Sadly, many of the postcard fairs that we used to take for granted are no longer with us and collectors have to locate antique postcards for sale from other sources. The hobby of collecting old postcards has seen significant change of the last 20-years as the Internet took hold. Some dealers stopped doing fairs and either focus on selling from online auction websites or from their own dedicated website.
Nothing can replace the feeling of attending an antique postcard fair in person. The travelling down to the fair which could be a few hundred miles away would not deter the seasoned postcard collector. Often they would be rewarded because they are the only collectors searching for a specific area or subject. There is always the excitement and anticipation during the long drive to fairs and that is what makes them so worthwhile.
You don’t know who you are going to meet and more importantly, what postcard gems you are going to uncover to add to your collection. The excitement builds up as you take your place in the queue and a quick check of the watch tells you the doors are about to open. Every handful of postcards you search through could hold that postcard you have been searching for. That elusive postcard you know exists because you have seen it in books but it has never been discovered at a fair or auction. This is the magical feeling you can only get attending postcard fairs in person.
Buying from online action websites certainly has it’s advantages and disadvantages. These online auction websites get massive traffic and when you do find a real gem of a postcard the chances that only you saw it are very remote. When two determined bidders fight for a postcard I find it quite exciting but also a little sad. I’ve seen £20.00 postcards go through the £200 barrier so many times. Crazy money and the buyer will never get their money back in their lifetime.
But they are happy to pay ‘over the odds’ just to secure it and add it to their collection. I remember I was chasing a postcard and was prepared to be aggressive for it. A postcard I have never seen before and 40-years is a long time. I put in my bid which was rejected instantly so I just sat back and see what the hammer price was. The funny thing is, this same postcard turned up a few weeks later on a ‘buy it now’ for a fraction of the price so I snapped it up.
Antique postcards like London buses, absolutely nothing and then two come along together. You couldn’t make it up. But I suppose this is the fun of collecting antique postcards. You just never know what is going to appear next. You think you have a postcard in the bag only for someone to snipe it with 3-seconds to go. A very annoying scenario but it’s the name of the game and why so many antique postcard collectors refuse to get drawn into auction bidding.
Buying from a dealers own website is much less dramatic. You can check their listing frequently or ask to be notified when something of interests is about to be listed. Getting a heads up certainly gives you the edge. If you collect antique postcards of a very collectable area you will glad of any assistance you can get to beat the competition.
We offer the same service here. If you have an antique postcards wants list then contact us. Remember, we only sell Real Photographic British Topographical and Subject postcards. If this is something you collect then Contact Us and we will try and find postcards on our travels. No promises! You can check out our current stock by visiting the Home Page. We look forward to hearing from you.
