How To Find the Best Deals on Collectible Postcards

In my experience the best deals on collectible postcards are found at auctions, specifically art auctions. One day I stopped by an art auction in Dallas, Texas to shop for some paintings but instead I discovered a large amount of antique collectible postcards. I purchased a giant collection of postcards which consisted of about four thousand cards.

In this large collection almost 20 percent of the post cards were pre-linen. This means that all of these pre-linen cards were created before 1930. Approximately 40 percent of the collection was linen cards. Linen postcards were created between 1930 and 1945.

Finally, the remaining 40 percent of the postcards were chrome collectibles. These cards were created sometime between 1950 and 1960. I also discovered some collectible postcards from a special British museum series.

It took a long time to sort all of the postcards but I finally did it. My favorite postcards were the ones that were designed for holidays. Christmas cards and Valentine's Day cards were especially my favorite as they all featured very nice artwork and messages. I was extremely lucky that my purchase of collectible postcards were so wide-range.

It is very pleasing to find collectible postcards at art auctions. Most of the time, the auctioneer does not really know the true value of the cards. Their lack of knowledge can really work in your favor. I have purchased some amazing collections at very low prices. It is important to be able to distinguish between the different types of postcards like pre-linen, linen and chrome.

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How To Get Into The Hobby Of Collectible Postcards

One hobby that may be underrated is that of collecting postcards. Collecting postcards, especially vintage postcards or those from another country can be educational, fun, and financially rewarding as well. You will be amazed at some of the places that collectible postcards may be found. The most valuable of these are those that were made before 1930 which are called "pre-linen" Cards from that time to the mid 1940s are also in demand. One place to find postcards like these is art auctions.

Another time period that features some relatively valuable collectible postcards is the period from the 50s and 60s, many of which were very brightly colored and were the first to make use of what was known of as the "chrome technology" in printing. Surfing was really popular during the latter part of this period and one can find a diverse collection of postcards from Hawaii and California featuring surfing.

Another great category of postcards are those that were sent for holidays which were made back in the early 1900s. These old cards that depicted things like Santa Claus for Christmas and romantic depictions for the celebration of Valentine's Day. These old postcards often have very detailed and colorful artwork which is why they are in demand as collectibles.

Personally, I like collecting postcards from all over the world. It is so interesting to see how different cultures depict certain things and also the differences in artistic interpretation. As an avid surfer it is fun to me to get postcards from some of the many surf spots we travel to in locations such as Indonesia, Costa Rica, Panama, and of course Hawaii. You can do the same with whatever hobby or interests you may have and collect postcards from countries you visit. Of course one doesn't have to go to a country in order to get the postcards, you can always pick them up on eBay as well or as mentioned you can find them at art auctions. You may be lucky enough to find some at estate sales or even yard sales.

Unless one is very well versed and trained in the art of collecting postcards they may have no idea of how valuable the items may be and in the case of buying them at art auctions they are usually not even announced as part of the available items for sale. This is great for you if you are knowledgeable since you will be able to reap the benefits of knowing what the postcards are actually worth and potentially pick up a great collection for pennies on the dollar.

If you want to get into a fun and very educational hobby then collecting postcards may be for you and if you have children they may find it fun as well.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about collecting postcards as well as postcard collectibles at http://www.actionfiguresandcollectibles.com