Vintage Postcards

The local art & craft store is having a big sale this week, on all kinds of stuff. I went up there on Saturday morning to see about having a couple of items framed, since all their custom framing is half-price at the moment. I had a browse afterwards and ended up buying one of those padded memo boards, crisscrossed with ribbons (apparently, they're known by the crafty set as 'French memory boards' - who knew?).

I bought it to display some of my collection of vintage postcards, which have been languishing for a while in Ziploc bags. These kind of boards are ideal, because the ribbons hold everything in place - no need for tacks or tape, which could damage the cards. I put together a display of some yesterday, and I'm going to hang the board on the wall in the upstairs hallway, in a spot that doesn't get too much direct light (click on the picture to enlarge):


I'm planning to change the display periodically. I've got over a hundred postcards (the majority of which my parents found for me, at an auction last year). Nearly all of them date from the 1900s to the 1920s, with most from the time of the First World War. The ones in the picture above are ordinary greetings, mainly - except the maple leaf one at top, which is timely given that Canada Day is coming up. But I've got others for different holidays, including Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Valentine's Day - not to mention loads of Christmas and New Year cards.

They're so interesting - as are the messages and stamps on the reverse. I'll try to scan some of the best ones periodically, and post them here.