New scores from old Florida

I admit it, I'm a collector. I balance my desire to acquire with a strong sense of thriftiness and the overall knowledge that stuff does not bring happiness. So I rationalize my acquisitions so that my purchases serve a dual purpose, in addition to having great vintage graphics they must also be for one of the following:

1. Usable in a blog post
2. A resource for use in my graphic design work
3. A reference for historical subjects I'm interested in pursuing for a potential paper (since I don't want to be known forever as the 'hillbilly guy.")
That way I can get around the fact I don't really need any more stuff. I've been thinking about this a lot as Christmas approaches.

So at the recent Extravaganza at Renninger's I was focused on looking for mostly paper ephemera that I could use for my latest project dealing with the Fountain of Youth. Here are a few objects I purchased:

Vintage linen postcards from St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth

Vintage postcards of Ponce de Leon from St. Augustine

Many of Florida's springs claimed to be the mythic Fountain of Youth, and many developed into the state's earliest tourist attraction. Perhaps none more well known than Weeki Wachee and its famous mermaids.

Vintage brochures from Florida tourist attractions - I love the graphics and I have to admit I collect these just for the sake of collecting.

I found these fun images in a booklet from the 1960s entitled Living in Florida Year Round that I picked up in a Bradenton thrift store. These don't have a specific use, but it was just to cool to pass up at fifty cents.