Image from New York Public Library Digital Gallery

Do you collect postcards?  If so, you know how this hobby involves multiple types of information.  As I sort through a box of family postcards, I’m learning firsthand about these sources.

I started with what I know best–library resources.  The URSUS catalog yielded the books you see on the References list (Though dated, the price guide can serve as a starting point.).  I found the articles in the America: History & Life database (I would recommend Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center as well.).

These readings will inform my conversations with the appropriate people.   For the cards I wish to donate I will need to contact people from various historical societies and special collections.  For the cards I wish to sell I will need to consult collectors and dealers.  These people are information sources, too, after all.

References

Allmen, D.  (1991). The official identification and price guide to postcards. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Getty, R. (2012). Memories for a dime. Alberta History, 60(3), 64–71.

Range, T. E. (1980). The book of postcard collecting. New York, NY: Dutton.

Sprague, S. S. (1979). Old postcards: A look at your ancestors’ world. Family Heritage, 2(4), 100–105.

Vallerand, J. (2013). La carte postale nous raconte [Postcards tell a story]. Canadian Rail: The Magazine of Canada’s Railway Heritage., (557), 265–269.

Wood, J. (1995). The collector’s guide to post cards (Rev. ed.). Gas City, IN: L.-W. Promotions.