| History |
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About 1935 L.J. Turley ACE 001 from Louisville, Kentucky formed the
original Art Cover Exchange, ACE, a collector club. He was known as
the ACE of Clubs. The sole purpose of ACE was to exchange
hand-decorated covers among its members. The concept was simple:
"send a cover with a hand-made cachet to a member
and receive one in return.
The membership grew to over 300 people across the United States,
Canada, The Philippines, Japan, and England. Correspondence with
decorated covers was a hobby that coupled the letter writer's artistic
talents and imagination. Christmas letters may have been sent to
Santa Claus, Indiana or Christmas, Florida for cancellation by the local
postmaster. Sailors and travelers depicted their trips on decorated
covers. The hobby extended to patients in tuberculosis sanitariums
and those incarcerated in prisons. This may have been their only
communication with the outside world. Most of the covers were made
by hobbyists, although some were also the work of experienced
artists. The range of expression runs the gamut from fancy Spencerian
calligraphic flourishes, to cartoon, to figural portraits.
Using ingenuity, members mailed covers from post offices with
names like Bald Knob, WV and painted an appropriate cachet. Special
cachets were sent to commemorate birthdays, seasonal and religious
holidays and special events. Most important was the cover and the
exchange. Everyone was welcome to draw or paint in their own style,
write a friendly message, and send a cover to another member.
Now, more than fifty years later, the descendants of Leonard Turley,
Chris Glessner Kirk, Dixie Glessner, and Edith Medley have revived the
Art Cover Exchange. The concept of the original club continues and the
goals remain the same. A club for pleasure, not profit, that changes
with artistic renditions and media to encompass modern lifestyles.
original Art Cover Exchange, ACE, a collector club. He was known as
the ACE of Clubs. The sole purpose of ACE was to exchange
hand-decorated covers among its members. The concept was simple:
"send a cover with a hand-made cachet to a member
and receive one in return.
The membership grew to over 300 people across the United States,
Canada, The Philippines, Japan, and England. Correspondence with
decorated covers was a hobby that coupled the letter writer's artistic
talents and imagination. Christmas letters may have been sent to
Santa Claus, Indiana or Christmas, Florida for cancellation by the local
postmaster. Sailors and travelers depicted their trips on decorated
covers. The hobby extended to patients in tuberculosis sanitariums
and those incarcerated in prisons. This may have been their only
communication with the outside world. Most of the covers were made
by hobbyists, although some were also the work of experienced
artists. The range of expression runs the gamut from fancy Spencerian
calligraphic flourishes, to cartoon, to figural portraits.
Using ingenuity, members mailed covers from post offices with
names like Bald Knob, WV and painted an appropriate cachet. Special
cachets were sent to commemorate birthdays, seasonal and religious
holidays and special events. Most important was the cover and the
exchange. Everyone was welcome to draw or paint in their own style,
write a friendly message, and send a cover to another member.
Now, more than fifty years later, the descendants of Leonard Turley,
Chris Glessner Kirk, Dixie Glessner, and Edith Medley have revived the
Art Cover Exchange. The concept of the original club continues and the
goals remain the same. A club for pleasure, not profit, that changes
with artistic renditions and media to encompass modern lifestyles.
| Interesting Fact #1 The Art Cover Exchange has been in existence for over 70 years |
| Interesting Fact #2 The Art Cover Exchange was reformed in the 1980's by relatives of the original club and other art enthusiasts. |