never arrived ) chopsticks  and a wooden coat hanger.

I just mailed an old record albulm..... Polks music, none the less!

Mail art for school project (Ecole primaire de Caillouël - France) 

E, I've seen some pretty great stuff come from you but that rock is truly fantastic! Did it arrive? The most poetic rock I've ever seen!

Carolyn - both methods sound fine to me!    Hope they get to where they are going!   I've always found the post office in the UK very tolerant of weird mail - helps brighten up their day down at the sorting office!

strange mail still travels....

You've mailed him a HORSE!!!?

Reginald has been a hero of mine for forty odd years.  I only have a couple of his 'sendings; and not very exciting ones,  but they are greatly treasured regardless.  here is one:

What's on the other side, Mary Ann?

a really boring printed photo of a hotel.  I will dig the card out and scan it . . . the other one I have too . . .

Excellent find!  Anything by Bray is worth noting despite dull image.

I found it at a postcard fair in a dealer's ten pence box - could hardly stop my hand shaking as I handed over my coin!  I even explained what it was but the chap couldn't have been less interested. Reginald was known to me then as 'the autograph King' and to get his highness's own signature was, for me, as good as it could get.  The other card I have is an obscure Russian general or something.  I will dig them out.  It's such a pleasure knowing that there is someone else interested. 

Amazing.  What a bargain! 

I notice that only the picture side of the Churchman's Cigarette card has been posted here so, as the other side is quite amusing (at least to me), here is the text.  Anyone interested enough to try and obtain a copy should look up the set (not the individual card) on E-bay.  They can be found remarkably cheap!

I have the set I found very cheap back in the 80's where I first became aware of Mr. Bray.  The text became the basis for a cartoon strip I did at the time. Some of the other cards are very amusing too.

Below is the Finnish version that appeared in a Finnish 'zine back in the 90's. The English original was sold to John Tingey. 

I've just paid three pounds for the cigarette card set which is ridiculous cheap and such a goldmine of English nonsense.

Bray asked Churchman Cigarettes to send him a set of cards, most of which he managed to get autographed. 

Just sent this off to a project for World fake Stamp Day.  Thought it might be of interest.

Very nice collaged envelope.  Sounds like an interesting project. Is there a website or blog related to this?

Yes.  It was posted on IUOMA today.  Can't imagine the cover will make it through the system but you have to try don't you?

You can get info here: http://postenomade.over-blog.com/2019/09/10eme-jmfta.html (It's in French.)

Thanks John - much appreciated!

Mail art history (a note): Postcards on Parchment: The Social Lives of Medieval Books is a delightful study that identifies this group of images for the first time, and explores how these objects functioned apart from the books in which they were kept....Small, intensely colourful pictures offered a brilliant reprieve, and Kathryn Rudy shows how these intriguing and previously unfamiliar images were traded and cherished – shedding light on the everyday experiences and relationships that constituted medieval life in the Low Countries.

re Mary Anne's comment from September 6, 2019 concerning her contribution to World Fake Stamp Day: I declare that this mail art was not lost! The following screenshot from the blog is proof... 

Greetings to No Idea.

That seems to be the scan I e-mailed them rather than the envelope itself - unless they can say different.  

Here at last are scans of the two Bray cards I have.  Not the prettiest but they have the moniker of the great man so I'm happy.

The thing that has always puzzled me is the hotel card: it would have been just as much trouble to sign the thing rather than cross everything out and re-address.  Crazy Edwardians!

Nice cards Mary Anne, I hope you are happy for me to include them on the Bray website.