Hallowe'en

Happy Halloween everyone! This is one of my favorite holidays. One of the most coveted types of postcards is the Halloween card. These cards typically have beautiful artwork, like many holiday postcards in the early 1900s, but are also far more rare. There weren't as many Halloween postcards sent as say, Easter or Christmas cards. As a result, they are highly prized by collectors, and some can fetch quite a lot of money at auction. I have been lucky enough to have a few in my possession, but always sold them to raise money to buy other cards I wanted. Here is a small sample below. Stay safe tonight!

Some get away...

One of the other things I have realized as I begin keeping more postcards for my own collection is that there will always be a few that "get away." Sometimes a postcard you passed on at a show, or had in your collection but sold come back to haunt you later when you realize you wish you had it. As I become more experienced in identifying rare and unusual postcards, I find I have more moments where I realize I wish I hadn't sold a postcard early in my collecting days. I view this more as a learning opportunity than something to dwell on though. Below is a fantastic card that I wish I had back right now, as it would be perfect for the book I am working on. I sold it on Ebay, but probably could have gotten more for it and would gladly trade the money I received to get it back.

Next post: The elusive Hallowe'en postcard.

More Jamaica

One of the most challenging things about the hobby of postcard collecting is deciding what, exactly , you are going to collect. There are collectors of photo postcards, street views, particular topics like logging or other occupations, certain series of cards, holidays and many more. So far, I have been content to just grab anything that looks interesting to me, but I am starting to realize that I may need to focus on certain subjects, and sell the other cards I don't need. This Jamaica card, like the last one I posted, is a good example of one that is tough to sell, because it is just that cool. The fact that someone put it in the mail 106 years ago is just awesome.

This past weekend I went to the Portland Postcard Show and picked up some new finds, but it is a challenge not to just grab every card I like. I will likely set up as a seller for the first time ever at the next show in February, so I need to start thinking less about which postcards I like, and more about what potential buyers will like. I will post more soon about the postcard show, it was a great time!

Jamaica

I found this great old postcard from the Hamburg-American ship line. It shows a Jamaican family in the early 1900s. The amazing variety of postcards still fascinates me.

Nantucket

Sorry for my absence, work is getting hectic! Here are some beautiful new postcards I got just this week. I am listing some of them on Ebay, but may keep a few. I am starting to really appreciate the quality of Detroit Publishing brand postcards!

Many of these are photos taken by a man named H. Marshall Gardiner. He took thousands of photos of Nantucket and many of his best were made into postcards. Most of these are photos by Gardiner:

You can see the corner markings where this card was once housed in an album.

These two Rainbow Fleet cards are pretty nice, but also fetch a price on Ebay that is too good to pass up!

I am getting excited for the Portland Postcard Show coming up next weekend! What are you looking forward to this week?

At the Beach

 I was at a conference on the Oregon Coast this past weekend, and it got me thinking...

 Like many other parts of America, it is the coast of Oregon that has the most history.

There were settlements, trade, and exploration of the west coast before there were ever settlers where I live now, outside of Portland.

Football Season

The college football season is yet another sign that Fall is underway, and the NFL is now in full swing as well. These are two more reasons why Fall is such a great season.

I found this series of nine football players posing for photos while sifting through a box of postcards at a local antique store. Looking for truly great postcards can be kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack, and I imagine it is even more so for experienced collectors. 

They probably see the same cards over and over and are less likely to find cards worthy of their collections. As a new collector, I still find great joy in the "treasure hunt" every time I look through a new box of cards.

I think these young men are probably college or possibly even high school players, although I couldn't say where they are from, and there were no notes or other indications of where they played. A far cry from today's uniforms, but the same common poses of young men who believe they are invincible at the top of the world.

Hats off to the USPS

I had an issue with a postcard being damaged in the mail the other day and had to issue a refund to a customer overseas. That got me thinking, I have shipped hundreds of items across America and abroad over the last year, and only two items have been damaged.

For all the criticism the USPS takes, my experience with large volume shipments has been great. Postcards have arrived quickly and in great shape more than 99% of the time. Thanks USPS!