Start Collecting Antique Postcards
Antique postcards are a lot like a looking glass into the past. The images captured on antique postcards often reflect the clothing, technology and architecture of bygone days and can be both historic and beautiful. If you are looking for something to start collecting antique postcards may be just the thing for you. Here are some tips on how to get started collecting antique postcards.
Most people who collect postcards like to stick to a theme. If you decide to collect postcards around a central theme choose a theme that interests you.
You may want to consider trains, automobiles, buildings, nature amusement parks or fashion postcards, just to name a few. You can certainly also collect antique postcards without sticking to a theme as well, so don’t feel limited if you can’t choose a theme.
Before you start buying postcards for your collection you should do some reading on antique postcards and their value.
There are many books and magazines published specifically about collecting postcards and they can give you a good idea of what to look for, what certain postcards are worth and some things to watch for when you do start shopping.
Try checking with your local library to see if they carry any postcard collecting books. If not, either head to your local bookstore or order a reference book online. As you start building your collection you will find the information in the book quite helpful.
There are a couple of great benefits to choosing to collect antique postcards over other types of collections. First, they are relatively inexpensive to get started with so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to develop a pretty nice sized collection. Plus, they are small and easy to store so your entire house won’t become overrun with your postcard collection.
Once you have some basic knowledge and a plan of action in mind it is time to get down to the fun part of collecting antique postcards - finding them! Some great places to find antique postcards include antique shops, vintage stores, thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales or estate sales.
Hunting down antique postcards can be tricky because they are usually tucked away in the corner of a booth or stuck in a shoebox that may not be easy to see. However, nothing is quite as fun as the excitement of finding a great box of old postcards, so it is well worth looking around for them.
To date postcards look for a postmark on them. Handwritten dates may or may not be accurate, but for the most part postal stamps are and can be a great way to help you date the card.
Most of all have fun with your collecting. Most postcards are made of paper, but you can also find them made of wood, metal or a number of other materials. These gems can be a great addition to your collection when you find them
Comments
Leave a Reply