I recently bought some used vintage cards at an old store along the coast. I’m probably going to give it away for swap. But I need to know, should I cover the original address for privacy or is ok uncovered seeing as it’s going in an envelope?
It is a bit complicated according to justice. In Norway if over 100 years old no restrictions. However postcards sent openly through mail I consider to not represent possibility to harm sender by third party and therefore no danger. When something is covered on the card thats inferior to collectors, but most postcrossers I imagine is interested in front side, and dont care much of backside on used ones. If me I would not cover anything and if you anyhow is rightfull owner today, you can give away or swap and sell article to anyone you like, (specially in a sealed envelope).
Over the years, I have accumulated a huge number of previously stamped and written cards. Many of them I keep, but a fair number I either trade or sell. So go ahead and swap away! :D. There is one caveat however. Whenever I move PostCrossing used cards, if I don’t keep them, I block out the Postcrossing ID with a black marker.
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This was not from postcrossing. It was sent in 1962
Love vintage cards
I have to admit I would be disappointed if someone blocked out the address esp. if they picked it up at a fair antique market and the address was there
On the other hand if you are passing on PC cards
I would block the ID
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Oh ok
I wouldn’t cover the address, as I would like to see that too, the hand writing, the style of address and I’d like to have the writing side “original” too. But, I don’t collect vintage cards. I sometimes buy them for a friend who collects them and I send them in an envelope, and don’t add anything or cover anything.
Postcrossing cards I wouldn’t give or sell, as there’s “my” address and sometimes personal information of the sender. Even covering the id doesn’t always make it unreadable, if someone wants to read it.
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For me sending used cards is a no-go! I send my message to a certain person and not to anybody else.
If you want to re-use such cards, I think, you should at least cover address and message completely.
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I love used cards, I think giving them to someone else is better than throwing them away! I am not interested in the address, but I do not want it to be closed, it will ruin the postcard. I think that none of you wants to buy an old damaged postcard with a closed address. let’s give our postcards an opportunity to survive for 100 years not spoiled . When your postcards are lost in obscurity, someone closes the address there ?..
PS if someone have any used card that don’t need , I will be happy to give it my home 
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If somebody sends me a used card without the agreement with me, I will report it. It is not the meaning of Postcrossing, for me. I think some people try only to save money when they send used cards. bad bad bad.
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I understood you don’t mean to send them as am official card (with ID), right? In a swap between vintage card collectors, it’s fine. Since the card was sent 60 years ago, I think it’s unlikely that the information is still up to date. I’d leave the address uncovered and see the card as a historic artefact. 
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I would never mail a used card for official postcrossing. Only for swaps
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Zoe said it is not for the official swap. He wants to trade with full disclosure that they are used.
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I collect used cards and have many swapping friends who do so too. You can also buy used cards from flea markets. I am not interested in anybody’'s addresses and don’t even know what bad I could do with them… So I never cover addresses.
Of course I send used cards only to those who want them and we agree about the swap in advance.
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Please read carefully - ZooDawg didn’t talk about sending used cards as an official one!!
@ZooDawg I got used cards from time to time which are decades old. Just some weeks ago I bought a card from 1906 (!) at eBay. Fully written, addressed and stamped in 1906. For me it would’ve been less worthy (not by money, I only paid 3 €) if they would have covered the original address. It’s a piece of history, I really enjoyed reading what John Doe did in my hometown Nuremberg during “Bayerische Jubiläums Landesausstellung 1906” (Bavarian jubilee regional exhibition).
I would never cover anything on such on old card.
I don’t know about the US privacy law - but maybe it’s similar to Germany / Europe with such old documents.
Maybe you should have a look to be on the save side, as your cards are “only” 60 years old.
By the way: if anyone gives away cards received via Postcrossing it makes no sense to cover only the ID. Depending on how many cards the person received it’s an easy thing to find out the sender. In that case I’d cover not only ID but also the name (user name) of the sender and any related datas like a mentioned city, region etc.
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I have a lot of vintage used postcards too. I bought many orders of vintage postcards lots on eBay and the seller just put posted and unposted there, I have to sort them out after I received them. So far I’m give away for people who love antique and vintage stuff as a gift and I will put it in an envelope with my note or postcard. I usually give them away on swapping not on official. I feel like people love receiving postcards without envelope on official websites.
I know I am rather late to this discussion as I was pointed in the direction from a thered I posted
I too love vintage and used cards for me it’s three things
- the front what the card shows
- the Stamp is it a commemorative is it a normal stamp etc etc
- the handwriting (which often I have difficulty reading) how the handwriting flows and the message contained
What I am not interested in is the address yes you wonder who the person is but as for security of the address or hiding the addess that is something I don’t worry about because your personal details are all ready put therewith every credit, bank, store and other cards you use its sin your phone its on your computer so hiding the addess does not even cross my mind and rember the card had the addess on it before you purchased it or was given it, it has been through the postal system whil dozens of people having access to view it
With postcrossing it’s similar ig goes through the postal system and has many eyes on the address and card ID number. I too won’t be giving away or re-hashing a postcrossing card to give to so one else. Its personal to me as someone took the time to pick the card, write the card post the card and it will sta with me until I go six feet under. What happens after that we’ll sho knows itmay end uk in a antique or vintage shop for someone else to look at the front of the card the handwriting and stamps
Once again I’m sorry for being late to this conversation
All the best
Craig / Jaggy
I think the address is part of the history of a vintage card, and obscuring it detracts from their interest. Sometimes things like seeing that a card or letter was sent before zip-codes were in use is part of what makes them special. These cards were already given to a thrift store, presumably by either the original recipient (who’s address it is) or a family member cleaning out their home after they died. If that person chose to sell/donate the cards with their address still on them, they obviously didn’t care who will see it.