A Look at the History of Postcards

One of the most important innovations was the introduction of Uniform Penny Post in Great Britain in 1840. Before that, it was the distance the mailman had to travel that determined the price for shipping a letter. And what's worse, the recipient had to pay for receiving the letter. Of course this led to many letters that were refused by the recipients, at the cost of the Postal Office. Rownload Hill came up with the solution, that letters should be charged based on their weight, and not the distance the mailman had to travel. And the fee was to be collected in advance from the sender.

Dr. Heinrich von Stephan was the inventor of the postcard. Dr. Heinrich von Stephan was a German postal official. Although the invention appeared in Germany, they were not the first ones to introduce the postcards on the market. Austria was the pioneer, they introduced the first commercial postcards in 1869, and only a year later, in July 1870, would Germany follow. The postcards was an instant success, and it rapidly spread across both Europe and North America. Printing technology was responsible for the great artistic innovations in the postcard's design. The postcard became a quick way to send your family or friends a snapshot of the surroundings. The initial appearance of picture postcards raised a bunch of legal issues. Copyright issues that resemble the ones we have on the Internet.

Technology innovation lead to reduction of costs. Postcards are the most popular and economical means of personal communication. You can find cheap postcards virtually anywhere in the world today.

The formal name in the US for postcard collecting is Deltiolgy and is one of the largest collectible hobbies in the world today. The popularity can be attributed to the broad subject appeal they confer. Almost all subjects you can imagine have been portrayed, somewhere, sometime, on a postcard. For more information of souvenirs and presents you can check this site: grand gifts ideas.

Popular War Postcard

Postcards have long been an important part of our society. From sending endearing messages to love ones to being use in drawing in new customers, these humble cards have almost became a staple in communication. But before the modern postcardsbecame popular and widespread, there is one type of post card that became widely popular during World War I--the embroidered silk post cards.

Originally, embroidered silk postcards were made in the 1900 for the Paris Exposition. But it was only during World War I that these post cards became utterly popular. The Belgian and French nuns were the first to produce these cards and sold them to soldiers to be sent to their loved ones back home. The first post cards were initially made from strips of silk mesh woven by the hand. Once completed, the strips were cut and mounted to the post card.

But as the cards became popular, the demand for it raised that creating them by hand was no longer appropriate. Eventually, machine operated looms were created to hasten the process. This machine is able to use 6 colors of thread allowing for creating post cards in colorful ensemble. That time, embroidered cards were s lucrative that people would do everything to invest in a machine just to manufacture post cards.

These embroidered silk post cards basically come in two formats:

1. Panel style -- in this type of format, an embroidered mesh in rectangular form is fastened to the card.

2. Envelope style -- the card has a panel where when opened reveals a card insert.

Back then, many subjects were highlighted in the post cards. In fact, the design of these embroidered cards came in 3 phases:

Phase 1. Hearts and flowers. The first design of post cards was simple. These were basically the pre-war designs so most of them were focused on colorful and lively hearts and flowers. These days, many post cards still have flowers as postcard templates. Well, who would not want an enchanting post card of bluebirds or pansies placed on top of your desk? They would surely be refreshing to look at.

Phase 2. Patriotic post cards. These cards basically emerged during the war. Most of the designs had patriotic messages embroidered in them to show loyalty and pride to the nation. With the patriotic cards and the pre-war cards, the card format mostly had flaps where the message is inserted. The common patrons of these cards were soldiers. Many of the card design have the same sentiments, only the flag of the soldiers were changed.

Phase 3. Regimental Badge Cards. This type of design was very popular during the war. But because they are personalized, they are somewhat pricey. Even today, these types of post cards are less common, and you need to pay high price if you want to get one for your collection.

When the war ended, the embroidered silk cards became less popular, perhaps because they evoked unpleasant feeling to the soldiers and their families. With war only a part of the past, tourism took off, making people want for views of landscapes and places much better than war cards. This caused many post card makers to go out of business. But those who continued shifted from post card making to producing strips of embroidered clothing and linen.

