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Old Postcards and Genealogy
Old postcards can enhance any genealogy project, especially if you are planning to write/publish a family history. They can serve as a helpful aid for your own memory, or to help older family members remember things about their past during interviews. Postcard collecting, also known as deltiology, has become the third largest collecting hobby in the world.
Proper storage and preservation is essential if these resources are to be around for future generations. You may want to scan your postcards and archive them as digital images onto CDROMs for general reference, or posting on a website. This reduces the need to handle the original postcards to a minimum.
Dating of Postcards:
Pre-postcard era - 1840 to 1869 (really envelopes printed with pictures)
Pioneer cards - 1869 to 1898 (viewcards, expo cards, or advertising cards)
Private mailing cards - 1898 to 1901 (authorized by Act of Congress May 19, 1898)
Undivided back - 1901 to 1906 (addresses only, first use of the words "Post Card")
Divided back - 1907 to 1915 (millions were sold and used, printed in Germany)
White border cards - 1916 to 1930 (mostly printed in America)
Linen cards - 1930 to 1945 (textured paper, bright colors)
Photochrome - 1939 to present
Types of Postcards:
Art Cards - "Old Master" art reproductions, original art
Greeting - Christmas, Easter, birthdays and most other holidays
Historical - war, expositions, parades, coronations, politics
Photographic - glamour, children, portraits
Travel - amusement parks, hotels, scenic vistas, etc.
Town Views - buildings, streets, etc.
Others (advertising, ethnic, military)
Sources:
- yourself
- other family members
- dealers (antiques, special postcard dealers, flea markets)
- paper collectable shows
- Ebay (search by town or subject, or use category "Paper & Writing>Paper>Postcards")
Storage Tips:
- avoid bright light, widely fluctuating humidity, and extreme temperatures
- avoid vinyl sleeves like those used for baseball cards
- use archival storage materials (Mylar, polyethylene, polypropylene)
- store sleeved cards in archival file boxes
- always seek expert advice if you're unsure of how to handle a problem
- buy duplicates for framing purposes
Books:
Miller's Postcards : A Collector's Guide by Chris Connor
Paperback - 64 pages (2000) Mitchell Beazley; ISBN: 1840001909 $9.95
The Postcard Price Guide, A Comprehensive Reference, 4th Ed. by J. L. Mashburn
Paperback - 592 pages (2001) Colonial House; ISBN: 1885940084 $21.95
{many, many more on all kinds of specialty topics}
Magazines:
Barr's Post Card News, 70 S. Sixth Street, Lansing, IA 52151.
Phone (800) 397-0145, (563) 538-4500, Fax (563) 538-4038, bpcn@salamander.com
A one year subscription (24 issues sent by land mail) is only
$36.00 for U.S. addresses, $46.00 U.S. funds for Canada
Postcard Collector, 700 East State St., Iola, WI 54945-9984
US Subscription Rate: $28.95/year Credit card orders call: 1-800-258-0929
On the Web:
America As It Was - http://patsabin.com/VintagePostcards/index.htm
(a special USGenWeb project)
Postcard Resources - http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/users/mount/postcard.html
(has a huge list of links)
Preservation Supplies:
Bags Unlimited
7 Canal St., Dept. P, Rochester, NY 14608-1910
1-800-767-2247 http://www.bagsunlimited.com info@bagsunlimited.com
Mary L. Martin LTD
4899 Pulaski Highway, Perryville, MD 21903
1-410-642-3581 http://www.marylmartin.com marymartinpostcards@prodigy.net
ebaySellerID=marymartinpostcards
Clubs:
GRANITE STATE POST CARD COLLECTORS CLUB
Dues are due - $8.00 single, $14.00 couple.
Send to Jackie Lary, R.R. 2 Box 3D, Canaan, NH 03741.
Meetings: Third Saturday monthly, Unitarian Church, Central St., Franklin, NH.
Info: Club, P.O. Box 6079, W. Franklin, NH 03235-6079.
Note on Copyrights:
Generally, vintage photo cards that pre-date 1924 are in the public domain and may be reproduced without consent of the publisher/copyright holder.
Compiled by Brian S. Lingard