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Problems › 143
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-08 | Public write-up recorded |
Two postcards in the Historical Ciphers Portal are addressed to the Mobsby household at 9 Garden Road, Peckham S.E. Their catalog dates are 22 November 1904 and 13 January 1905; the postmarks are too obscured to confirm those dates independently. One picture is captioned Dulwich Park, the other COURT LANE. DULWICH. Neither picture side has handwriting.
The writer fills the correspondence fields and then uses margins, a divider postscript, and narrow gaps. Ordinary prose alternates with angular signs. On the first card some passages are crossed by printed lettering and other handwriting; the second has a single larger insert divided into three groups. The transcription below follows the writing fields in physical order and labels each sign span. What do the inserts say, and can one reading account for both cards?
Handwritten source rendering; line breaks and uncertainty retained
HCP1497, top band, central passage, and lower field
[C97-01], it [C97-02]. well then I will ask you to [C97-03], until I see [C97-04]; [struck ink] [C97-05] time, which I hope will be Thursday or Friday. Nellie wishes me to tell you she will be writing you both soon. + Are you please[d] also [unclear]. I surely will answer his as soon as I can. [C97-06]
P.S. [C97-07] makes the [C97-08] Maud. I wonder [C97-09] [C97-10] you [C97-11], I too, [C97-12] [C97-13]
Thanks for P.C. am so sorry I have not written or [C97-14], [C97-15], to [C97-16], before, but I am not at all [C97-17]; had to go to the W.F. Monday evening to have my [C97-18] seen to, "the same as last" time, but I am sorry to say it is not much better today, but I shall [C97-19], as soon as possible, so please do not get [C97-20], of [C97-21] Now I am afraid as I am so [C97-22], I must ask you once more if you will [C97-23] me the other [C97-24] of my [C97-25], by the 9.15 post in Dulwich [C97-26], cannot Wednesday [C97-27], cannot
Mrs E. R. Mobsby 9 Garden Road Peckham S.E.
HCP1498, main field followed by its upper continuation
Dearest Ernest Many thanks for the pretty P.C. you sent me yesterday. Well I did as you asked me, I was very good, but I feel a little tired this morning as I did not get to bed until about 1.30. How did you enjoy yourself? I hope you were good also, & did you see L.A.? Don't [C98-01], if you can help it. I think Ethel is coming with us. Fancy E[rnie?], you asking me to be very good. Now could I be anything else? I have been up in the town this morning nearly all the
time of our Visit. still I don't know if you remember who that is she used to live in Barry Rd It is quite a long time since I asked you such a long P.C. is it not? How do you like this one? What time did you get home this morning? Yours etc Maud
P.S. One week has gone out of the month. Has it not + of course you know what I am always doing? Don't you?
[Will] be writing to you soon. [three to four overwritten short lines, unrecoverable without language fill]
Mrs E. Mobsby 9 Garden Rd Peckham S.E.
The C97 and C98 labels locate the sign spans in the two cards. The table renders the recorded shapes in the upright postcard orientation. These typeset shapes are approximations of handwriting, not facsimiles. A centered dot belongs to the preceding shape. A slash marks a recorded group break; the larger rows use low commas between groups. Spaces separate individual signs and do not supply word divisions. UNSEGMENTED means that overlapping strokes prevent a reliable sign-by-sign transcription. The three qualified rows retain their recorded shapes with the source limitation beside them.
| Span | Physical group sizes | Recorded shapes | Source note |
|---|---|---|---|
| C97-01 | 6 | ┐ ^ V └ [· └· | Six separate signs in the upper band |
| C97-02 | 4 | < □ [· [· | |
| C97-03 | 4 | < ┘ □ V· | |
| C97-04 | 3 | ^ Π > | Final sign beside the stamp and cancellation; qualified source reading |
| C97-05 | 4 | ┐· └ <· V· | Four signs crossed by red cancellation ink |
| C97-06 | 4 / 4 / 6 / 4 | ^ Π > ┌· / └ >· └ ┌· / [· Π >· □ ┐· ] / ] □ ┌· [· | Four groups separated by low commas; terminal comma |
| C97-07 | ? | UNSEGMENTED | Overlapping cipher, print, or cursive prevents a reliable sign stream |
| C97-08 | ? | UNSEGMENTED | Overlapping cipher, print, or cursive prevents a reliable sign stream |
| C97-09 | ? | UNSEGMENTED | Overlapping cipher, print, or cursive prevents a reliable sign stream |
| C97-10 | ? | UNSEGMENTED | Overlapping cipher, print, or cursive prevents a reliable sign stream |
| C97-11 | ? | UNSEGMENTED | Overlapping cipher, print, or cursive prevents a reliable sign stream |
| C97-12 | ? | UNSEGMENTED | Overlapping cipher, print, or cursive prevents a reliable sign stream |
| C97-13 | 19 | ┐ ^ ⊔· ┘ ┌· [· □ ┐· ] V < └ └ V· ]· └ ┘ ┌· V· | Continuous row; no secure internal word breaks; terminal low comma |
| C97-14 | 4 | ┘· └ └ ┐· | |
| C97-15 | 4 | ┘ ┘· [· └ | |
| C97-16 | 3 / 3 | V └ └ / ^ Π > | |
| C97-17 | 4 | < └ [· [· | |
| C97-18 | 3 | └ ^ └ | |
| C97-19 | 4 / 3 | ⊔ Π ┐ └ / Π > V· | Low comma after the fourth and seventh signs |
| C97-20 | 5 | V· □ ┌· └ ⊔· | |
| C97-21 | ? | UNSEGMENTED | Overlapping cipher, print, or cursive prevents a reliable sign stream |
| C97-22 | 6 | [· Π ┐· └ [· ^ | |
| C97-23 | 4 | V └ ┐· ⊔· | |
| C97-24 | 4 | ]· ┘ [· └· | |
| C97-25 | 6 | [· └ V· V· └ ┌· | |
| C97-26 | 4 | Π· ┘ ┌· [ | Four distinguishable shapes despite contact with the next line; qualified source reading |
| C97-27 | 5 | ┐· □ ] ]· V· | Five distinguishable shapes at the clipped lower edge; qualified source reading |
| C98-01 | 5 / 7 / 8 | < ┌· □ V· └ / V· Π ┐· □ ] ]· V· / ┐ Π ┌· ┌· ┐· □ ┐· ] | Three low-comma groups; terminal comma before cursive “if” |
Wide transcriptions scroll sideways within this box.
| # | Solution | By | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solution 143-1 A reading, written up in full | @offgramercy | ACCEPTED |
Still open: Overprinted passages and overwritten margins remain physically unreadable; stamp-adjacent and lower-edge readings are qualified
Submit a source correction or a defensible reading of the remaining passage.