Postcard Valuations

"We are interested to know what a vintage postcard collection from the UK might be worth. We have an extensive collection of post cards from 1904 and before. We also have a few embroidered post cards. Most of these are from the UK and some have been stamped and mailed. We also have a collection of US vintage post cards from around the same time period. Can you help us? Thank you. Kurt "

Hi Kurt, Thanks for contacting us. We'd need a bit more to go on.. Quantity? Types of card? But even then very difficult without actually seeing them.. regards. Mike Day

Although we like to buy postcards and will always make a generous offer for suitable collections - it's difficult for us to make valuations. We're constantly receiving enquiries such as this, try to respond to as many as possible but it's often difficult keeping up. We'll post a few examples on the blog over the months as it may help...

since 1980...

We have been dealing in old picture postcards using the name 'Days Past' since 1980. This started at a regular evening antiques auction at the 'Brown Cow' pub at Helsby, Cheshire. Where we bought a vintage 'Golden Age' * album of cards. I don't remember too much about the album itself but amongst the 300 or so postcards were a few Louis Wain cards, some Royalty and Seaside Comics.

The Louis Wains with a few other choice items were sold directly to London dealer Desmond Chamberlain for a tenner each. The remaining postcards were priced up in pencil with the help of a fellow trader Ian Wilkes from Stoke who offered advice.

At the time I had a part-time business selling antiques and bric-a-brac at antiques fairs in places such as Chester (Northgate Arena) , Colwyn Bay (on the pier), Llangefni Market, Bangor and Holyhead. The postcards took their place on the stand in a shoebox and I was amazed at the response they got from the public it opened up a whole new world for me.

Soon the glassware, china and other objets d'art made room for several more boxes of cards - after all they took up far less space, didn't need to be wrapped up after each event and were practically unbreakable.

I can't remember what happened to the antiques.... but the postcards had taken over completely within a few months.

Unlike the people who perused the antiques for a brief moment before wandering away, postcard collectors were different, they all had their own individual specific interests yet were always keen to chat about these and each others specialities and the postcards themselves.

Many of the people met in those early days remain friends today Alan Tonge, Colin Mills, Harry Thomas, Alan Povey, Ian Boumphrey to name a few, were all keen to offer advice (once they'd claimed for themselves the underpriced bargains in our 'new stock').

With Dad, Alan (and often my Mum too) we started attending more fairs and joined the Merseyside Postcard Club... meetings then were at the Swan pub in Liverpool and run by Pete Woolley. My own interest in North Wales (particularly Anglesey) postcards lead to the idea of starting the North Wales Postcard Club, first meeting November 1980 at Colin Mills' hotel the Mount Stewart in Rhos-on-sea and still going strong at the same venue to this day..

*during the period 1902 to 1914 the postcard 'craze' was at it's peak this is commonly referred to as the 'Golden Age'
more later....