Hello all, I’d like to ask here a question that has been in my mind for some time. When I get a profile that says the person likes or collects vintage postcards my doubts are:
should I send a vintage postcard written and stamped by me?
should I send a blank vintage postcard and a side note written by me in an envelope?
should I send a vintage postcard already written and stamped at the time with a side note inside an envelope?
…- other?..
Of course I know I can always send a normal postcard (that’s what I do usually) I’m not talking about a profile I have asked recently, it’s just a doubt that occasionally happens to me. I’m using this opportunity to ask the collectors/the community what would you prefer?
I love vintage cards
I do love to receive them written and stamped they get to fill their destiny
What is the point of a blank card?
I do get if someone thinks they are too fragile and wants to put them in an envelope but I still want it written
As for written ones I do love them
Please don’t write over them but I am not sure you are supposed to send them for pc
I would be happy but not sure if everyone would
But I would say in an envelope with a note on the side
You can certainly send original vintage cards to people who indicate this in their profile.
Usually these members themselves indicate that they want to receive the card in an envelope.
I am also a big fan of the original vintage maps.
(I have many cards older than 70 -100 years written and blank.)
And of course there is the Vintage RR.
For me all 3 are okay, although I prefer 2 or 3, but didn’t write anything in my profile. Maybe it is against Postcrossing rules but I don’t complain when I get a vintage card already written and stamped in its time in an envelope with a side note…
Hello,
I like old cards written or not. But I also love it when they were written in the era of postcard publishing and already stamped. On the other hand being sometimes more fragile than the current ones, it is better to put them in an envelope. After that there is no rule.
Have a good day
Some collectors consider vintage cards written and sent in a later epoch “unauthentic”. But personally I don’t mind, and for postcrossing purposes I’d say you should go for a blank vintage card and then use it as any other postcard - i.e. write it and send it with a modern stamp attached (unless of course you can find a stamp from the era of that postcard that would still be valid ).
“Authentic” vintage postcards with message, stamp & postmark from their era can be found at flea markets, antique stores and online shops - and that’s where I’d look for them - not Postcrossing.
@Ludek, Yes, then you can also have a good look at the cards with regard to the condition of the card, the stamps with a date etc.
I also discover the most beautiful and interesting cards including the written text and stamps on the back.
For me? Please written (by you! not a used card) and if you can in an envelope because I am so sad when these beautiful cards are damaged by modern machinery they weren’t made to withstand.
I have some 1920/1930 very delicate postcards I wish to send when I get a profile in PC who says they like vintage stuff, but I always wonder if they’ll get disappointed in receiving them inside an envelope, so I end up sending something else. I guess I’ll save them for future private swaps.
Also, for people who make private swaps of vintage cards, why are most people trading at “rates” such as 3 vintage for 1, and such? Aren’t new cards easy to obtain while the vintage are limited? I don’t understand this part.
I would be fine with any of the the options, but I prefer official cards to be written and sent without an envelope. I would probably use an envelope for mailing linens as I think today’s postal machines would harm them…but vintage Chromes printed in the 1950s & 1960s should be ok on their own
And to your question about ratios, I think it may hang on what someone calls “vintage.” I have received cards from the 1990s that the sender called “vintage” - I would just call them “older.” If someone was going to trade for my faded 1990s tourist cards, I think three of those for one new card would be fair.
