Does Anyone Collect Vignettes?

There are probably far more steel engravings and wood block prints that have been removed from books then those still in books. Its hard to go into a real antique shop (as opposed to flea market shops calling themselves antique shops) and not find them for sale. It is shameful when they have been removed from good books. About 20 or so years ago I knew a collector that had several thousand steels. I've lost track of him and he's probably passed on by now. I wonder want happened to his collection?

I appreciate the tip about this practice. Good to know.

Here's a good example. http://m.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-AMERI...100408.m2460 The dealer never actually states where the engraving was taken from.

, I've seen them in the flea markets and "antique" shops; even saw a collection in a pawn shop.

Hadn't thought about this topic for a while, but I have a few more vignette proofs that I thought would be fun to share.

Wow! That last vignette is just stunning.
Whew! what skill.

I haven't mentioned it on this thread, but USPS Commemorative Panels are probably the most cost-effective way to acquire engraved vignettes of the American Bank Note Co. The U.S. Postal Service started putting these out in 1972 to capitalize on collector demand for their commemorative stamps. They contracted American Bank Note to create each panel with usually three engraved vignettes, thematically related to the stamp. Then the Post Office would attach a block of mint stamps and seal them in plastic. These are still being sold today, but the use of engravings stopped after 2001.

Here's a couple great examples of why I like them so much. The first two years of the series, 1972 and '73, ABNC chose to illustrate the annual Christmas stamp panels with four of their best known engravings of Santa. These are rarely seen and highly sought on banknotes and other securities. In fact I think most were engraved by predecessor companies before ABNC was formed in 1858.

Enjoy -- and Merry Christmas to All!

I've gotten more active lately with vignette collecting. Some nice ones are showing up regularly on Ebay.

Really like the streetcar vignette

It took me three years, but I finally noticed that vignette I posted of the teeny tiny log cabin and woodcutter actually appears on a Commemorative Panel! (CP-62, in the upper right.) So I can say for sure it is an American Bank Note engraving.

I have over 200 of these, so I guess I 'collect them'. They are all the same with low serial numbers. Not a separate vignette obviously (whole certificates) but a playful image of a little girl doing the important work. These are just photos, so I am sorry about the quality.

Canadian Westinghouse! Cool certificate and a nice vignette. I have that design on a different stock, but can't think of which one right off. If you'd like to share other interesting vignettes, I'd love to see them.

I've picked up a few other proofs since my last post...

I'm going to revive this dormant thread, just because. Here are some quirky vignettes I enjoy.

This is a long-shot, but maybe someone here has an answer. Some years ago, I picked up several small proofs of curious tiki totem engravings, all very ornate. They seemed to fit together in some way, but I wasn't able to figure out how until I obtained a more complete proof recently.

This appears to be a header for a document of some type – possibly a bond or award certificate. In any case, it's obviously from New Zealand. The full engraving by itself is about 9.5" and I've mocked up how I think the vertical totems may have fit into the notches.

I'd like to learn the actual purpose for these proofs. I'm confident these were engraved by a bank note company for some type of security, but they have no imprint. If anyone has more information I'd love to know about it.