Archive for the ‘Post Card’ Category

PostHeaderIcon The History of Easter Postcards

The tradition to send Easter postcards to relatives and friends developed in the end of the 19th century. During the year 1898 there were only a few Easter cards sent but the amount of sent Easter cards raised in the following years worldwide. Soon it was courteous and polite to send Easter postcards. In the beginning, monochrome as well as colored cards were printed. Most of the time in the center of the cards was an oversized colored egg. In the first years of the Easter postcards often a part of the front side was empty. This was the space for the greetings of the sender because the post-order only allowed the address and the stamp on the back side. Because of that, the artist creativity was hindered and precious illustrations were deformed. In 1905 the post in Austria and Germany separated the back side of the cards in two halves. The right half served as before for the address and the stamp and the other one was the new space for the message. 1906 this was officially allowed by the world-post-congress in Rome.

In the years around 1910 on the cards were mainly monochrome pictures which were sometimes colored with children in the context with lambs, chickens, ducks and eggs. Young girls were a symbol for luck and hope. The Easter bunny which was a personified symbol of fruitfulness was often portrayed with eggs. German publishers were leading in the production of Easter postcards before the first world war.

Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.

During the time of the first world war the children were replaced through soldiers and a military appearance of the Easter bunny was quite common. After the first world war, photos were not the foundation for Easter postcards anymore but drawn colorful Easter sketches. At this time a very popular motive was Jesus in the open countryside surrounded by sheep. Also cards with flowers were sent very often too such as the Easter lily. In the time of prosperity during 1898 and 1918 the basis of the cards was chromolithography. There reveal very impressive cards with silver, gold and relief-stamping.

A huge reduction of sent Easter postcards occurred through the second world war. After the war, the amount of sent cards raised slowly but in the last ten years it fell rapidly because of the competition with telephony and e-mail. Easter postcards are still sent today but not with the fervor of the greeting card. The collection of the Easter postcard is quite collectible and not so easy to find.

You can’t predict when knowing something extra about Post Card will come in handy. If you learned anything new about Post Card in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.

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By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon Value Of Real Photo Postcards

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about Post Card. When you start sharing the fascinating Post Card facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

Advanced collectors of topographical views tend to eventually find themselves in the pursuit of real photo postcards over printed cards. This is mostly due to the image quality and detailed contained in the photo. If you were collecting views from your hometown you might collect any and every card you could find no matter what. They all take on personal meaning to you. A real photo postcards is just that.. an actual photograph and not a printed lithograph. Although generally more expensive they are more detailed then printed views and can often be an extra special find since they could show buildings, homes, people and sometimes even towns that no longer exist. That is quite an exciting find! Many Historians and Preservationists have focused on acquiring photo postcards as they are wonderful historical documents. In 1903 Kodak introduced the No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak. This was Kodak’s first “postcard” camera.

This allowed the amateur photographer to produce their own photo postcards. You could take a photo of anything you wanted and send your photograph with a bit of correspondence on the back anywhere throughout the world. These views are often one of a kind. There were also many commercially produced cards by local or itinerant photographers that would take photographs of their regional areas and sell the cards wholesale to the local druggist or a store owner who then resold the cards to their clientele that visited their establishment. Usually these views were of Main Street or important buildings, such as the courthouse, bank, school, churches and even some of the prominent homes in an area. If a business owner did commission a photographer for some work he might end up sending the image to Germany where printed litho cards would then be produced. This was the case up until the first World War when the cards were then printed in the US Unused photo postcards can often be dated by the stamp box on the photo paper.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

Some of the most interesting real photo cards are sometimes called the “boring” postcards. A boring postcard is one you’d respond to by saying, “Now why would anyone want a postcard of that?”

Remember staying in the Howard Johnson’s as a child and standing at the front desk looking at all the postcards? The boring postcards were pictures of the rooms with the orange bed spread and “pleather” white headboards. The view of the pool in Sparta Tn. Holiday Inn, road signs, concrete dams, highways under construction, elementary schools, picture of eggs and bacon from an obscure diner on some off the road place.

