postcard.co.uk

At Bipex yesterday I was tempted by a very good postcard c1917 of a traction engine going for £60. The trouble was that it had a message on it in modern biro; it had been sent through the post, but at what date was not possible to determine because the stamp had been torn off, and with it most of the postmark.

I decided not to buy it, though would have done so had it been unused or used 90 years or so ago. For me, the biro (which would have been out of sight in an album pocket) spoilt it. The going rate for traction engine PCs is £50 or so, and I wonder if the dealer should have reduced the price to reflect the modern usage. Actually I don't think I would have wanted it at half the price.

(An even worse example of this sort of thing was a 1916 PC which had been sent through the post ten years ago bearing an answer to a competition involving Joe Pescali "the squeaky voiced comic".)

On the other hand, dealers never seem to take into account when pricing the contemporary messages written on cards; I bought two rather dull cards yesterday (one of which I already had) because their messages had fascinating pieces of local/social history relating to Belgian refugees in this country during the Great War.

Moonraker

I hate seeing biro / ballpoint or felt-tip writing on old cards, and we always make an allowance for this when pricing - in my eyes it's easily as bad as a crease or tear.

Other pet hates are rubber-stamps such as the infamous 'Hogsthorpe Horror' from the 1980's and the parallel lines you get from the glue of those 'self adhesive' albums.

MichaelDay wrote: Other pet hates are rubber-stamps such as the infamous 'Hogsthorpe Horror' from the 1980's and the parallel lines you get from the glue of those 'self adhesive' albums.

Was that the rubber stamp offering to take the card back at 50% of the price paid if you bought a new one?

Moonraker

Moonraker wrote:

MichaelDay wrote: Other pet hates are rubber-stamps such as the infamous 'Hogsthorpe Horror' from the 1980's and the parallel lines you get from the glue of those 'self adhesive' albums.

Was that the rubber stamp offering to take the card back at 50% of the price paid if you bought a new one?

Moonraker

I don't recall them making that offer, the ones I've seen urged you to "avoid dealers" and send your cards to them instead.

I'd like to show a pic of one - but of course I can't find an example the one time I actually want to. Maybe later.

MichaelDay wrote: Other pet hates are rubber-stamps such as the infamous 'Hogsthorpe Horror' from the 1980's.

Finally found an example - one of the later dated ones I think?

kevinramsdale wrote:

MichaelDay wrote: Other pet hates are rubber-stamps such as the infamous 'Hogsthorpe Horror' from the 1980's.

Finally found an example - one of the later dated ones I think?
]quote]

Ugh. On a par with using sellotape to repair collectable covers and letters and gummed hinges to mount mint stamps.

Moonraker