Old postcards for sale to collectors of subject and topographical postcards. The hobby of collecting postcards is certainly not what it once was when I started 40-years ago. Back in the day we had so many fairs we could pick and choose which ones to go to and if you were quick to get around you could take in a second postcard fair the same day.
These were dedicated postcard fairs so every stall was packed with possible additions to your collection. Imagine over a million postcards under one roof? This was what was happening at the time. Some fairs were held in old Cattle Sheds at Shepton Mallet while at the other end of the scale you had thick plush carpet to walk on at the Guildford Postcard Fair. But it didn’t really matter to the collector, as long as there was a chance of finding those elusive postcards to add to your collection. Where the postcard fair was being held was not a greta concern…you just had to be there!
The age of the dealers was always going to be a problem as time went on. As they passed away they were not replaced in any great number by much younger dealers. It’s the same with the crowd at any postcard fair, middle age and above is the norm. Why postcard collecting was not an attraction for the youth of today nobody knows. Join any local history society and it’s the same issue. It seems the past is much more interesting to people who have lived one. They can reminisce and look back while the younger generation can’t because they just don’t have that connection at an early age.
But postcard collecting is so much more than local history and the changes that have happened in your City, Town or Village. Think of any subject and there will be postcards published about it. From Surrey to Suffragettes and from Sausages to Sussex. I’ve sold the strangest postcards over the years from Circus Acts, Rat Catchers, Charcoal Burners, Dentist Chairs, Hospital Operating Theatres and Pigmies. Each to their own and their reasons for collecting their subject.
This makes postcard collecting so diverse and reflects on the type of people that visit any postcard fair. They come from all corners of the World with one aim, to add to their collection. Sadly, the postcard fairs are in decline and now collectors can buy from the comfort of their own home with a click of a mouse. You cannot stop progress and that is what the Internet is. You cannot ignore it for all the benefits it brings to the hobby.
Many dealers stopped trading at fairs and decided to either sell on auction websites or from their own dedicated website…or both. Something is very clear, how the Internet can bring amazing hammer prices on specific postcards. You may pay £30-£50 at a fair for such postcards but list some of these on an online auction website and they can go for three figures. Strange to think that collectors will gladly pay an inflated price at auction but would scowl at that price at a fair!
I hope this article has given you a general overview of the hobby of postcard collecting. If you’re looking for Old Postcards For Sale then please feel free to look at our current stock. We focus on British Real Photographic Topographical and Subject Postcards. If you have postcards to sell then please Contact Us and we will be please to give you a free valuation.