There is even a book out called “Boring Postcards. There is a German title, “Langweilige Postkarten” that is even more evocative. It’s a collection of meticulously grouped, carefully reproduced… boring postcards. Yet the parade of gas stations, diners, shopping malls, motorways, airports, and other extremely un-photogenic subjects often photographed without even one bit of ambition, when presented as a collection, is incredibly funny.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you’ll be glad you took the time to learn more about Post Card.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon A Quick Overview Of Postcard Collecting

Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about Post Card? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about Post Card.

Post card collectors or more formally deltiologists, generally collect post cards for the view, subject depicted, topic, artist, publisher, photographer or any of hundreds of reasons relating to the front view of the post card. They are very much intrigued by the uniqueness and the view of a much simpler time in history.

The postal historian avidly seeks post cards for the stamp use, postmarks and postal markings, destinations and all the things related to the mailing or sending of the post card. Most of this information is generally found on the back of the card and the historian is unconcerned with the view or front of the card. This doesn’t interest him at all.
The philatelist collects the card for the stamp used on a post card and the way the stamp is canceled. This is closely related in some ways for to the reasons a postal historian would collect post cards and maybe even for the same reason.
It does get a little touchy when trying to separate the differences between the postal historian and the philatelist. Postal history and philately have crossed over blurred lines since stamp collecting began. Generally a philatelist is concerned how a stamp is used, condition of the stamp and the way it is canceled. A cancel is the method of obliterating the stamp to prevent reuse.

A postal historian collects for the way a stamp is used and postmarked. A postmark is the way to determine the place and date the post card was sent from although postmarks are often used as cancellations.
So a deltiologist, or post card collector, collects because of the front of the card and information relating to the image on the card and in many cases prefers a pristine mint card. The postal historian, or cover collector, collects post cards for reasons on the back of the card and prefers a postal used post card. The philatelist, or stamp collector, collects the post card for the stamp on a used card.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

A postal historian will sometimes use collateral material for exhibiting in their albums, displays or at competitive exhibitions. In addition, a real photo town view, especially of a “ghost” town, will be used as collateral along with a postmark from that town. This forms a pleasing combination for many postal historians. What is even better is when the town view is postmarked in the same town as in the view. This is an awesome find!

The deltiologist will also use a postmark as a crossover especially when their collecting cards from Worlds Fair and Expositions. The postmark from these special post offices can add great value to a post card and prove that it was purchased at the sight of the fair or exposition. These are also sought after items for the postal historian.
It makes no difference whether you collect post cards as a deltiologist, a postal historian or philatelist, the field is wide open. Collect what you like and how you like to collect! You can find them everywhere especially in old attics, garage sales and flea markets, antique shops and stamp shops, gas stations and hotels. Collecting Post Cards is a great hobby and one that can be passed on from generation to generation to share your past travels, interests and history with your family.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of Post Card. Share your new understanding about Post Card with others. They’ll thank you for it.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon History Description Of Vintage Postcards

PHOTOCHROME ERA (1939 to present)

Photochromes (also known as Modern Chromes) first came into being in 1939. Their colors were particularly appealing to collectors. The famous movie, The Wizard of Oz, affirmed America’s love for color images. These “Chrome” postcards started to dominate the scene soon after they were launched by the Union Oil Company in their western service stations in 1939. They were easily produced, of high photo quality and most importantly, they were in color. Their spread was momentarily slowed down during WWII due to supply shortages, but they replaced both linen and black & white postcards by 1945 in the roadside postcard racks. Linen firms converted to photochrome postcards or went out of business. Black and white postcard firms merged with larger companies or disappeared completely.

REAL PHOTO POSTCARDS (1900 to present)

Real Photo Postcards were used as early as 1900. They can be particularly difficult to date unless they have a postmark or a date from the photographer. They must be carefully examined to ensure they are not reproductions which can be a problem.
There is much confusion on what “Real Photo” postcards are and how to identify them. Real Photo postcards are reproduced photographs developed onto photographic paper. With the size and weight of postcards with a postcard back. There are many postcards that reproduce photos by various printing methods that aren’t “real photos.” Instead are the same methods used to reproduce photos in magazines and newspapers. The best way to tell the difference is to look at the postcard with a magnifying glass. If the photo is printed you will see that it is made up of a lot of little dots, the same as a photo printed in a newspaper. A “real photo” postcard is solid, no dots.

