Well not literally.

Still, what are the odds that the very week I finally post my story on the Noceti postcard, another shows up on eBay Italia (found by Reidar, again, naturally!)?

But this copy improves on the original in two ways:

First, it includes Noceti’s Concert Program on the instrument:

1. Noceti. – Preludio in Mi minore (Imitazione di Mandolino, Mandola e Chitarra).
2. De Curtis. – Canzone Napoletana (Tutti gli effetti della Chitarra).
3. Gounod. – Ave Maria (Canto tremolato ed accompagnamento pizzicato).
4. Rossini. – Sinfonia Semiramide.
5. Noceti. – Ballata Andalusa.
6. Braga. – Leggenda Valacca.

Secondly, it has a postmark!  According to the seller (and my poor analysis), it was mailed from Vercelli, near Novara, 75 km from Milan.  The date is 19-06-1901, or June 19, 1901.  Is this correct?!

If so, then the date of manufacture has moved up almost 2 years – we can now reasonably say 1900-1901 for this invention, even though it wasn’t patented until 1904 (I still need someone in Italy to verify this patent, including the date applied for, and Noceti’s city of residence at the time; note that the postcard was published by a Genova firm).

Pretty exciting provenance.

Meanwhile, the postcard is still there right now with a very fair Buy It Now.  Unfortunately, the sellers can’t sell to someone in the States but were otherwise very nice.  If you’re over there, feel free to buy it for my birthday present, somebody, anybody…(it was yesterday, as was Joe Morgan’s).