Collecting postcards was at the height of its popularity in the early twentieth century. Fortunately, many of these old treasures were stored in family albums and are still available to today’s collectors. Once again, collecting postcards has become a popular hobby, especially those early postcards that give a historical background to the collection you’re passionate about.

Thematic Collecting

Thematic collecting refers to those collections that are not necessarily of one item, such as postcards, stamps, coins, railway memorabilia, dolls and all those other collectible items. Thematic collections are assembled according to a theme. Popular themes include railways, shipping, dogs, cats, lighthouses, hats, specific sports and all manner of other interesting things. It’s said that everything is collectible and once a person has more than two of something it has become a collection and the owner has become a collector. It is very easy to get hooked into thematic collecting.

Why postcards?

Why are postcards such a popular addition to growing collections? Probably because no matter what the subject you’re interested in, there are usually postcards to supplement your collection. And, supplementing is what I’m talking about. The postcards need not be the major focus of your collection, but an additional source of information and visual material, often dating back a hundred years or so. Even modern postcards are produced with the thematic collector in mind.

Postcards are relatively cheap to collect, compared with some other items you may have assembled in your collection. They take up little space and can be used for display alongside a model or the real thing.

Postcards capture a whole range of situations. Real photograph postcards are keenly sort after, as they depict a moment in time and often a reference to a social situation or occasion. Railway stations are a popular theme, as are sporting teams, actresses, children, animals and transport postcards.

Artist drawn postcards are also keenly sought after. These place the item, animal or person in an interesting situation and are often a social commentary of the times. Popular artist themes produced in postcards are country and village scenes, flowers, teddy bears, dolls, golfing or other sporting activities and animals, especially dogs, cats, horses and donkeys. Some publishing firms, such as Tuck’s specialized in artist drawn postcards.

Enhance your collection

If you haven’t already done so, why not consider the value you can add to your collection by enhancing it with postcards. They range in price from very cheap to rather expensive, depending on what you are after. Even then, some postcards, such as those of the ship Titanic, have cheaper modern reprint postcards that can be purchased.

Look online for postcard dealers, many of whom specialize in thematic collecting. Internet auctions are another good source, as are stamp dealers and local collectible fairs.

Whatever you decide, collecting postcards on your favorite theme can be a fun, time consuming and rewarding hobby.