Visit this site to read more about postcards and postcard templates

How To Protect Vintage Paper Collectibles

If you either own or have inherited old paper materials such as postcards, brochures, letters, greeting cards, tickets, pamphlets, trade cards, tobacco cards, calendars or other related items, it is important to care for them properly. Even newer paper collectibles, such as all the really cute drawings your children do in school, need to be protected if you hope to turn them into treasured momentos that you can cherish for years to come.

In the antiques business, these items are referred to as “ephemera.” Ephemera is written material that was only designed to be temporary. For example, once a greeting card, letter or a postcard was received and read, it was expected that it would be discarded. Even though it was suppose to be transitory, people began to save such items as souvenirs or remembrances for sentimental reasons.

When someone passed away, these old reminders of special occasions or special events were handed down to the next generation as part of that person’s estate. After the passage of so many years, much of the artwork and many of the graphics that appear on some of these materials are now considered valuable.

Collecting vintage ephemera is very popular today but a lot of it is quite fragile so caution needs to be taken when either handling it or storing it. With proper care, hopefully it will be around for generations to come. Only true experts in this field have the extensive knowledge needed to successfully stop the aging process or to restore these materials. The basic recommendations listed below are a beginning and will go along way toward maintaining the present condition of any ephemera pieces you may have.

1. If you have postcards in albums, they should be removed. Cards should be separated with pieces of acid-free paper and they should be stored upright on their edges. Stacking them on top of each other could cause damage to cards that are embossed.

2. When postcards or other paper materials are stacked on their edges within a space, and they do not completely fill that space, be sure to use some sort of stabilizers or separators to keep the postcards and other paper materials in a straight up and down position. You do not want the materials to “slump” which can cause curling or bending.

3. Paper materials should be stored in a temperature of 75 degrees or less. Also, too much or too little humidity is not good.

4. Next to fire, sunlight is the biggest enemy of paper materials. It is best to keep your materials in a dark, dry and cool place such as a fireproof cabinet.

5. Do not eat or drink anywhere near your collection. Spillage of any kind could be devastating.

6. Dirt and dust can cause discoloration and even scratches so use a soft brush to dust materials.

7. Rodents and insects are attracted to some of the ingredients in paper. Even if they don’t eat away at the paper, although they probably will, droppings will leave permanent stains.

8. Try to handle your materials by holding the edges unless you wear gloves. If you handle the paper too much, the oils in your skin will slowly cause erosion.

9. If you must attach a piece of ephemera to something else only use linen or paper tape and never put the tape on the front.

If you are a dealer and are selling ephemera, you probably do not have any pieces in your possession long enough to warrant taking these steps but if you have your own personal collection, it could be worth your while.

Some of these suggestions may not sound all that important but following them over the course of 10, 20 or 30 years can have a dramatic effect on the longevity of these heirlooms. Remember you can never replace theses wonderful old collectibles – time is their enemy. Do what is necessary to protect them.

Anne Benedetto is a former auction house owner and former dealer in the antiques and collectibles business. She presently provides people with important details, behind the scenes information, helpful tips and first hand knowledge of the brick and mortar auction business. Visit Anne at http://AuctionHouseTalk.com which is an interactive site where interested people can talk about the ins and outs of auctions, antiques and collectibles.

What Are Postcards Worth ?

Top-of-the-range types include Art Nouveau, cards featuring the Titanic and the best examples of photographic social history. Transport is a popular theme - Railways, Shipping, Trams, Motoring and Motor Racing - and prices here can range from a few pounds to fifty or sixty.

Experience and the use of a good catalogue helps collectors sort out the most desirable items.

Examples of subjects you might come across on cards,
with likely prices you would expect to pay (in pounds sterling), include:

Edwardian actresses.......£1.00
Royalty.......£2.00
Ships.......£3.50
Photographic Dogs and Cats.......£1.50
Churches.......£2.50
Local Railway Stations (pre 1950).......£35.00
Embroidered Silks (WW1).......£4.00

A large number of enthusiasts look for 'Topo', postcards showing street scenes and social life in bygone days. Usually of their own locallity or perhaps places they have lived. Many people will collect any scenes which evoke fond memories of visits to that location. 

