At 10:31 a.m. on April 19, 1994, Jack Zove was issued a Senior Resident Lifetime Fishing License from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At the time he lived on Claremont Road in Philadelphia. He was 68 years old, 5 foot nine and a half inches, and weighed 176 pounds. His hair was brown and his eyes hazel. The license number is 236099 and was issued by agent number 22047-2 of the PA Fish and Boat Commission. The license form number is PFBC-L 161, REV 8-92. Also printed on the license is a large blue L.
The above information comprises the data that is printed on Jack Zove's Lifetime PA Fishing License, which is currently owned by his grandson Jon. Jon will tell the story of his grandfather's fishing license, of the license he possesses, in other forums. The goal of this blog is to trace the process of exploring the history of Jon's Fishing License via different methods of analysis within the larger context of accessing history through the study of material culture.
The goal of this post is to describe the license. As I will not have the opportunity to interact with the license directly, my observations are based on a photograph of the front side of the object and information gathered about lifetime fishing licenses in general.
The picture shows a rectangular piece of white card stock placed in a plastic cover. The form portion of the card is printed in blue, as is the watermark. The watermark is of the seal for the Fish and Boat Commission of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Zove's data is typed or printed on the card in black ink. I cannot tell from the distance at which the picture is taken if a type writer or printer was used. However, with at least HP Printers being common in the marketplace by the late 1980s, it is likely that this card was printed, not typed. Additionally, the shape of the letters, added to the uniformity and darkness of the ink, suggests a printer, not a type writer, was used.
The license number itself is of a very large font and the ink is red in color. The numbers are shaped differently from either the blue form characters or the black data information, the shape of which suggests a rubber stamp may have been used.
At this point, I have exhausted visual observation. I cannot describe the back of the license as I do not have a picture of it. I need to look beyond this specific example to others for possible answers. What can studying current fishing licenses and processes to obtain one tell us about Jon's grandfather's 1994 license? If nothing else, they can give us a starting point from which to work backwards, or at least, with which to draw comparisons.
A current Lifetime Fishing License from Pennsylvania is an option offered only to permanent residents of the state who are age 65 or older. The license itself measures 3 1/2-inches wide by 2 1/2 inches high. A 2010 PA Senior Lifetime Fishing license costs $51.70. One assumes in 1994 one cost less. (Today one can also get an upgrade to a laminated plastic card for $6.70.)
From a descriptive point of view, the Jon's Fishing License seems rather mundane. White card stock. Wallet-sized. No distinguishing marks or tears. Details about present day licenses and the data provided by the card give us a reasonable sense of what this piece of paper is. Next post will discuss who owned it and for what it was used.
The picture shows a rectangular piece of white card stock placed in a plastic cover. The form portion of the card is printed in blue, as is the watermark. The watermark is of the seal for the Fish and Boat Commission of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Zove's data is typed or printed on the card in black ink. I cannot tell from the distance at which the picture is taken if a type writer or printer was used. However, with at least HP Printers being common in the marketplace by the late 1980s, it is likely that this card was printed, not typed. Additionally, the shape of the letters, added to the uniformity and darkness of the ink, suggests a printer, not a type writer, was used.
The license number itself is of a very large font and the ink is red in color. The numbers are shaped differently from either the blue form characters or the black data information, the shape of which suggests a rubber stamp may have been used.
At this point, I have exhausted visual observation. I cannot describe the back of the license as I do not have a picture of it. I need to look beyond this specific example to others for possible answers. What can studying current fishing licenses and processes to obtain one tell us about Jon's grandfather's 1994 license? If nothing else, they can give us a starting point from which to work backwards, or at least, with which to draw comparisons.
A current Lifetime Fishing License from Pennsylvania is an option offered only to permanent residents of the state who are age 65 or older. The license itself measures 3 1/2-inches wide by 2 1/2 inches high. A 2010 PA Senior Lifetime Fishing license costs $51.70. One assumes in 1994 one cost less. (Today one can also get an upgrade to a laminated plastic card for $6.70.)
From a descriptive point of view, the Jon's Fishing License seems rather mundane. White card stock. Wallet-sized. No distinguishing marks or tears. Details about present day licenses and the data provided by the card give us a reasonable sense of what this piece of paper is. Next post will discuss who owned it and for what it was used.
No comments:
Post a Comment