The information about Post Card presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about Post Card or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

Helpful Hint: Most real photo postcards have identifying marks on the back usually in the stampbox corner, that identifies the manufacturer of the photographic paper. You can approximate the age of the Real Photo by knowing when the paper manufacturer was in business

ART DECO ERA (1910 to early ’30s)

Art Decos are known mainly for their vibrant colors. Art Deco is usually concerned with things of the past including pictures done by the ancient Greeks. Also copies with a twist of Middle Eastern subjects, variations on Egyptian artifacts, a natural extension of Art Nouveau and a whole variety of other influences not so directly related. They often depict pretty ladies in fancy clothes vogue style. Also of note are the sharp angles and straight lines. They have gained in popularity over the years and now have a very strong following.
The Art Deco period began around 1900 and ended around 1930. If in fact it ever did have an ending. At least however, this is the period during which the greatest volume of work was produced. What finally ended the movement? Most likely it suffered an untimely demise due to the financial crash of 1929 plus a worldwide depression. Then the second World War interrupted any recovery

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in Post Card. When people start looking for more information about Post Card, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon History Of Postcards-Middle Era

Current info about Post Card is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest Post Card info available.

DIVIDED BACK ERA (1907-1915)

As of March 1, 1907, the divided back postcard came into circulation. They quickly became more popular because they allowed senders to write the address and the message on the back of the card. The address had to be written on the right side of the back of the postcard while the left side was reserved for writing messages. Postcards from this period are most collectible when they do not have writing on the front. At this time in American history the postcard hobby became a huge public addiction. Publishers printed millions of cards in this era. Most postcards were printed in Germany which was the world leader in lithographic processes. At the height of the countrywide postcard hunger, WWI caused a crash in the hobby. The advent of WWI caused the supply of postcards from Germany to end. Poorer quality postcards came from English and U.S. publishers. The lower quality of printed postcards, recurrent influenza epidemics, and WWI war shortages killed the American postcard hobby. During the war years, the telephone replaced the postcard as a fast, reliable, means to keep in touch.

WHITE BORDER ERA (1915-1930)

When imports from Germany ceased in the first World War, the U.S. began printing postcards to fill the void. Unfortunately, this also ended the “Golden Age” of postcards. After WWI, the German publishing industry was never rebuilt. Other European publishers were forced out of the U.S. market by high tariff rates. Most locally available postcards were printed by U.S. publishers during this period. On view postcards, to save ink, a white border was left around the view, and that is why we call them “White Border” postcards. The higher costs of post-war publishing combined with inexperienced labor caused production of poorer quality cards. Movies, as they were, replaced postcards as a visual experience. Higher competition in a rapidly narrowing market caused many publishers to go out of business. On the other hand, real photo postcard publishers enjoyed great success. Various types of rotary drum negative imprints allowed runs of thousands of postcards of a particular image. Roadside postcard racks contained a great variety of these images.

LINEN ERA (1930-1945)

You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Post Card. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

In the 1930s, postcard printing in the United States improved. Publishers began using linen-like paper with a high rag content. These types of cards are very popular with collectors today. Of particular interest are Roadside America, Blacks, Comics and Advertising genres.

New American printing processes allowed printing on postcards with a high rag content. This was a marked improvement over the White Border postcard. The rag content also gave these postcards a textured feel to them. They were also cheaper to produce and allowed the use of bright dyes for image coloring. They proved to be extremely popular with raodside establishments seeking cheap advertising. Linen postcards document every step along the way of the building of America’s highway infra-structure. Most notable among the early linen publishers was the firm of Curt Teich. The majority of linen postcard production ended around 1939 with the advent of the color chrome postcard. However, a few linen firms, mainly southern, published well into the late 1950s. Real photo publishers of black & white images continued to have success.

