Why Postcards Are the Ultimate Collectible

This is the first in a two-part series on postcard collecting. Next issue will focus on its history.

That coins, stamps and baseball cards are the most popular collectibles is not surprising, but few would guess the next most in-demand item – postcards.

In fact, in the average antique store, more people browse the postcard displays than those of any other collectible. The postcard’s seeming universal appeal is probably due to a combination of factors – the diversity of subjects they capture, the convenient size and generally low cost.

What else can you buy that is often as much as 100 or so years old, has an interesting image or graphics, is usually dated by a postmark attesting to its age, and costs only a few dollars?

The collecting of postcards even has its own name – “deltiology” – derived from the Greek word for “writing tablet.”

Postcards are most often collected by subject. "View cards" – those showing images of cities, towns and geographical features, are among the most popular. They provide a record of streets, buildings and scenes that probably do not look the same today. Many collect views of their home town.

Historical cards show events current at the time, such as World’s Fairs, state and local fairs, people at work, parades and political events.

Real photo postcards hold a special attraction because they generally capture images in higher detail than view cards and offer more true-to-life accuracy. An exception is the real photo postcards containing exaggerations as in the accompanying illustration – they capture the spirit of humor in American life.

Art cards, the craft work of skilled artists who signed their work, are highly sought after and often collected by artist name. Comic cards, most of which are hand-drawn, are capsules of humor while novelty cards are often mechanical in nature – hold-to-light or made of unusual material such as leather or wood.

Printed with permission. West Suburban Living magazine May/June 2006.

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