Postcards

Will your postcard become a collector's item?

Deltiology - postcard collecting is a hobby pursued with as much enthusiasm and fanaticism as garnered by stamp and coin collectors the world over. 

At a London Stamp Exchange auction in 2002 a postcard that writer Theodore Hook had sent himself in 1840, set a world record for the most expensive postcard ever sold. The hand-tinted card that featured a caricature of the postal service of the day was bought by Eugene Gomberg from Latvia for a grand total of £31,758.75.

Postcards have come a long way since the early advertising cards, which first appeared in the 1870s. Up until the 1890s most postcards had ‘undivided backs' - they did not have a line going down the centre. It was not until 1907 that it was legal to write on the address side of the post card. As photography became more accessible, real photo cards really started taking off in the early 1900s.

By 1908 a population of approx. 88,000, 000 in the USA mailed over 677,777,798 postcards.

In an era where the majority of our communications are conducted digitally, the joy of receiving an imaginatively designed, beautifully produced postcard in the mail is a rare thing, and all the more appreciated for it.  

Today, with such a range of papers, print options, finishes and effect available, we are spoilt for choice. For anyone out there thinking about postcards as a way of connecting with your clients, I would encourage you to take a step back from all the marketing ‘noise' and take a look at the wonderful history of the postcard and the impact that it continues to have. You will be inspired.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1862284.stm