Faster reproducing equipment and lowering costs led to an explosion of real photo mass produced postcards. Once again a war interfered with the postcard industry (WWII). During the war, shortages and a need for military personnel forced many postcard companies to reprint older views when printing material was available.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of Post Card. Share your new understanding about Post Card with others. They’ll thank you for it.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon History Of Postcards… Early Era

Have you ever wondered what exactly is up with Post Card? This informative report can give you an insight into everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Post Card.

PIONEER ERA (1889-1898)

This era began when vendors and exhibitors at the French Exposition in France (1889) started selling picture postcards. They gained much popularity and helped keep postcards in circulation. They are scarce today and have combinations of the following distinctions:

Undivided backs (no line dividing address and message) Does not say “Authorized by Act of Congress” in byline. If American, they have a Grant or Jefferson head stamp, most are multiple view cards postage rate, if listed, will be 2 cents. It is usually called Mail Card or Souvenir Card mostly used in larger Eastern cities/

PRIVATE MAILING CARD ERA (1898-1901)

As of May 19, 1898, government gave private printers permission to both sell and print postcards inscribed with the words “Private Mailing Card.” (Abbreviated today as PMCs). Many Pioneer Era cards were reprinted as PMCs. Postcards of this era have undivided backs as well. You were still not able to write on the back of the Post Card forcing people to write on the front. During this period around 1900, Real Photo postcards (RPs, postcards on film stock: i.e. pictures) began to come into use. These early real photo images were mainly advertisements.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

In 1898 postage required for mailing a postcard was reduced from 2 cents to 1 cent.

UNDIVIDED BACK ERA (1901-1907)

As of December 24, 1901, printers were allowed to use “Post Card” on the backs of their cards. All of these cards had undivided backs (Writing was still not permitted on the address side). For Undivided Back Era postcards, writing on the front is acceptable, not usually decreasing the condition grade of these cards but there are exceptions to every rule. The publishing of printed postcards during this time doubled almost every six months! In addition, European publishers opened offices in the U.S. and imported millions of high-quality postcards. By 1907, European publishers accounted for over 75% of all postcards sold in the U.S. The popularity of lithographed cards caught Eastman-Kodak’s attention as well. His company issued an affordable “Folding Pocket Kodak” camera around 1906. This enabled the mass public to take black & white photographs and have them printed directly onto paper with postcard backs. Various other models of

Kodak “postcard” cameras followed resulting in an explosion in the real photo postcard era. These cameras shared two unique features: their negatives were postcard size (the major reason why so many of these images are so clear) and they had a small thin door at the back that, when lifted, enabled the photographer to write an identifying caption or comment on the negative itself with an attached metal scribe. Also interesting to note is at the end of this period in time, the picture postcard hobby became the greatest collectible hobby that the world has ever known and still today is one of the most desired collectibles. The official figures from the U.S. Post Office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1908, cite 677,777,798 postcards were mailed. That was at a time when the total population of the U.S. was 88,700,000. That is an amazing piece of American trivia!

There’s no doubt that the topic of Post Card can be fascinating. If you still have unanswered questions about Post Card, you may find what you’re looking for in the next article.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon Early 4th Of July Postcards

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about Post Card in the following paragraphs. If there’s at least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it might make.

Early 20th-century postcards manufactured for the Fourth of July were very popular. Thousands of colorful cards featured such themes as Uncle Sam, the Goddess of Liberty, eagles, cannons, flags, liberty bell, fireworks, Statue of Liberty, Native Americans, Revolutionary War figures, nautical subjects, and the nation’s founders. From the early 1900s the production of postcards neatly coincided with the Safe and Sane movement that was initiated in a number of major cities to get dangerous fireworks away from the public. Many cards demonstrated the seriousness of this issue but interestingly did so in a humorous vein. One popular card included the message: How to prevent your boy being killed on the Fourth of July-kill him on the third.

