VTG TRADE CARD EZRA A DAY MECHANICS HALL SHOE STORE WORCESTER MA LANDSCAPE URN

Description

Up for sale is a handsome, well-preserved, presumably Victorian-era trade card from a shoe store in Worcester, Massachusetts. The round-edged card, which is embossed and printed on glossy paper, depicts a lovely pastoral landscape in black-and-white decorating a classical urn. The card has "Kind Wishes" printed on the left and "EZRA A. DAY, / Mechanical Hall / Shoe Store, / 325 MAIN ST. / WORCESTER" on the right.
Though undated and with no printer's name on it, I would imagine the card, which measures approximately 4-1/4 inches wide by 5-1/2 inches high, is from the late 19th-early 20th century. I found a similar card -- with three birds on a branch not a landscape adorning the white urn -- on the Historic New England website, but there's no date listed there, alas.
Ezra Day's shoe store is mentioned in an online description of the retail shops on Main Street at the turn of the 20th century. and it's also stated
that there were auctions held every Saturday afternoon at Mechanics Hall. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out anything about Ezra A. Day, but he certainly seemed to spare no expense in producing trade cards, as I've seen a few of them for sale online on eBay and elsewhere. Incidentally, I think 325 Main Street may now be an empty lot, as Google Earth showed me when I checked out what was next to Mechanics Hall (which has shops in it as well, by the way).
Here's the Wikipedia entry for Mechanics Hall, which is located at 321 Main Street, very close to the address of Ezra Day's shoe store:
Mechanics Hall
is a concert hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1857 in the Renaissance Revival style and restored in 1977. Built as part of the early nineteenth-century worker's improvement movement, it is now a concert and performing arts venue ranked as one of the top four concert halls in North America and in the top twelve between Europe and the Americas. It also houses a recording studio.
HISTORY. Workers in Worcester formed the Mechanics Association in 1842 to help members develop the knowledge and skills to manufacture and run machinery in the mills. In 1857 they built Mechanics Hall to house educational and cultural activities. Mechanics Hall featured a large concert hall on the third floor. Its acoustics enabled audiences to hear speakers' voices and music distinctly without benefit of the as-yet-not-invented electronic amplifier. A pipe organ was subsequently installed in 1864. Featuring meeting rooms, a library, and two halls, the building became a hub of activity, drawing speakers from Charles Dickens to Susan B. Anthony. The superb acoustics of Mechanics Hall would attract orchestras, bands, and renowned performers from Enrico Caruso and Ella Fitzgerald to Mel Tormé and Yo Yo Ma.
By the mid-20th century, downtown Worcester had declined, and the aging building fell into disfavor as a meeting place. Mechanics Hall was rented out for sporting events such as boxing, wrestling, basketball, and roller-skating. The building continued its decline, and trustees of the dwindling Mechanics Association sought to sell the property. When urban renewal threatened the hall with destruction, the Worcester Heritage Society stepped in. The community rallied around Mechanics Hall once again, raising million for its restoration in 1977. Boston based architecture firm Finegold Alexander + Associates Inc. completed the restoration. In reversing the decline of Mechanics Hall, Worcester halted the decline of its downtown, and the city experienced a renaissance.
THE HOOK ORGAN. Built in 1864 by E. & G.G. Hook, the Hook Organ is the name for the pipe organ in the Main Hall of Mechanics Hall. It has 52 stops and 3,504 pipes, and is the oldest unaltered four-keyboard organ in the Western Hemisphere. It was restored in 1982.
I did find a landowner Ezra A. Day mentioned on the website of Worcester's Greenwood Park, and here's the full text:
Greenwood Park is located on the south end of the city in the Quinsigamond Village Neighborhood section. It is bustling with lots of activities during the summer months.
Initial purchases were made in 1905, from Ezra A. Day and William Forsberg. There were subsequent purchases from eight others in 1912 and 1917 making for a total of 14 acres. The women's NCAA sanctioned basketball league is hosted there during the months of June and July. Additionally there is a playground, softball field, spray park, basketball court, nature trail, picnic areas and tennis courts available to the city public.
And from an online history of Ryegate, Vemront, I found information on Ezra Day and his wife:
ii. Louisa Moulton,* b. Aug. 30, 1847; m. Ezra A. Day, merchant at New-
bury, Vt., Lisbon, N. H., and Worcester, Mass., where they res.
iii. Abbie.* (twin to Louise) d. Sept. 12, 1847.
iv. Herbert,* b. March 31. 1852 ; went to Cal.
V. Frederic,* b. Dec. 4, 1855; went to Cal.
25avi. Hugh,* b. Nov. 2, 1858; res. Monroe. N. H.; m Feb. 1, 1888, Eliza, dau.
N. S. Bolton.
The overall condition of this antique embossed trade card is good, considering its great age. The round-edged card, printed in glossy paper, is a bit spotted, smudged, edgeworn, creased, etc., here and there, but there are no human-made markings on it in the way of annotations, scribbles, etc., nor any tears, water stains, tape repairs, etc. The card has neither a musty nor smoky odor.
This rare, well-preserved trade card is being sold AS IS, as described above and pictured herein. I am setting what I believe is a reasonable starting price for the vintage paper item, and there is NO RESERVE. I am also including a Buy It Now price for this lovely example of Victorian-era ephemera.
The cost of shipping and handling for the card, which will be sent in a rigid mailer: to U.S. addresses (via Media Mail), and  to Canada and  to Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Japan, Australia, South America, and elsewhere in the world (the latter two via First Class International Mail aka Air Mail, which is the cheapest method).
If it happens that I have underestimated the shipping price, I hope you will not be averse to my increasing the required amount, once I get the item all packed and ready for shipping. Likewise, if I've overestimated the cost for shipping (which is sometimes the case, depending on what the postal clerk considers the item to be, that is, a letter or package), I will issue you a refund.
If you want the item sent more quickly to you (e.g., via Priority or Express Mail), you must request this asap after winning or purchasing it (or beforehand, if possible), and I will adjust the amount accordingly.
I will do my best to send the trade card out to you no more than 2-3 business days following receipt of payment (that is, when eBay informs me that your payment has been posted to or otherwise cleared in my account).
If you are the winner or buyer of this wonderful old trade card for a Worcester, Mass., shoe store, PAYMENT IS EXPECTED WITHIN TWO WEEKS (14 DAYS) FROM THE PURCHASE DATE. If you cannot pay within this time frame, please contact me asap so we can work something out. I'm very flexible and understanding, but I would appreciate communication from you one way or another.
PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE TRADE CARD'S AGE AND FRAGILITY, RETURNS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED NOR REFUNDS MADE FOR THIS ITEM, SO PLEASE READ MY DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY, LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PHOTOGRAPHS I’VE UPLOADED, AND ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT THE CONTENTS OR CONDITION OF THE CARD. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!
Thanks for looking, and please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions about this elaborate old trade card from Ezra A. Day's Mechanics Hall Shoe Store in Worcester, Massachusetts.
PLEASE NOTE THAT I WILL HAPPILY ADJUST SHIPPING CHARGES FOR MULTIPLE PURCHASES!!!
ALSO, PLEASE NOTE THAT, IF APPLICABLE, eBAY WILL ADD ANY APPROPRIATE STATE SALES TAX TO THE INVOICE.