Collecting Vintage Postcards

It all started when I inherited my grandmother's vintage postcard album. I fell in love with the miniature pieces of antique art, the faded colors and aged designs. I was hooked and so began my vintage postcard collecting. As a collector I am drawn to the holiday greeting cards and advertising cards of the early 1900's.

Millions exchanged postcards during this time known as the "Golden Era" of postcards. Much as e-mail and telephone are used today, people used postcards to make contact and send greetings. Some of the postcards were beautifully crafted, while others were just common. Better publishers employed the best artists of the era, publishers like John Winsch and Raphael Tuck.

Many of the artist-signed postcards are breathtaking, beautiful beyond compare. Pictures of wide-eyed children, gorgeous ladies, cute animals dressed for the occasion, and fantasy creations found their way onto postcards.

There are several types of postcards a new collector might consider including view, topical, and real photo postcards. Many of the view cards are of public places, but occasionally, a rare card offers a glimpse of early days in a certain local. The real photos describe the era so well, since average people could make and send real photos of common everyday events or of the not so common.

For the beginning collector, holiday cards are a great place to start collecting. They are plentiful and can be obtained for as little as a dime, although some may cost as much as hundreds each. New collectors should consider unsigned cards because most unsigned vintage postcards are reasonably priced. Collectors might expect to pay much more for an artist-signed card.

Many online merchants sell vintage postcards at a set price. But before purchasing vintage postcards for a collection, it is wise for the new collector to decide on an area or topic of interest and learn all he or she can about the topic. Later, when the collector has a better working knowledge of the topic, he or she can invest in quality pieces rather than hundreds of ordinary postcards.

I purchased many of my postcards on eBay and I have sold a few there too. For most collectors, it's usually easier to obtain new pieces, than it is to part with older ones. Fortunately, vintage postcards don't take up that much space in a home, and the miniature pieces of art can be appreciated by all.