Grace Janson Valentine

Log

Date	Event
2026-09-08	Public write-up recorded

Problem

An undated Valentine is addressed to Miss Grace Janson at Bison, Kansas. The commercial picture asks WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE?; the writing side is filled with sixteen rows of numbers separated by hyphens and larger gaps. No stamp or cancellation survives to date or route it.

There are 85 positions in the main numeric field. Ink has destroyed the first value while leaving its position clear. A separate nonnumeric band is obliterated, and a faint pencil note may read [Do not write back.]. The transcription retains those physical limits. What do the remaining numbers say?

Handwritten source rendering; line breaks and uncertainty retained

[obliterated value]-18-15-13
5-12-19-9-5
8-5-12-12-15
7-18-1-3-5
13-9-12-12-9-5
23-1-7-14-3-18
20-15-12-4
13-5
20-8-1-20
19-15-12-15-13-15-17
8-1-4
1-14-13-20-5-6-15
7-9-18-12 | 9-14
20-15-23-14 | 9
23-15-21-12-4 | 7-5-20
1-6-20-8-18 | 8-9-13

Miss Grace Janson
Bison
Kans.

Wide transcriptions scroll sideways within this box.

Resources

HCP1798: original postcard record, preserved online by the Historical Ciphers Portal
Historical Ciphers Portal collection
Crackciphers research corpus

Solutions

#	Solution	By	Status
1	Solution 163-1 A reading, written up in full	@offgramercy	ACCEPTED

Still open: The first value has been destroyed; other source forms are retained as written

Submit a source correction or a defensible reading of the remaining passage.