By Sandra McCleaster
Postcard collecting — a hobby formally known as deltiology — has been widely cited as the third largest collectible pastime in the world, coming in behind coin and stamp collecting.
Here’s a short back story about postcards in general: In 1901, the US Congress authorized the mailing of what they then called “private mailing cards.” Soon, we were simply calling them “postcards.” What happened was that printers, photographers, and artists were permitted to put their pictures on cards, then put them in the US mailing system and send them out.
And almost immediately, a postcard frenzy in the US was launched. In the year 1908, more than 600 million postcards were sent through the US Mail. The cards cost 1-cent and had to be posted with a 1-cent stamp. Hence, they earned the name penny postcards.
People LOVED them. And why not? They were colorful; they depicted places that were familiar to you — perhaps the street where you lived. In a way, they allowed you to see places or things across the country that you’d never get to see otherwise. You have to admit that getting a postcard in the mail was a lot more charming than getting an email or a text message today!
Everyone started collecting them, trading cards of their hometowns and places they had visited. They were small, didn’t take up any room in your house. You could store them easily in a shoe box or a drawer. That’s why today you can go to an antiques flea market or a postcard show and see tens of thousands of postcards that are still in pristine condition. The messages written on the cards often give us insight into the sentiments of the day and reflect the social history of the times. When you read those messages (which is as much fun as looking at the images themselves, by the way), you often read references to “my collection” or “your collection.”
So… think about the law of supply and demand. Because there are so many vintage postcards available, a single postcard isn’t worth any great fortune (4 or $5 maybe) as antiques go. BUT there are exceptions: Some cards that were issued in limited numbers or have special meaning to certain people who collect specific places or things can command a very high price. A photo postcard depicting the intersection of the Belleville Turnpike and Kearny Avenue recently sold for $189. A good return on a penny postcard, I’d say.
I have a fondness for all sorts of postcards. But my favorite private collection focuses on images of Kearny from the early 1900s. There are lots of Kearny cards available today. Kearny was not only a vibrant industrial mecca in the 1900s to 1950s. Its handsome homes, public buildings, churches, and schools provided grist for extraordinary postcard imagery.
A visit to the Town of Kearny Museum will allow you to have a look at early Kearny through the lens of many vintage postcards. We’re open on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Come on up or give us a call 201-998-2666 to make an appointment to visit.
Editor’s note: Sandra McCleaster is the president of Kearny’s Historical Committee and the museum housed on the second floor of the Kearny Library. It is open on Wednesday, 5 — 6:30 P.M., and Saturday, 10 A.M. — 12:30 P.M.
