My Card

In the first Bond movie that Sean Connery stared in, "Dr. No", Bond makes a date with Sylvia Trench, a woman he meets while playing Chemin de Fer, a variation of the card game, Baccarat. When Bond is called away, he asks Miss Trench what other games she plays and then suggests they meet the next afternoon "with dinner afterwords perhaps". She asks if she can let him know in the morning and he reaches in his inside pocket and hands her one of his cards, saying "My number's on the card".

These days, with iphones and email, there is something still to be said for having personal cards. These aren't the type of cards you use for business, these are strictly your personal cards with very little information on them that you can hand out to people you've just met, but want to see again. In the 1800 and early 1900's, these were called "Calling Cards" or "Visiting Cards". They were used to announce the arrival of someone, usually of high social order and were given to the servants to give to the man or woman of the house. They were also left if the homeowners weren't in to show that the caller had been there. A turned down corner meant that the card had been delivered by the owner by hand and not sent by a servant.

The cards themselves could be very decorative, some having embossed lettering and even coats of arms. Others were elegantly simple, with nothing more than the owners name and if it was a man, maybe the name of his club. These days, most people carry business cards, which are direct descendants of the calling card. Business cards are for just that. Business. These have a lot of personal information on them, such as business address, title and work phone number. Information you may not want everyone to have about you until you know them a little better. Instead of hunting for a scrap of paper or a napkin to write your number or email address on for someone, think of how much nicer it would look to be able to pull out one of your personal cards and hand it to them saying "My number's on the card". They are also nice to attach to a gift so the recipient can remember who the gift was from.

A personal card needn't be very expensive and should be plain and with very little information on it. You may want to just put your name and phone number on it or perhaps, just your name and email address if you worry about someone you don't know well having your number. A personal card can make a stylish and practical statement about you without saying a word. Very Bond Girl.