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Worldwide Collectibles Forum
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Postcard Collectors (Deltiology) Message Board
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Deltiology
is the study and collection of postcards. For many, a deltiological
collection may be little more than a selection of postcards attached to
the door of a refrigerator, but for others a collection may be extensive
and of considerable value. Compared to philately, the identification of
a postcard's place and time of production can often be an impossible
task, due to the fact that — unlike stamps — postcards are produced in a
decentralised, unregulated manner. For this reason, serious collectors
may choose to limit their acquisitions to cards by specific artists and
publishers, or by time and location.
 That
being said, there are some general rules to dating when a postcard was
printed. Postcards are generally sent within a few years of their
printing so the postmark helps date a postcard. If the card is original
and not a reprint, you can often tell a postcard's original printing
date by such things as the fashions worn by people in the card, the era
in which the cars on the street were made, and other time sensitive
clues.
Postcards are collected by historical societies, libraries and
genealogical socities because of their importance in research such as
how a city looked at a particular time in history as well as social
history. Many elementary schools use postcards to teach children
geography. Postcard Penpal programs have been established to help
children in language arts.
Deltiologists, as postcard collectors are called, collect for a variety
of reasons. Some are attracted to the postcards themselves and then
narrow down their interests. Others are interested in something in
particular, such as Ballet, and then decide to collect Ballet related
postcards as a way to augment their interest in Ballet.
Worldwide, deltiology is the third largest hobby after stamp collecting
and money collecting. As a result, there are postcard clubs in the US as
well as around the world. These clubs, as well as related organizations,
host postcard shows on a regular basis.
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