Conundrums

Boston: Rust Craft, n.y.. Heavy stock 6" X 3½" printed envelope that opens to reveal two pockets, one containing 16 heavy stock 5" X 3" printed cards and the other containing a single heavy stock bifold 6" X 5" printed card. Very good. Printed envelope faintly age toned and lightly edgeworn, with small discreet archival mends along couple of weakened folds; cards near fine, with the occasional small foxing. This pioneering greeting card company was founded in Boston by Fred Rust in 1906, and their product line also included packets such as this (noted as product number "599"). Each of the 16 cards contains several clever word play questions such as (#1) "When did the fly fly?" and the last (#49) "When was beef the highest?" The bifold "Answers to Conundrums" card lists all answers ("1. When the spider spied her" and "49. When the cow jumped over the moon"). Undated, although the typeface and style suggest perhaps 1920s vintage. The charming printed envelope front actually appears hand colored and shows a young man and young woman facing each other in front of a large window; "Conundrums" title below includes the rhyming explanatory stanza: "Each conundrum here will show / How quick we are -- perhaps how slow! / If slow there are surely others, too, / Just as slow as me and you!" Quaint and complete -- and also scarce.