{"id":7192,"date":"2023-04-25T14:14:06","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T14:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/?p=7192"},"modified":"2024-10-03T19:41:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T19:41:13","slug":"how-to-collect-and-store-vintage-postcards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-collect-and-store-vintage-postcards\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Collect And Store Vintage Postcards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Postcard collecting is a popular hobby with a history that reaches back to the late 1800s. The first postcards entered the market in the late Victorian era as rewards for schoolchildren or promotional materials. The Smithsonian Institute published a short article on this history of postcards, which you can read on their <a href=\"https:\/\/siarchives.si.edu\/history\/featured-topics\/postcard\/postcard-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>. Due to the wide range of styles and subjects, collectors tend to focus on one or two types, such as mailed postcards from the Edwardian era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"741\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Toploader-1024x741.jpg\" alt=\"Spread of postcards in topload holders\" class=\"wp-image-7248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Toploader-1024x741.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Toploader-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Toploader-768x555.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Toploader-1536x1111.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Toploader-2048x1481.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Toploader-415x300.jpg 415w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Postcards generally come in two sizes. The older, vintage cards are typically 3.5&#8243; x 5.5&#8243;, while modern, or continental, postcards are 4&#8243; x 6&#8243;. Regardless of size, the same basic principles apply to keeping them in the best condition possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"711\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Box-1024x711.jpg\" alt=\"Box with sleeved postcards separated with dividers\" class=\"wp-image-7249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Box-1024x711.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Box-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Box-768x533.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Box-1536x1066.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Box-2048x1422.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Postcard-Box-432x300.jpg 432w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The first consideration is how to store them. Collectors usually store them either in boxes or in albums. Of the two, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/postcard-storage-box\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">box<\/a> is easiest, but there are some other considerations to make as well. First and foremost, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/catalogsearch\/result\/?q=pcslv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sleeves<\/a> are essential. They not only keep the cards safe from any acids or oils that may damage them, but sleeves also help keep the cards from wearing out as they are sorted in the box. You may also want to use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/postcard-topload-holder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">toploaders <\/a>with your postcards for an extra layer of protection. In either case, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/postcard-box-dividers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dividers<\/a> will help organize your collection, making them a must have as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"931\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-LWP3T_tt1-CROP-Postcards-1024x931.jpg\" alt=\"Postcards in an album\" class=\"wp-image-8754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-LWP3T_tt1-CROP-Postcards-1024x931.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-LWP3T_tt1-CROP-Postcards-300x273.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-LWP3T_tt1-CROP-Postcards-768x698.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-LWP3T_tt1-CROP-Postcards-330x300.jpg 330w, https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-LWP3T_tt1-CROP-Postcards.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/3-inch-album-black\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Albums<\/a> work best when you want to show your collection off. As the pages show both sides of the card, they also work great for specimens that went through the postal system or otherwise have writing on them. You will want to measure your postcards to make sure you get the right size of pages. Depending on your collection, you may find the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/catalogsearch\/advanced\/result\/?sku=1-LWP3T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3-Pocket<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/catalogsearch\/advanced\/result\/?sku=1-LWP4T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4-Pocket<\/a> LaserWeld\u00ae Photo Pages most useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Postcard collecting is perfect for a wide range of collectors. Despite its popularity, collectible postcards tend to sell for lower prices for comparable pieces in other formats. This gives it a low barrier of entry. Likewise, there is likely at least 1 postcard for any area of interest. Either as a primary or even secondary hobby, postcard collecting is a fun and rewarding experience. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Postcard collecting is a popular hobby with a history that reaches back to the late 1800s. The first postcards entered the market in the late Victorian era as rewards for schoolchildren or promotional materials. The Smithsonian Institute published a short &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/25\/how-to-collect-and-store-vintage-postcards\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[780,781,305],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7192"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7192"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8759,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7192\/revisions\/8759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcwsupplies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}