Postcards are unique snapshots of America

Benny here. I have always loved postcards. There’s never been much room to spill much ink, so I could write a few words, write out an address and stick a stamp and be done. The front images can be beautiful, whimsical or just informative.

Back in my day, you had to have an envelope. I once got a letter once from Alexander Hamilton after he visited his mother-in-law. “Wish you were here,” he wrote. This would have fit perfectly on a postcard.

In 1873 the Postal Service sold pre-stamped postcards that sold for a penny and those were the only cards that could be mailed until 1898, when the restriction was lifted and postcards of all types began to flow into the system.

Did you know that postcards have been made out of wood, aluminum, copper and cork?

Collector’s Weekly has a nice page that talks about the history of postcards and they highlight WW1-era Silk postcards that had a printed message, wrapped around cardboard and sent in see-through glassine paper envelopes. Check it out here.

What’s the best postcard you’ve ever received? Comment here.