Archive for the ‘Post Card’ Category

Being Part Of A Postcard Club

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

The only way to keep up with the latest about Post Card is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Post Card, it won’t take long for you to become an influential authority.

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.

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

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!

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
- Do you want to make Your PDF files viral? Use This Secret Viral PDF Rebrander: Viral PDF

Postcards And Memories Of Traveling The USA

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Are we there yet? Everyone remembers those long family vacations which inadvertently someone asked that question. Family after family has stumbled across the unexpected treasures and comical gems that comprise America’s tourist traps. Decade after decade families have used souvenir postcards to share their discoveries with friends and family. Destinations like national parks, world’s fairs and scenic wonders, along with side attractions from Indian teepees to alligator farms. They have all been commemorated on postcards now beloved by collectors.

Many of the cards reflect on travel and tourism in this country and are especially intriguing if the travelers who bought them had a flexible schedule and allowed themselves to be drawn off the road to see something special.
The attraction could have been a cave, a wood carver, a dinosaur park or maple syrup farm where they have the opportunity to watch the making of the sap to the syrup.

Or maybe it was cars driving through tunnels cut in big trees in the West Coast forests. These postcards may indicate an environmental unawareness on the part of the average motorist of the time but some of them give a glimpse into the evolution of American cars. They show the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s models going through the same tree. The earliest card is dated 1915.

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.

Of course states, towns and cities have long used postcards to advertise themselves. A lot of the time in the most creative, colorful and amusing ways. An entire genre of cards featuring gigantic produce, fish and animals to boast of a region’s greatness has augmented the nations store of folk humor since the beginning of the century.
Years ago, magazines and newspapers used few illustrations and small town publications did not use any before about 1915. There was no radio or TV and few telephones so postcards filled that void. The album of postcards was the mainstay of the parlor. A great find for any collector today would be to uncover someone’s grandma’s postcard album in a trunk up in the attic.

Major disasters such as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake were popular subjects for postcards. Tourists collected and sent them to the folks back home to let them know what had happened.

While traveling it was easy for you to get a card and a one-cent stamp and then write a note to your family to let them know you had arrived safely and that would put your loved ones at ease. A picture was worth the a thousand words and postcards were popular with people who were not particularly literate. The diversity of the postcards found along the journey proves traveling the roads of America was quite an adventure which still brings much delight today to the beginner and most advid collectors.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
- Do you want to make Your PDF files viral? Use This Secret Viral PDF Rebrander: Viral PDF

Early 4th Of July Postcards

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Post Card, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Post Card.

Early 20th-century postcards manufactured for the Fourth of July were very popular. Thousands of colorful cards featured such themes as Uncle Sam, the augmentin 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 buy produced an imaginative series of Fourth of July cards.

If you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Make sure you get the whole Post Card story from informed sources.

“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.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
- Do you want to make Your PDF files viral? Use This Secret Viral PDF Rebrander: Viral PDF

Postcards From The Past

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

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.

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.

See how much you can learn about Post Card when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don’t miss out on the rest of this great information.

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.

When word gets around about your command of Post Card facts, others who need to know about Post Card will start to actively seek you out.

About the Author
Have you downloaded Anders’ latest information for adsense publishers yet? Download these new fresh sites from this all new website, called Adsense Ready Sites

Sought After Postcards

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Post Card. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Post Card.

Always remember first, because old post card collecting is such an expansive subject, there are few experts. That puts you in the middle of the runners before you’ve even started the race. Secondly, remember there are millions of cards out there on virtually every subject. Many have been priced in a hurry and without knowledge. They show up at all the same flea markets, garage sales, shops and auctions you go to. You can have fun collecting old post cards perhaps even make money in the hobby. Begin by understanding because there’s such a wide variety of postcards that they are collected and valued by category. Here’s a few postcard categories much sought after by collectors. It’s easy to understand why. Price averages are for early cards in good condition.

1. Artist Signed – Just as you’d be proud to hang a signed painting by Howard Chandler Christy, Thomas Kinkade, Kate Greenaway or Frederick Remington, so we should with singed postcards. Less famous of course, but equally prized postcard artists signed by Rose O’Neil, Charles Twelvetrees and many others can be recognized by their talent. Appraise postcards as you appraise art.

2. Mechanical and Hold up to the Light- People love gadgets. Occasionally, an old postcard is found with moving parts or a special message revealed when held up to light or even heat. Other varieties of Novelty cards are also collected.

3. Advertising – These cards draw the collectors: Coca-Cola, S & H Green Stamps, International Harvester, Bell Telephone, Expo’s and Fairs, etc.. Interesting small business ads like, “Dr. Keating’s Wooden Legs,” are also coveted.

4. Pioneer – Rare early Souvenir, Mail or Correspondence Cards with US Postal markings dating from 1861 to May 19, 1898.

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.

5. View Cards – A majority of cards published in the United States are view or picture cards. Most valued are pre W.W.I cards with real brown-shaded sepia photos.
Later to come would be the color photo prints. Interesting shots are much more valuable than boring ones but then again that is in the eye of the beholder. What kind of views are interesting? Famous people, early aviation, trains & depots, Indians, disaster scenes, occupational and bird’s-eye-views, etc..

6. Holiday Post Cards – Halloween, Thanksgiving, 4th of July and Saint Patrick’s Day cards were not produced in great numbers like Christmas Cards. Christmas Cards are still very valuable especially if the picture is of an old fashioned Saint Nick in a coat of green, blue, or white compared with what is common today.

7. Political Cards – Like advertising postcards, political cards bring a new category of collector into the market. One card featuring Uncle Sam scolding a baseball uniformed Teddy Roosevelt for having already batting twice would definitely attract collectors.

8. By Manufacturer – Rapheal Tuck and Sons are probably most famous. Early examples have a tiny easel in the corner on the picture side. Later cards will have Tuck’s name or that of his brands: Oilette, Charmette, Raphotype, Rapholette, and Aquarette.

It never hurts to be well-informed with the latest on Post Card. Compare what you’ve learned here to future articles so that you can stay alert to changes in the area of Post Card.





Search