Modern Postcards
What are ‘Modern’ Cards? A good question, without a precise answer. In the 1950s, vintage cards were those produced in the years prior to World War I when billions of cards were produced manufactured worldwide. Then, a fifty year old card was ‘vintage’ and a 1930s or 1940s or 1950s card was ‘modern’. Today, many collectors still search for early 1900s cards and treasure them more than a 1950s card which, even though it’s 50 years old, doesn’t seem to have earned the label ‘vintage’ yet. But those 50-year old cards (and even newer ones) are certainly collectible. Many modern cards can be found in the family keepsakes of a previous generation. Parents and friends have cards that they received in the 40s and 50s that show buildings, fashions, vehicles and many other things that are now long gone. Modern postcards can show you what was there before you grew up, or can rekindle memories of growing up.
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Some collectors enjoy 1950s and 60s hotel cards, such as the Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson images here. Cards such as these were given away free by the hotel as promotional items. Here are some more hotel views. American Motel Postcards
Some subjects aren’t found on vintage postcards because they didn’t exist one hundred years ago. A good example is airlines. There are many transportation collectors and airlines are a popular topic within this category. By contemporary standards, a card showing the interior of a Trans-Canada Airlines (the predecessor to Air Canada) Super Constellation airplane is old compared to today’s aircraft postcards. Note that they’re serving a substantial meal with china dinnerware. You won’t see that pictured on a card for one of today’s Air Canada flights!
What About Values? So what are they worth? As you can guess, it’s a matter of supply and demand. For example, views of Niagara Falls from the 1950s and earlier are plentiful, and therefore have nominal value. However, they can still provide an interesting record of how the roads, gardens, streetscape and local attractions have evolved over the years.
If the card is a ‘crossover’ card such as this one of the White Star Line, it’s art, it’s transportation and it’s an advertising card, and so this 1930s gem might cost more than a hundred dollars. Interestingly, it would have been given out free as a promotional item when it was issued.
Why collect postcards? They don’t take up much space in a modern condo or town house, and they can be stored in plastic sleeves in binders so that they can be enjoyed on a regular basis. As historical artifacts, they are still relatively inexpensive. An attraction for those who enjoy ‘detective work’ is that there are very few publisher records of what was actually produced. The postcard view that you come across tomorrow may have been unknown to collectors before you found it. Another way to play detective is to research the history of the components of the view. Are the buildings still standing? Are the businesses still operating? Can you discover the exact year from looking at the autos and fashions?
It’s amazing how much has changed in 50 years, and that realization sparks the question of how much more things will change 50 years from today. Collecting ‘modern’ postcards is a fun and affordable way to keep track of these changes today and for the generations to come.
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Freecards
What Are Freecards? Many organizations use postcards to promote their product or service. Some of these cards are very striking. Card #1 advertises an upcoming art show at a local art gallery and was picked up from a stack at a Toronto restaurant. Card #2 was also produced to promote another art gallery show. Card #3 was used by an Italian restaurant as a calling card for patrons to take to help them remember or recommend the restaurant. Card #4 was produced in 1985 by the Toronto Postcard Club to commemorate that year’s Annual Postcard Show. Card #5 was offered by a stylish hat shop in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This pretty lady postcard is just one of a series that the shop has produced over time. Card #6 is a Sheridan Nurseries issue promoting their expertise in garden design. Interested in trains or cycling? Card#7 was available at an Ontario Government Tourism Centre and would be appropriate in the collection of railroaders, cyclists, and Niagara collectors. Card #8 was found at an ephemera show in the U.S.A. and advertises ‘The Castle Halloween Museum’ in West Virginia.
As noted in the opening paragraph, there’s a theme to many of the freecards - advertising. If you pick up the card and read it, it’s achieved its purpose. In your collection it will educate and inform a future generation about a time and place from the past. So, when you’re out and about on the town or in the shops, keep your eyes open. If it looks like a postcard, is shaped like a postcard, feels like a postcard and has a place for an address, a stamp and a short note on the back, grab it! It’s a postcard.
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