It’s amazing to read about the collections of postcards built up by different members of Postcrossing.
But what happens to our postcards when we are gone in 100 years?
Would you like your postcard collection to end up:
With family/friends
A library, museum or archive collection
Sold to a private collector
Somewhere else
Have you thought about this topic? Is your postcard collection mentioned in your will? Have you made any other plans for the future home of your collection? Have you even thought about this topic before?
I looked for prior Forum discussions on this topic and didn’t find any. If anyone else knows of other discussions, please Reply with the link below.
Also, if anyone knows of museums, archives or libraries that accept donations of collections of postcards, please share it here.
If I have no one in my family interested in the collection of postcards of churches I intend to offer it before my death either to the Catholic archives of my diocese or to a society of Catholic priests that I support.
I think to mention this collection on my will in case I die young.
For other postcards that are not in this collection, I might sell them in several decades or offer them to someone interested.
Honestly? It’ll probably be long gone (trash, recycled) like most everything else I have right now. I’m a photographer as well and know that my photos will disappear into the void (or really the trash, since it’s all film and prints) unless I find someone who is really interested in them (same goes for the postcards). Nothing I have is so unique or unusual that it would be worth anything to anyone or any organization. So I enjoy the hobbies and collections that I have now, and don’t really worry what will happen in the future, since I’ll have very little control of that (especially as a single person living in a foreign country).
When I know that the end is coming, there will be a big lottery with my entire collection, which will then go to a post-crosser. Should I not be able to arrange this before then, I assume that someone will sell the cards relatively cheaply when I clear out my flat and that they will then be distributed all over the world. Because there are so many postcards, if you sell them cheaply at a flea market, you are guaranteed to find buyers for them. Also for many postcards that are written on because of the great stamps. And for the empty ones, there are guaranteed to be people who will buy them, because there are relatively many post crossers in the region. Any professional people here who make a flat clean after death know that poatcards bring money
I think most will be tossed, maybe a few particularly nice or noteworthy ones will be sold (I like to flip through the cards at the antique mall and I hope someone does the same for cards I sent/received someday!) Eventually I may par down my collection myself and just keep the most meaningful cards. I think my daughter will be more inclined to hold on to some of my personal correspondence than Postcrossing cards so I don’t anticipate passing my collection on.
This is what my provincial archives have to say about it ( from their website)
Donate Your Records
While the records of extraordinary people or leaders can be thrilling to discover, it is the records of everyday life that can be the most valuable to historians and archivists seeking to understand the history of a community.
Ordinary citizens are at the heart of a community’s culture, and their personal stories reflect and illuminate a society’s values, personality and aspirations. To understand a community, you must first understand the individuals within it. Personal records shed light not only on individual experiences but also on the social, political, economic, religious and cultural life of the province of Alberta. The Provincial Archives of Alberta encourages the donation of records as a way of creating an enduring memory of ordinary life in our province.
What types of records are the Provincial Archives of Alberta looking for?
Personal records of individuals and families:
The Archives are interested not only in the records of public figures, but also in records that show what individuals and families did in their daily lives, including materials any individual has created, used or kept during their life. These records provide insight into the interests, occupations and life of an individual and reflect the values of the larger community.
Records of interest include (but are not limited to):
Letters and correspondence
Photographs
Home movies, films and videos
Sound recordings
Diaries, scrapbooks and journals
Sketchbooks
My postcards will be buried with me, similar to the way the Egyptians used to bury the pharaohs with their treasures. And just like with the pharaohs’ tombs, if anyone dares to disturb my grave to get my postcards, they will be forever cursed.
But it doesn’t really matter anyway, as long as I can enjoy it alive.
wow