Most appealing subject of postcard collecting

[Colin]

Brian,

What a fine essay on your love of dogs, and on the postcard connection with that love! I very much enjoyed reading it and hope others do too.

My postcard spreadsheet shows the following Hildesheimers:

Royal Albert Hall Series 5292
Piccadilly Circus 5469
St. Clement Danes 6476
Ludgate Hill 5222
Lambeth Palace Series 5292

Obviously not much to show to a serious collector, but I value even a single card from a publisher because it is after all a kind of hologram of that publisher’s total output. A Beagles card has a certain look, as does a Judges, or a Samuels, or a Louis Levy. And it is not only the card’s era or the process used to print it. Each of the publishers I just named has a characteristic way of framing a view. And of course postcards of the many different publishers were priced differently. I do not see many Judges cards that were actually sent to someone. Perhaps they were thought too beautiful to write on. At the other extreme, I love those humble cards, usually of poor quality in every respect, that some child could just afford to buy, tracing the time-honored sentiments in a large hand in pencil, cards that were treasured by the folks back home just as much as the pristine RP views that collectors covet (after all, those low-end items made it all the way from 1905 to that flea market a century later!).

I hope we’ll hear more from you on your varied postcard interests. Colin

[Brianz]

I agree with Colin, a good postcard publisher displays an identifiable signature (not to be confused with company logo or printed name). Can one doubt this when comparing a Vivian Mansell and Hildesheimer card? A Rotary and Valentine & Sons' real photograph?

I've often thought an interesting speciality would be assembing a representative sampling of the 52 or so "major (British) publishers" listed by Anthony Byatt in his Picture Postcards and their Publishers. Byatt does this to some extent with the black and white photos in his book, but to possess the cards themselves, perhaps thematically narrowed down to artist-signed or dogs, boats, streetscapes, etc., could result in a beautiful and historically worthy collection. There would be limitations involved, of course, considering not all of the 52 publishers produced artist-signed postcards (for example), but one would be aiming for a representative collection and simply accept and work within the necessary limitations.

And yes, there is always the occasional card that simply appeals whether or not it fits into any pre-established collection or not. I found a postally used Tuck Christmas postcard (Series 512), postmarked 1910, last Sunday that was in such good condition, beautifully chromolithographed and charming in design, that, while I wasn't looking for a holiday greeting specifically, I had to have.

Cheers.

[wakadowakado]

I have followed the interesting continuity of this post starting 050308, lay inactive for around three months and kick started
Shows the benefits of posts left on-line for additions! WAK