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As some of you know, I enjoy mailing vintage postcards, sometimes trying my best to mimic the old writing style and using vintage (but still good) postage stamps. So this article in the NYT caught my eye: Dated 1920, a Postcard Finally Gets Delivered I thought the explanation was simple, that someone recently dropped the 100-year-old card into a mailbox, but perhaps it was found under that old sink in the back room of the postoffice, and was simply tossed into outgoing mail.
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Thanks, I love reading messages on old post cards. There's a guy in the Phila pen group and he keeps threatening to bring his collection of old post cards that I'd love to see. Given the pandemic, not likely to happen, sadly.
This house in Belding is still there, just outside Grand Rapids, MI. Looks like the typical small, Midwestern town.
You beat me to it, Fred. Just saw this article in my news feeds and thought you'd appreciate it. I posted it and then found you already posted this. [emoji16]
You got me into vintage postcards, by the way. I've been using blank ones for Postcrossing and collecting used ones.
It's kind of fun seeing what sorts of locations warranted a postcard back in the day. ("Greetings from some random little town's curve in the road!" --I'm not even kidding).
Even more fascinating is seeing the variety of handwriting and inks (or pencil) used. I was thinking about posting some of them in case folks want to take a gander.
Back to the article, I really wished we had a resolution to this story because I'm curious to know more or at least know that the postcard arrived in the hands of a descenant.
I love the old Post Cards and have searched Antique Stores to no avail............Etsy seems to have a few and ebay is to high.
Takes me back to another time...........an art preserved!!
They don't seem to be very available here either. However, I remember Fred buying a large number not that long ago. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by wingwiper
In more established retail antique stores, it's too late and the cards are marked a dollar and up. Go early to the antiques markets where the wholesalers are. I posted this example before of a find at a well-known antiques market in Pennsylvania, frequented weekly by antiques dealers to buy their inventory. This storage bin full of cards resulted in thousands at 3¢ each after culling unusable cards. They must have come from a dealer, because most were marked $1 or more in pencil, and many were in plastic sleeves. I am not going down the postcard rabbit hole and worry what they "might be worth." Used postcards with interesting handwriting are tucked in with letters to pen friends, and the remaining used cards are given away, typically on my pen show table for pen people to browse through (they sometimes buy a nearby pen).Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrissy
Paper is heavy; I could hardly carry it to my car:
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In the wee hours of the morning:
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I've been getting mine from an eBay seller who sells lots of 50 for $10. Usually there's around 1/2 to 2/3 unused.
I'm not even sure if we have wholesaler antique markets out here like Fred describes but would rather spend a little more for the convenience of not searching in person.
The thing is, I could wake up as early as I can, I still won't find a box full of vintage/antique postcards in any "flea-market" nearby. Here in North Texas where I live, most of the stuff you see are just uninteresting junk from a decade or two ago, or uninteresting junk from the present :)Quote:
Originally Posted by FredRydrIn more established retail antique stores, it's too late and the cards are marked a dollar and up. Go early to the antiques markets where the wholesalers are. I posted this example before of a find at a well-known antiques market in Pennsylvania, frequented weekly by antiques dealers to buy their inventory. This storage bin full of cards resulted in thousands at 3¢ each after culling unusable cards. They must have come from a dealer, because most were marked $1 or more in pencil, and many were in plastic sleeves. I am not going down the postcard rabbit hole and worry what they "might be worth." Used postcards with interesting handwriting are tucked in with letters to pen friends, and the remaining used cards are given away, typically on my pen show table for pen people to browse through (they sometimes buy a nearby pen).Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrissy
Paper is heavy; I could hardly carry it to my car:
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I'm sure that even if I wake up in the middle of the night I'll never find a stash like that anywhere in this country.
I just bought a charming vintage postcard from Etsy which I’ll copy in order to produce my own Christmas postcards. It’s probably not the most economical source but they had exactly what I wanted.
How interesting. :) Do you scan the image or take a photo of it?Quote:
Originally Posted by VertOlive
I simply copy it on my printer, cut the copy to size, and apply a postcard backing. You’ll see one sometime toward December in your mail box.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrissyHow interesting. :) Do you scan the image or take a photo of it?Quote:
Originally Posted by VertOlive
Thank you for that. :) :angel: I have tried printing a photograph or cutting out something interesting from a magazine and sticking it onto a piece of card, but only ever used plain card without the postcard backing.Quote:
Originally Posted by VertOliveI simply copy it on my printer, cut the copy to size, and apply a postcard backing. You’ll see one sometime toward December in your mail box.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrissyHow interesting. :) Do you scan the image or take a photo of it?Quote:
Originally Posted by VertOlive