Offered here is a rare original group of hand-drawn vintage African American calling cards / flyers discovered in Lincolnville, the historic Black neighborhood of St. Augustine, Florida, near a well-known juke joint on Martin Luther King Blvd.

These cards date to the mid-20th century (circa 1950s–1970s) and represent local Black Southern nightlife, music, and house-party culture, part of the broader chitlin’ circuit that sustained blues, R&B, soul, and community entertainment during segregation and Jim Crow.

These were never mass-produced. They were made cheaply, shared hand-to-hand, and meant to disappear — which makes surviving examples exceptionally scarce.

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🟫 Cultural & Historical Context (Important)

These cards use coded language and numbers common in juke-joint and after-hours culture. The meanings below reflect documented oral traditions, regional slang, and nightlife practices of the era.

🔢 Numeric Codes: 44s, 73s, 88s

These were not addresses or years. They functioned as vibe and music codes, understood locally:

• 44s – slow blues / deep groove / intimate dance energy

• 73s – mid-tempo shuffle, funk-blues, social party vibe

• 88s – high-energy, “jumping” music (also referencing the 88 keys of a piano)

These numbers signaled what kind of night you were walking into, without saying it outright.

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📡 “Stand By Channel 6”

This was not a TV station. It meant:

• Stay tuned

• Wait for word

• Instructions would follow verbally

A form of discreet communication used to avoid drawing attention while organizing parties or performances.

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🎭 “DX Double O / Ex Double O”

Likely a persona or stage identity, similar to later MC or DJ names. Repetition of letters/numbers emphasized style, rhythm, and memorability, not initials in the modern sense.

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🏖️ “Bikini State”

A slang phrase, not a real place. It meant:

• Party mindset

• Freedom

• Sex appeal

• Music, dancing, after-hours energy

Essentially: “When we’re in Bikini State, it’s on.”

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💎 “KOD-6167”

• KOD = King of Diamonds — a persona implying status, confidence, and top-tier action

• 6167 = a local phone number suffix or coded contact, common when full numbers were shared verbally

This reflects persona-based branding long before modern marketing.

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🏠 Use of “UNIT”

“Unit” typically referred to:

• A specific room in a house or boarding house

• An after-hours space within a larger structure

• A coded location for private parties or performances

This language allowed venues to exist inside residential architecture without openly advertising.

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🟫 Why These Matter

These cards are primary-source Black Americana artifacts documenting:

• Underground entertainment networks

• DIY Black business and branding

• Cultural survival under segregation

• Lincolnville’s role in Florida’s music and nightlife history

Very few examples survive because they were meant to be temporary.

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🟫 Condition

Original vintage condition with visible age, wear, and patina consistent with use. No modern reproductions. Please see photos for exact condition.

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🟫 How This Is Being Sold

• Offered as a group to preserve historical context

• Not separated

• Ideal for:

• Black Americana collectors

• Blues & folk art collectors

• Museums / archives

• Cultural historians

• Interior designers with historic sensibility

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🟫 Final Notes

These are authentic cultural artifacts, not decorative reproductions. Once separated from their context, this kind of material is often lost to history.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire a small, intact archive from one of Florida’s most historically significant Black neighborhoods.