Collecting Postcards – The Committed Collector

I don’t know how it took me so long to discover antique postcards as a collectible.

Both my father and grandfather were printers, so I was raised to appreciate printed materials. The artistry on postage stamps, paper money, and even sale ads were the kinds of things that Dad pointed out to me.

I loved the clip art in the grocery ads that Mom checked out each week. I knew the caricatures of bunnies and reindeer weren’t photos or paintings, but I couldn’t figure out what they were, artistically speaking. Nonetheless, I cut them out and glued them into a scrapbook just as my Victorian ancestors might have pasted trade cards into albums.

However, it wasn’t until I was nearly 30 that I discovered antique postcards. By then, I was fully committed to collecting china and glassware, but I still hadn’t noticed postcards at garage sales or flea markets. Ironically, I always bought postcards on my travels, but it didn’t occur to me that vintage ones existed, too.

Thankfully, a friend introduced me to the beauty and variety of antique postcards. We had planned an entire weekend of antiquing, and first on her agenda was the postcard show.

I had never been to a postcard sale before, so I didn’t know what to expect. My friend, however, brought enough cash and patience to keep us there for several hours.

She diligently stopped at each booth and asked about cats, horses, trains, and Halloween—the four categories that she and her husband collected. Then she pulled out a chair and sat down to look methodically through every one of these groups of cards. Then she changed chairs, so she could look through every card in every miscellaneous box.

At that point in my collecting “career,” I was used to walking from table to table and checking out a variety of wares. Sadly for us visual types, there often isn’t a lot to see at a postcard sale because the dealers organize their thousands of postcards in small cartons that look a lot like shoe boxes.

That means the sales tables all look pretty much alike—unless you take a seat and get comfortable. Then, there are wondrous sights to behold.

I only learned this after milling around for a couple of hours. Finally, and, I have to admit, out of boredom, I followed my friend’s lead and asked a dealer if any of the postcard might depict flowers, something I’ve always loved.

“Of course, there are cards with flowers,” he boomed. “What kind are you interested in,” he asked. “Bouquets? Gardens? Roses? Lilies? Or advertising cards—how about trade cards with pretty girls and bunches of posies?”

Initially overwhelmed by all the kinds of flowers I could consider on antique postcards, I blurted on the one that registered with me—roses. Mom loved roses; I loved roses, too, and I still do, so that was a fortuitous choice.

The dealer ushered me over to the box that had the “Flowers-Roses” tag and kindly pulled out a chair for me. Soon, I was lost in a rose bed of artistry.

Some antique cards had classically done renditions of lush, romantic roses. Vintage postcards had more stylized depictions of pink, red, and yellow blooms. Newer ones were made from color photos and showed the grandeur of places like the Hershey Rose Garden.

I was so engrossed that another hour or more went by as I decided if I preferred postcards with single blooms or full bouquets (both), pink roses or red ones (pinks), and just how many I should/could buy (more than I needed).

Eventually, it was my friend who was ready to leave and come looking for me.

She was buying for two (for herself and her husband), so she left with hundreds of postcards—and I mean hundreds. I might have left with only a dozen or so, but I had begun another collection—one that reflects all my father taught me about the artistry of printed materials.

Ever since, I’ve always managed to be selective and leave postcard shows with relatively few cards—even though I really don’t know why since I fully believe the more the merrier when it comes to collecting.

Perhaps next weekend when the local postcard show moves closer to town, I’ll finally become certifiable and leave with bags and bags of beautiful postcards.

I’ll be sure to try my best.

Patti
The Committed Collector

How about you? Do you like to pick up postcards as souvenirs of your travels? Are you among the few who actually send postcards to family and friends? If so, we’d love to hear from you—so please leave a comment.