You will find a wide selection of postcard dealers at the specialist UK postcard fairs. You may also find postcards for sale at antique, stamp, book and postal history fairs. If you are planning on visiting one of these type of fair and looking especially for postcards then it’s worth calling the fair organiser to ensure the trip is going to be worth your while. Dedicated postcard fairs are much better because every dealer in attendance will have thousands of postcards for sale.
While there are no longer the amount of postcard fairs there was 30-40 years ago there is still enough that are worth a visit. The Woking bi-annual postcard fair is always worth a visit. I normally take the train south to Euston and get the underground to Waterloo Station where there are frequent trains to Woking. It’s only a 20-minute walk through the park to the sports centre. Woking is probably the best fair for quality postcards because you will find the top dealers in the UK in attendance.
I find even the smaller vintage postcard fairs worthwhile. There is always more space and it feels more relaxing and I certainly enjoy browsing through handfuls of postcards while sat on a comfortable chair. It’s certainly a long way from the old Bipex and York Racecourse Antique Postcard Fairs where the first few hours were chaotic at times. I remember the days when I used to drive 5-hours to the Shepton Mallet Postcard Fair. I would leave at 4:00 in the morning to miss the Birmingham traffic to ensure I go there in plenty of time.
The fair opened at 10:00am and I used to go around over 130-dealers for the next 8-hours with no break. I then used to drive home at 6:00pm, arriving back home at around 11:00pm absolutely shattered. I must be mad. I could stay overnight and make the whole experience more relaxing but I just don’t sleep well in hotel beds. So I run the gauntlet and suffer tiredness and fatigue just get my head on my own pillow. When I come home with a handful of lovely postcards it makes the experience for me so much worth while albeit very tiring.
Thankfully the Shepton Mallet postcard fair has moved to a location much more convenient and a little closer to home. I certainly won’t miss Shepton Mallet postcard fair although I do have some good memories. It was too far to go and It was always freezing in that cow shed. A crazy place for a postcard fair, especially when I think of the plush surroundings of York Racecourse and the Guildford Fairs.
You will find a list of dealers on the Postcard Traders Association (PTA) website. You will find a list of all the postcard fairs each month inside the Picure Postcard Magic magazine. With a wide selection of postcard fairs, online auction, public auctions, dealers websites then you have more tan enough resources available to ensure you have a successful Antique Postcard Collecting experience. Don’t forget to check out our Postcards For Sale of British Real Photographic Topographical and Subject Postcards.
