Buy your own cherries

 

The image of this bookmark
kindly donated by Lucy Topp.

BUY YOUR OWN
CHERRIES

image of juicy red cherries

 
 

THE MORAL OF THE
TALE IS THIS,
AND DON'T FORGET IT,
WORKING FRIEND:
'TIS NOT SO MUCH
WHAT YOU CAN EARN,
AS WHETHER YOU
WILL WISELY SPEND.

 
 
 

image of man
helping himself to cherries from a plate,
and a lady chastising him.

 
 

 
LEARN THIS, IF
NOTHING ELSE YOU LEARN,
COMMENCE AT ONCE,
THE TEMPERANCE PLAN,
FOR, IF YOU'D HAD A
"HOME, SWEET HOME"
YOU MUST
"BUY YOUR OWN CHERRIES"
MAN.
                         COPYRIGHT

 

white 

Signed: "T.STEVENS COVENTRY" on back at pointed end:

This bookmark has a diamond registration mark woven on the back, which dates it as 13th May 1875. Godden does not record either this bookmark title as having been registered, nor any registrations on 13th May. He does however record the fact that there was a bookmark registered on 15th May, but as the silk was missing from the official records, Godden was unable to give a title. It is assumed this silk is the one discussed by Godden, but with a typographical error in recording of the date.

Stevens logo and diamond registration mark on the reverse pointed end of this bookmark		DAY: 13
	BUNDLE: 5		YEAR: S {1875}
		MONTH: E {May}

Very unusually for Thomas Stevens, there are two versions of this bookmark, identical in design and words, but with different font styles and size. One is in serif [sb470 on this site], whilst the other, above, is in sans serif.
For comparison, please visit sb470, where the two bookmark images have been adjusted to be the same length, top to bottom, so the differences can be identified easily.