Cards, for the most part, were typically sold in sets of six. Illustrators such as Ellen Clapsaddle and E. Nash were household names to those who collected these cards. Ellen H. Clapsaddle (1865-1934) was active in New York and later in Germany in the early 20th century creating illustrations for thousands of postcards. Her focus was mostly children. She worked for the International Art Company and produced an imaginative series of Fourth of July cards.

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“Greeting” cards often included verse that was similar to Fourth of July poetry published in newspapers at that time. The quality was mediocre at best. Examples include: “Day of flags and cannon and jubilee! Guarded well, gloried in, so may it ever be” and “Oh spirit of honor of freedom of peace! Guard well with a vigil that never shall cease.” The sense of guarding the nation’s freedom and the idea of stewardship was a common notion that all shared and continue to share today. Still the 4th of July Postcards were the favorite of their day and are quite collectible in our times. The brilliant colors and the obvious patriotism that was prevalent in our nation during these periods shined through.

Patriotism is the heartbeat of America and even though times get turbulent the Americana postcards of the past and present still hold dear to the hearts of Americans and reminders of past 4th of Julys where our nation celebrated her birth. Despite wars, social issues and political differences Americans celebrate the birth of their country with honor and respect for the nation they love and are proud to be a part of. The history alone of the 4th of July postcards and the careful thought taken to the words of the cards shows the reverence that we hold past present and future of our nation. The cards are great ways to remember past celebrations and to share present ones.

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon Picture Postcard Fascination

No hobby quite compares with collecting postcards in the way it caters for all interests. Whether you’re a football fan, mad about the royal family, fascinated with American Presidents, keen on local history, a railway buff or a student of zoology, picture postcards offer you a marvelous stimulus for your hobby. And for those merely nostalgic and interested in the events and fashions of the past century, the postcard encapsulates it all.

Postcards are fascinating and collectable in lots of different ways. Each example is a snapshot of the past: a moment, a slice of social history, frozen in time. Every postcard that has gone through the post tells you a little bit about its place in the bygone world. The picture, stamp, postmark, message and address are part of the life of two people…the sender and the recipient but in the past. Few collectors are lucky enough to find a postcard written by a famous person, but many writers referred to current events in their messages.

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

Postcards provide a panorama of the events of the twentieth century: inaugurations, sporting events, horrific accidents, local events, great exhibitions, world wars. They show the development of rail, road, sea and air transport. They feature actresses, bishops, politicians, evangelist and star gazers. Also anyone who might be newsworthy and heroic. National firms published cards of countrywide interest, while in every town and city were local photographers who recorded all the interesting events of the day and published them as picture postcards. So a photograph of the annual sports in a village could be mailed anywhere in America or the world to friends and relatives. The local railway station, cinema, hospital, church or school would appear on a card. Anything that was part of a community was a likely subject for publishers to use.
Some of the world’s best known serious and comic artists of the early 20th century had their work featured on postcards, including art nouveau exponents Alphonse Mucha and Raphael Kirchner. In Britain, Mabel Lucie Attwell’s children, Alfred Quinton’s landscapes, Louis Wain’s cats, Tom Browne’s ordinary people, and Donald McGill’s henpecked husbands can all be found on cards.

With such a wide choice of fascinating postcards to collect there really is plenty to suit anyone’s pocket. Even some cards a century old can cost just a few dollars, the best street scenes attract prices in excess of forty dollars. Special subject cards like theTitanic, Popes and football teams can rate over one hundred dollars. More mundane themes like flowers, churches and country views can be bought cheaply. Age doesn’t always provide an indication of expense either for a card from the 1970′s may sell for more than one from the Edwardian era. Whatever their subject or price postcards can be and are fascinating! Postcards have been entertaining the world, used for many purposes, kept lovers connected and imprinted society with history to pass down through the generations to come. The fascination of postcards has never nor will ever go out of style no matter how high tech the world gets.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon Postcards From The Past

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Besides communicating quick notes or vacation greetings, postcards also served as greeting cards for all occasions. These can be priceless for the genealogist. For example, Emily Rule, Tennessee, has been looking for clues in two scrapbooks full of early 19th century postcards that belonged to her great grandmother and great grandfather. To her amazement she has found out much she didn’t know about her family and her roots.