Here the value of a card is in direct proportion to its scarcity: city centre scenes can be worth pence, while village views, of which only a few copies were orignally published by a local photographer, rate much more highly.
Anything from 10 or 20p for common (usually printed views) of well visited locations ie cathedrals, holiday resorts, to several pounds for village and town street scenes. Particularly well animated 'real photographic' views which may fetch £20.00 upwards.

In fact, 90% of postcards, no matter how old, fall into a price bracket ranging from pence to five pounds.Cards that sell cheaply include the categories of relatively modern issues, art reproductions, deckle-edged greeetings cards, scenic views that have changed little and poorly printed comics.
Most collectors are searching for more interesting village, town or city scenes, or themes represented on cards. The excitement for them is in finding elusive cards that add to their collections.

Whether or not the card has passed through the post does not normally have any bearing on its value, but stamps and postmarks can add interest to a card. Good condition is a must however - creases and bent corners etc. render many cards worthless.

The bulk of surviving old postcards are from the 'Golden Age' period (1902-18) and may only be worth a few pence. Cards from pre 1902, often distinguishable by the lack of a 'divided back', are certainly rarer and are worth from a few pounds upwards but are not eagerly sought after by todays collectors, who in general are more interested in the picture content. Postally used cards from the early postcard years (1894 onwards) are quite collectable however.

One of the main attractions of the Postcard Collecting hobby is that the subject is so vast that you can gain expertise in your favourite category in a short space of time. Even relative beginners are capable of discovering extremely rare cards in their own chosen specialised field. The variety of subjects to collect is so immense that nobody could possibly become familiar with all of them, therefore it is fairly easy to become an expert in your own chosen speciality with a modest investment of time in research

Postcard Magic

No hobby quite compares with collecting postcards in the way it caters for all interests. Whether you're a football fan, mad about the royal family, keen on local history, a railway buff or a student of ornithology, picture postcards offer you a marvellous stimulus for your hobby. And for those merely nostalgic and interested in the events and fashions of the past century, the postcard encapsulates it all.

Postcards are fascinating and collectable in lots of different ways. Each example is a snapshot of the past: a moment, a slice of social history, frozen in time. Every postcard that has gone through the post tells you a little bit about its place in the bygone world. The picture, stamp, postmark, message and address are part of the life of two people - the sender and the recipient - in the past. Few collectors are lucky enough to find a postcard written by a famous person, but many writers referred to current events in their messages.

Postcards provide a panorama of the events of the twentieth century: coronations, sporting confrontations, horrific accidents, local fetes, great exhibitions, world wars. They show the development of rail, road, sea and air transport. They feature actresses, bishops, politicians, cricketers and pier divers - anyone who might be newsworthy and heroic. National firms like Raphael Tuck of London and Valentine of Dundee published cards of countrywide interest, while in every town and city were local photographers who recorded all the interesting events of the day and published them as picture postcards. So a photograph of the annual sports in a village could be mailed anywhere in Britain - or, indeed, the world - to friends and relatives. The local railway station, cinema, colliery, church or school, and every street in the place, would appear on a card - anything that was part of a community was a likely subject for publishers to use.

Some of the world's best-known serious and comic artists of the early 20th century had their work featured on postcards, including art nouveau exponents Alphonse Mucha and Raphael Kirchner. In Britain, Mabel Lucie Attwell's children, Alfred Quinton's landscapes, Louis Wain's cats, Tom Browne's ordinary people, and Donald McGill's henpecked husbands can all be found on cards.

With such a wide choice of subjects to collect, there really is plenty to suit anyone's pocket. Even some cards a century old can cost just pence, though the best street scenes attract prices in excess of £20. Special subject cards - Titanics, suffragettes and football teams - can rate over £100, while more mundane themes - flowers, churches and country views - can be bought cheaply. Age doesn't always provide an indication of expense, either, for a card from the 1970's may sell for more than one from the Edwardian era. Whatever their subject or price, however, postcards can be fascinating, stimulating, and educational - but they never fail to interest.