Vintage Postcard Passion: Collector Topics

I inherited about 500 vintage postcards, most of them holiday, and some real photo. The fact that the cards contained family names, meant I had to keep them. I found myself doing research about the hobby of collecting and specific publishers and artists. It grew on me until my collection reached about 2000 cards--all of them antiques from the early 1900's.

I am not buying as many vintage postcards these days. Mostly I am spending time researching what I have. But my favorite way to buy vintage postcards is estate sales and untouched albums. If there's a gem inside an album, I want to discover it myself.

Although I've sold a few cards on eBay, I'm more of a collector and less of a dealer. But I appreciate the ability to go either way with this hobby. Maybe someday I'll part with some of my treasured antiques.

My favorite postcards to collect include holiday greeting postcards from the Golden Era, the early part of the 1900's. I enjoy the beautiful postcards of Frances Brundage the best, but the amazing children postcards of Ellen Clappsaddle are also favorites. I enjoy the vintage Santa cards in my collection too.

Although I have done some bidding on eBay, it's easy to get carried away. The same card might sell for double or half the week after you win a bid. So my advice is to know your values and watch for bargains. Consider shopping for vintage holiday cards a long ways from the actual holiday times.

Collecting Vintage Postcards

How to Determine the Age of Vintage Postcards

How Vintage Postcards are Graded

Shopping for Vintage Postcards

Top Ten Gift Ideas for Postcard Collectors

Re-Giving Vintage Postcards

Nearly every home in the early part of the 1900's participated in the sharing and receiving of postcards. People gave and received cards from relatives, friends, and businesses and they kept them in albums. It was a way of staying in touch, to strengthen relationships, to remember loved ones. Today we do the same thing with e-mails, text messeging, phones calls, and even snail mail.

These albums have remained in homes and attics for many years. Then as antique dealers, estate auctioneers, and collectors come across them, the albums are most often well-worn, but the antiques inside are still in pretty nice shape.

Most vintage postcards collected today date back to the early 1900's and into the mid to late 1920's.The most notable publishers include Raphael Tuck & Sons, International Art Publishing, and John Winsch. The most notable artists include Ellen Clappsaddle, Louis Wain, Samuel Schmuker, and Frances Brundage. But the cards that continue to be the most expensive paper collectibles are Halloween cards, which can sell from ten dollars to the hundreds and cards with children's faces. Santa Clause cards draw top prices too. But common holiday cards, where the view or picture is nothing unusual, continue to sell for between a dollar to five dollars each.

Vintage postcards have become collectible for a number of reasons. Here are three of them. Each card is a portrait of history, each card may be collectible for its featured artwork, message, or postmark, and vintage postcards are affordable antiques.

Collectible for Historic Reasons

A vintage postcard is a snapshot of a moment in time. It describes the culture of a nation, the latest fashion trends of the day, political attitudes, events of the early twentieth century, and inventions. It gives us a look at the era of a bygone time. A vintage postcard might reveal the sadness of a soldier's life and the cost of war, the attitude of the times, political positions, society values, and personal hopes and dreams.

These clues are found not only in the front picture, but also in the back message, the postmark, the stamp, and the address. One postcard can give a clue into the lives of both sender and receiver. And once in a while, a postcard reveals its sender or receiver as a famous individual. This discovery is all the more exciting.

Collectible for Featured Topic, Message, or Postmark

Collecting vintage postcards is a hobby that melds into other areas of collectibles. For example, a person who collects vintage model trains might collect vintage postcards of vintage locomotives. Likewise, a person who collects antique teddy bears might collect vintage postcards of teddy bears. And a local history buff might collect a specific vintage postcard for its pictorial view, its message that relates to bygone local events, or the postmark that recounts a certain local event.

Collectible for Their Affordability

How affordable are vintage postcards? This is a tough question. Rare vintage postcards can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Artist-signed postcards often cost between five dollars and several hundred dollars. But common vintage postcards, ones that fill most antique albums, ones most offered in lots on ebay or other auction sites are the quarter to dollar kind. Worth not more than a few bucks, the common vintage postcard is so affordable that almost anyone can afford a few.

Artist-ssigned vintage postcards, vintage postcards of well-known celebrities, vintage postcards of famous views or of real photography, and vintage postcards of everyday greetings are all available to the postcard collector. This leaves room for owning the ones that speak to a person's sense of nostalgia or to a person's affinity for a specific holiday or interest. That's the great thing about collecting vintage postcards. It caters to everyone's interests and everyone's pocketbook.

People commemorated the holidays with beautiful cheery postcards. Holiday cards from the more popular holidays are common and usually don't demand as high a price, unless the cards are rare or artist signed. But the more obscure holidays, like Halloween, those cards are the most difficult to find, and are more in demand. Not as many were published and this increases demand.

One pupular theme for collectors is Santa Claus, but these cards are often expensive and sometime hard to find. A new collector of Santa postcards might decide to start with Santa as a small image on the card, or start with a card that has some imperfections.

Although holiday cards are popular with collectors, so are view postcards, especially ones from hometowns or from places visited on vacation. Other collectors value the real photo cards. I have several of these and am intrigued with the history of the moment.