Emily is now using postcards to locate descendants of her great grandmothers who married and settled in Virginia before 1893. “From the postcards relatives sent her great grandparents we know where her family was before marriage and other little details about their life at that time,” she says.

Another favorite motif for postcards was transportation, which includes ship advertising, railroad stations and trains. You might be able to find a card of the ship that brought your ancestors to America. American Line, Anchor Line, Cunard, Hamburg-Amerika, Holland-America, Norddeutscher Lloyd, Red Star, White Star and many other smaller lines issued advertising cards that featured views of their ships accompanied by some size and tonnage facts. It is fun to trace the footsteps of your ancestors from different shores. Railroad depot postcards were very popular and still are today. It would be fantastic to find a real photo card of your ancestors standing in front of an old depot. All the different trains throughout our history and how they were used to transport in early America are quite collectible as well.

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

Town and city views, another popular postcard subject, show courthouses, schools, streets and post offices. They’re available for both US and European localities, and can be a way of connecting with your ancestors even if they didn’t send the postcards themselves. People have researched and found churches where ancestors have married, schools they attended and places they visited. These items are priceless!

It is amazing to see how many photo cards were developed from your own hometown even showing individual streets. You can buy them fairly cheaply too. Most are from shortly after the turn of the century, following the 1900 introduction of “Real Photo Cards”.

Similarly, roadside cards depicted diners and restaurants, gas stations, hotels and motels and shops. Perhaps your ancestors frequented a particular eatery or stayed at a certain hotel during their travels. The ideas of tracing your family is endless and can be a great way to share with your family your history. What a legacy to pass down to your children and grandchildren. These type items are interesting even to people outside the family. You will be quite surprised at the amount of information you can find and postcards on line concerning your family history. Small towns your ancestors have come from or cities far away are just a click away. Get started with a new pastime of postcard collecting from the past and engage in the history of your ancestors.

There’s no doubt that the topic of Post Card can be fascinating. If you still have unanswered questions about Post Card, you may find what you’re looking for in the next article.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

PostHeaderIcon Being Part Of A Postcard Club

With postcard collecting there is usually not a lot of socializing going on since this is normally a hobby you do alone. Although you can come into contact with other collectors at fairs it is often difficult to get much further than just saying hello and it takes a while for faces to become familiar. After all everyone is looking for that special card for their collection and chatting can waste valuable hunting time!

This can mean that collecting postcards is a rather solitary hobby and although it gets you out of the house it doesn’t make you many friends. However this need not be the case. Many areas have their own postcard club and this offers you an ideal opportunity to not only learn more about the hobby but also to make some new friends.

I know the idea of going somewhere for the first time can be rather daunting, especially if you think everyone knows everyone else, and this is why choosing a meeting close to a holiday is a good idea. Generally the holiday meetings of any club will have some kind of festive theme even if it’s only store bought cookies in the interval. If there is not a club in your area consider starting one. You could advertise it in your church bulletin or local paper and you just might be surprised to find out how many share your love for postcards.

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Post Card, keep reading.

Most club meetings will have one or two dealers whose stock you can look through at a far more leisurely pace than at a fair, where there are so many stalls to get round in a very limited time. Teas and coffees are also on offer and this allows plenty of time for a chat, this could mean the chance of meeting someone who shares your collecting interest and maybe the possibility of sharing information or even swapping cards.

The main event of the evening is generally a talk on a postcard related theme that is illustrated with cards from the speakers own card collection. Some clubs have other events such as auctions, short talks given by members, quiz nights and outings. They usually produce a newsletter that will be posted to you in advance of the next meeting letting you know about the forthcoming talk and which dealers have agreed to come. It is useful to remember that most collectors are as isolated in their collecting as you are and would also benefit from making new contacts. Most clubs welcome new members so take a deep breath and go and have some fun!

Remember you all have something in common postcard collecting!

There’s a lot to understand about Post Card. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO