3013 East Eastland Street (not our kind of mailbox)

Though this mailbox has an artistic design, a closer look shows that there's a plastic cover — probably mail-ordered from a factory — over a generic mailbox. Though some number of the mailboxes on this blog are probably from factories, I try to avoid ones that I see quite a few of or that seem really mass-produced. So we won't show many manufactured tie-on mailbox covers like this one.

I took the photo on New Year's Day.

2307 East 17th Street

What makes this Native American-type mailbox fun is the “junk mail” box next to it on the ground.

These photos are from December 29th.

2313 East 17th Street

This black mailbox sits on top of a black auger. I found it on December 29th.

2658 East Keswick Circle

There's a pueblo scene on this mailbox.

The box and its post are wrapped with holiday decorations; I snapped the photo on December 29th.

2707 East Keswick Circle

This mailbox is mounted on a railroad switch. The home is just north of the Union Pacific railroad tracks that run along Aviation Highway.

I met the homeowner, the man who made this. Naturally enough, he works for the railroad.

2724 East Keswick Circle

Here's a green mailbox decorated with a red ribbon (I snapped this just after Christmas: December 29, 2012). The saguaro post has a hole for a bird to nest. (But the hole is rusty — and this saguaro is flat!)

1107 East Blacklidge Drive

I found this mailbox, in a stuccoed post with picture tiles, on December 25th.

1127 East Blacklidge Drive

This small barrel on its side is a mailbox, on top of a post, all painted in a silver color.

I found it on the way to a Christmas Day meal at Govindas (which is just west on Blacklidge... their vegetarian buffet is always a great holiday option if you'd like a lot of vegatables.)

2005 South Wilson Avenue

This white mailbox has white house numbers (2-0-0-5) inside its white post.

I rode through the neighborhood on December 23rd.

2415 South Tucson Stravenue

Two sides of this blue mailbox with hand-painted white flowers and a butterfly on front:

I fluttered by on December 23rd.

2327 South Tucson Stravenue

This green mailbox is mounted on a large crankshaft.

I rode through the neighborhood on December 23rd.

2320 South Tucson Stravenue

The letters in the post spell VELADOR (from the other side); the address is on the column behind.

I was in the neighborhood on December 23rd.

2314 South Tucson Stravenue

The homeowner's passion is classic cars, he told me. I believe he said that he bought the mailbox at a car show:

(We're in the part of town, not far from the railroad tracks and Aviation Highway, where streets turn diagonal and become Stravenues. This, for instance, is the chunk of Tucson Boulevard called Tucson Stravenue. There's also a Tucson Avenue.) I roared by here (on my bicycle :) December 23rd.

2210 South McFee Stravenue

I found this mailbox on December 23. (If you haven't heard of stravenues, here's a Wikipedia article about them. They're special to Tucson.)

5822 East Fairmount Street

A black mailbox with a stamped (and postmarked!) envelope painted on the side and a big red heart on the front:

I found it on December 8, 2012. Happy Valentine's Day!

2444 South Sawtelle Avenue

This white mailbox has desert scenes with edges like postage stamps (the kind you’d tear off and lick... remember them?) The front of the box has the scene at left — which I copied out of the image above and brightened using my favorite free Photoshop-like editor, GIMP.

2325 South Sawtelle Avenue

This faded mailbox has (or had) palm trees and flamingos. I found it on December 23rd.

2455 South Sawtelle Avenue

A mailbox on top of a fire hydrant on top of a post — on December 23.

3807 East Calle Altar

I found this grey mailbox with two cardinals on December 22nd.

3801 East Calle Altar

This white mailbox covered with vines (or branches with leaves? I’m no plant expert...) is signed on the front with a last name that’s the same as a sign on the front of the home. So I’m guessing that someone who lives there is quite an artist!

I found it on December 22nd.

1315 East 12th Street

I found this purple mailbox with paisley (?) patterns on December 13th.

2348 East 20th Street

Not to be outdone by yesterday's Oriental scene just west of here is this ballerina holding a cylindrical mailbox — one of the three fantastic mailboxes I found on December 10th.

2328 East 20th Street

An Oriental scene along the post, and a pagoda or temple on top, make for an amazing mailbox. I found this gem on December 10th.

2527 East 24th Street

A car engine, a Hot Wheels flag, and a chain wrapped around the post — all make this black mailbox unique.

I motored by (on my bicycle :) December 10th.

Factory-made covers? No(t many).

This mailbox has an obviously mass-produced plastic cover surrounding the mailbox underneath:

Some of the mailboxes on this blog were probably factory-made. But this cover looks really mass-produced. I'll avoid posting them.

I took this photo at 5712 East Bellevue Street on December 8th.

5549 East Mabel Street

This black mailbox (perched on a green post) is covered with sunflowers. I found it on December 8, 2012.

5741 East Mabel Street

This black mailbox on a rusted chain “post” is one of a number I've found around Tucson. I’ll try to avoid posting too many (just as I'm trying not to show too many saguaro-shaped mailbox posts).

Though I haven’t checked any of them, I'm guessing that the chain links in these “posts” are welded together. (Or maybe these are available for sale somewhere? People have told me some amazing stories about mailboxes they’ve bought.)

I took this photo on December 8, 2012.

5829 East Mabel Street

The two sides of this mailbox, a stuccoed post covered with glass beads:


I took the photos on December 8th.

1202 North Del Valle Place

A locomotive-shaped mailbox on top of a water pump with a handle:

I snapped the mailbox (and a bit of myself) at 1202 N. Del Valle Place on December 8th.

5841 East Fairmount Street

A pig serving mail from a reddish mailbox? That's just one of the artistic surprises on this part of Fairmount Street.

Even more surprising was that, after I'd been slowly making my way along the block, taking photos, a man came out of this home (at 5841) and said that he’d been taking photos of me. What was I doing? I explained, gave him my card, and complimented him on his mailbox... but he still didn't seem convinced. (Strange for a house with such a creative box out front...)

5838 East Fairmount Street

A yellow mailbox with an orange sun — and, on the post below, a yellow-and-orange pipe joint.

This is one of a bunch of artistic mailboxes I found on December 8th in this part of Fairmount Street. (Check previous and next posts, as well as Valentine's Day.)

5834 East Fairmount Street

In a block full of mailboxes, this red mailbox with the number underneath (in blue cut metal) on a red post isn't particularly special. (Check out the hand-painted heart mailbox down the block that I'll post on February 14th.)

I snapped it on December 8th.

1402 North McKinley Avenue

This double-height mailbox (it looks like they added more room on the bottom?) is painted in what might be camouflage colors.

This was yet another find on my December 8th art-hunting bicycle ride.

1511 North McKinley Avenue

I don't recognize exactly what this post is made from, but the crank handle at top makes it interesting!

(If you know, please leave a comment below or send me email.)

I took the photo on December 8th.

1400 North Sonoita Avenue

This plain brown mailbox rests on an extension of a terracotta-colored post which has a cutout running horse on top. There's also a little solar-powered light near the top of the post.

I found this elegant-looking contraption on December 8th.

1440 North Sonoita Avenue

This plain white mailbox has a turtle design between the posts. (Somehow it reminds me of a sea turtle swimming into a beach, but that's a guess.)

I “snapped” the turtle (sorry :) on December 8th.

1502 North Sonoita Avenue

This ordinary mailbox is special because it's on a "post" of glass blocks and cinder blocks:

I found it on December 8th.

1632 North Van Buren Avenue

On December 8th, as I was exploring this presidential part of town (with avenues named for US presidents), I noticed a mailbox with a picture of an adobe home.

The next-door neighbor was just pulling in to her driveway, so I asked if she knew the story. She directed my gaze from the mailbox (well, actually, from her) to the house behind...

The mailbox has an image of home as it used to look when the Baker family lived there, years ago. The home has changed, but the mailbox hasn't.

1638 North Jefferson Avenue

What makes this mailbox special isn't the mailbox: it's the lavender column with decoration around the address, brick above and below the column, and a pot on top.

I spotted it on my epic art-finding bike ride December 8th.

1630 North Rook Avenue

The fading black paint on this black mailbox (which has a band of flowers and a wheelbarrow on top) seems to be covering something else: a US flag, maybe?

I found it on December 8th.