Vintage Postcard Collectors have the world at their feet. All a collector has to do is narrow down the theme and begin collecting. A wise collector is also a wise investor. These miniature pieces of historical art, continue to be valuable. For some reference books for postcard collectors, check out these titles

Whether you have one or hundreds of vintage postcards, you will want to store or display your treasure attractively and safely. Postcard racks, albums, frames, and display cases are the most common ways of displaying vintage postcards. But there are also unusual ways to display vintage postcards that are both interesting and beautiful. You will want to consider storage or displays that can be enjoyed by both you and your guests in your home, at your work, or in your place of business.

Postcard racks come in a variety of sizes, styles, and compositions. You can purchase business retail greeting card racks for on top of a counter, table, or floor that come in plastic, metal, or wood. These postcard racks come in free-standing models, wall-adherring models, and rotating-stand models. They can hold dozens, if not hundreds, of your vintage postcards for display.

Albums come in beautiful natural materials like leather and in less expensive fiber and synthetic materials. But the one thing you must be certain of when selecting a vintage postcard storage album is that your album is of archival quality. Your album and its pages should be acid-free and PVC-free to protect the integrity of your vintage postcards. You will also want very clear album pages to enhance viewing.

You can display vintage postcards individually or in multiples in postcard frames made of metal and glass. Again, be sure when you purchase frames to find reputable sellers who guarantee frame components are acid-free and safe for vintage paper collectibles. Another type of frame to consider is a wood frame with glass on both the front and back. This allows both the front and the back of the vintage postcard to be viewable.

Display cases offer one more way of displaying vintage postcards. Suitcase-like cases are most often made of aluminum with hinged lids and cloth interiors. Other display case types are made of wood or other metal. They have hinged doors of glass and are wall-mounted or free standing. Shadowbox cases and glass covered coffee table stands are both attractive display options that will bring attention to your favorite vintage postcards.

Finally, there are some unusual ways of displaying vintage postcards. Hard plastic postcard sleeves work well as holders for Christmas vintage postcards used as decorations. You can attach a ribbon hanger across the top of the frame for easy hanging on a tree, or you can hang multiple vintage postcards together with ribbon ties for a wall hanging. For another idea, stitch together soft postcard sleeves at the sides or top, enclosing vintage postcards. These can be attached together to form a container shape or left flat for hanging as a collage.

You can display your vintage postcards in a number of attractive and accessible ways. Arrange them on a rack or enclose your collection in a case or frame. The choices are many. Choose one that fits your needs and your decorating style.

The wonderful thing about giving an authentic vintage postcard is that it keeps on giving. The original message and intent of the vintage postcard not only earned its keep a hundred years ago, but it continues to be an expression when the card is re-given today. A vintage postcard makes a great current use message and gift idea because of its charm and authenticity. Plus, a vintage postcard hasn't been published recently; so few other people would have one just like it.

A great place to find vintage postcards is at an antique shop. Ask the dealer where they are kept and spend some time browsing the collection. Birthday vintage postcards are fairly inexpensive. Some cost as little as a quarter, and most are found for around a dollar. Although they are easily obtained at most antique shops, they can also be purchased online from auctions like eBay. Because birthday vintage postcards were so common and were produced in such quantities, they are still very easy to find and the selection is large.

From sweet little birds singing to shy deer in the woods, birthday vintage postcards continue to hold their charm. Some postcards say "Birthday" on the front, some offer warm wishes, but the message is clear. The receiver is to have a very special day, and the sender is remembering him or her fondly.

The front of the postcard isn't the only charm of a vintage postcard. The back of the postcard often reveals the names of original sender and receiver. In addition to the address part of the postcard,(if it's a divided-back postcard) there may also be a special message written by hand or typed. The message may also include reference to some historic event or to an important family event. Even the postage or cancellation mark may be remarkable.

Christmas vintage postcards make great re-gifting ideas. A vintage postcard can be placed into a hard postcard sleeve for protection, and a ribbon hanger can also be attached to the sleeve. Then the postcard can become a tree ornament or wall hanging. In addition, a vintage postcard can be given as a gift for use on a Christmas tree or for use as holiday decorating.

Thanksgiving vintage postcards make great centerpieces or table decorations around the holidays. Easter vintage postcards make great basket additions or party decorations. Halloween vintage postcards add to the festivities of any Halloween gathering, and sweet valentine postcards are a delight to receive, with or without a box of chocolates.

Finally, view vintage postcards make special gifts, especially if the view is of a place or time that has significance to the sender or receiver. The real photo vintage postcards are also charming, especially if the picture is of relatives, of collectible topics, or of certain significance to the sender or receiver.

Consider giving vintage postcards as current greetings or as gifts. Vintage postcard antiques make wonderful, thoughtful seasonal gifts, they show creativity in gift-giving, and they are a unique way to save trees and go green.

Vintage Postcard collectors are enamored with the art of Frances Brundage. Her pieces are some of the most collectible. They continue to increase in value and demand some of the best prices. Here's why.

Frances Brundage was a proficient and highly prolific illustrator whose career as an artist lasted for 65 years. Most noted for her wide-eyed children, Fances Bundage's work is seen on postcards, in books, and even on paper dolls. Born in 1854, this American artist continued to be a popular artist well into the twentieth century. This picture is an example of her work.

For more about Frances Brundage, her life and her art, I recommend this link.

(c)copyright, 2008