A new postcard collector’s
handbook is now available...
260 pages
400 pictures
so� cover
(durable
ma�
Laminate)
Available on
demand from
René Hillesum Filatelie
Seija-Rii�a Laakso:
Collec�ng & exhibi�ng picture postcards
The golden age of collec�ng picture postcards was
from the late 1890s up to WWI. It would be decades
before this fascina�ng hobby was rediscovered, and
the market transformed by the Internet. Nowadays,
it is easy to find interes�ng postcards from various
countries, and to pay a price that equates with supply and demand. The picture postcard class has been
accepted in philatelic exhibi�ons in many countries,
thus raising the collec�ng to a new level.
The great fun with picture postcards is that very li�le
has been studied and documented so far, and new
discoveries can s�ll be made. At the same �me, the
range of topics is even wider than in philately. This
book will hopefully give the reader some new ideas
and help. Enjoy your journey in the postcard world!
CONTENTS
Introduc�on...
• A postcard brings messages
and preserves memories
From non-postal to postal
collec�bles...
• CDVs (cartes-de-visite), the
small-size photocards
• Cabinet photocards
• Trade cards
• Postal forerunners
• Illustrated sta�onery postcards
• Early picture postcards
Prin�ng technology...
• Chromolithograph (colour
lithograph)
• Autotype (screen print)
• Collotype
• Real photo, sepia
• Mixed technologies
• Embossed
• Linen
How can you find out the age of
your postcard?...
• Undivided or divided back
• Some philatelic knowledge
• A few more �ps regarding the
age of a postcard
• Changing city views and latest
fashions
• Hats and hemlines
• What is on at the theatre, or
the cinema?
Some popular topics to collect...
• Topographic postcards
City views
The city type
Ar�s�c city views
• Gree�ngs for various fes�ve
occasions
• Transporta�on
“This is the ship...”
Menu tops
Railways
Automobiles
Early avia�on
• Reportage, news and
commemora�ve postcards
• Royalty
• Some more history – the
First World War
• Celebri�es
Ar�st-signed – some important
styles and series...
• Impressionalism, realism
• Surrealism
• Art Nouveau, or jugend
• Glamour, the splendid
American Girls
• Art Deco
Some famous series and their
ar�sts...
• Wiener Werkstä�e,
Ver Sacrum, Bauhaus
• The French poster series
Edi�on Cinos, Gerin, Job
• Other important French series
Novelty, applica�ons...
• Mechanical postcards
• Embroided postcards, gli�er
added, etc.
• Hold to light (HTL) postcards
• Puzzle card, instalment, jigsaw
• Oversize, miniature
• Timbre-côte-vu (TCV)
Quality and rarity...
• Do not destroy your postcards
– a few words about keeping
them for the next genera�ons
• What makes a postcard scarce
and sought-a�er?
The best places to buy picture
postcards...
Some prac�cal �ps for building an
exhibit...
• “A picture postcard must have
an illustra�on”
• Choose the most interes�ng
postcards
• A good story is the key to
success
• Research and observa�ons
show what you know
• Selling your ideas to the public
– the presenta�on
Q & A about par�cipa�ng in an
exhibi�on...
Regula�ons in various countries...
• Special regula�ons for ppc
exhibits in the Nordic countries
• Special regula�ons for ppc
exhibits in the U.K.
• Règlement spécial pour
l’évalua�on des par�cipa�ons en classe cartes postales
aux exposi�ons comp�ves
(France)
• Spezial-Reglement für die
Bewertung von Exponaten mit
Ansichts- und Mo�vkarten
(Germany)
• Special regula�ons for ppc
exhibits in the United States
Literature, catalogs
Index of ar�sts
About the author
Seija-Rii�a Laakso has a PhD in history, is a journalist, and a long-�me
philatelist and collector of picture postcards. Her exhibits have received
awards in various na�onal and interna�onal exhibi�ons; she is also a
judge in thema�c philately and picture postcards.
All postcards in this book are from her collec�on. She has also published
a book about postcards of the Belle Époque Paris (620 pages, 1200 pictures) in Finnish language in 2010. It will be published in English in 2013.