As a Wikipedia article tells us, Alabama has 41 official state symbols. The postcard below only had room for six: the state flag, adopted in 1923; the state flower, the camellia, in 1959; the state bird, the yellowhammer, in 1933; the state tree, the long leaf pine, listed in Wikipedia as the Southern longleaf pine, 1997; coat of arms, 1939; state fish, the Atlantic tarpon, 1955. As you'll see on Wikipedia's inventory, the state now has a freshwater fish symbol, a horse, a game bird, a nut, a reptile and many others added since this postcard was issued.
The back of the card tells us that Alabama's nicknames are Cotton State and the Heart of Dixie, but there apparently is no formal nickname for the state.
So, when was the card printed? In the middle of the back we read "Alabama Post Card Co." in Bessemer and a ZIP Code. Use of those U.S. Postal Service codes began on July 1, 1963, so this card was printed after that date. The company also issued a USS Alabama card with the same ZIP code. Another card from the company featured Holy Family Hospital in Birmingham and gave an address of 111 Livingston Court, but no ZIP. I also found a card from the company with a launch of a Jupiter-C rocket at Redstone Arsenal probably from the "late 1950s" according to the dealer. Back of the card is not shown.
I checked some telephone white and yellow pages for Bessemer in the first half of the 1960s and did not find the company listed, so I have no idea how long they operated. A quick Google search only turned up the three other cards mentioned.
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