-
Porcupine, Lake of the Woods, Ontario
Card dates from 1954 and shows a porcupine near Rainy River, Ontario. Exciting, eh? In excellent condition apart from a travel agency’s stamp on reverse. If you’re really looking for a porcupine postcard, here it is. Grade: 4
-
Wildebeeste and Mt. Kilimanjaro
1960s view of Kilimanjaro’s Kibo peak (with snow!). The card with wildebeeste is unused, gently aging on reverse and around the edges, and has an almost imperceptible crease running through it. Picture is not affected. If you want a Mt. Kilimanjaro postcard with snow, here it is. Grade: 3
-
Ningaloo Reef, Whale Shark (Australia)
You can snorkel and swim with these massive fish, safely. We haven’t, but we would. Unused card. Grade: 1
-
Plucking ostriches (South Africa)
Unused, and apart from normal aging the card is in great condition. Published by Valentine & Sons, #500636. Grade: 1
-
Elephants (Thailand)
Whoever took this photo, if not the elephants themselves, should be able to retire on royalties from the picture, since it appears on an endless range of postcards bearing slightly different captions and descriptions. Even we have some of them. For the record, this is unused Maekmai card CH.184. Grade: 1
-
Parrots (3D)
Photo with ridged plastic coating, in the size and shape of a postcard and meant to be used that way though reverse only has manufacturer’s information. Made in Japan. Bought in 1980’s but never mailed. Two are available; fronts are perfect, and reverses are quite mottled with age. The effect is realistic and if you click the photo for a larger view you can get a good sense of it. Grades: 2
-
Panda (3D)
This is a ridged, plastic-covered 3D photo in the size and shape of a postcard but without printing on the reverse, apart from “Made in Japan” and manufacturer’s details. It is meant to be a postcard. Bought in 1980s and never mailed, the front is perfect and the reverse is mottled with age. Grade: 2
-
Elephants (Singapore)
Probably not too many elephants wandering the streets of Singapore now. This early 20th cent. B&W card is unused and in superb condition. Grade: 1
-
Monkey Working (Thailand)
Unused Maekmai card CH.173. Grade: 1
-
A Gannet
There actually is a caption near the bottom front of this real-photo card, but as sometimes happens, it’s white printing on a white background. We had already confirmed with our good bird-watching friend Dr. Ted that this is a gannet. Card was mailed in the UK in 1975 with a 5-1/2p stamp and postmark. Grade: 1
-
Cormorants (England)
J. Arthur Dixon card W.L. 415, mailed many years ago (1960s?) with a 3d stamp and indistinct postmark. Grade: 1
-
Africa’s beautiful birds
Despite (Kenya) stamp and Westlands postmark, we can’t make out when this card was posted, and apart from that stamp it does not focus on a specific country. But we lived in Kenya before, and those birds are all familiar (and identified in the caption), so we are confident in zeroing in on East Africa. The lilac-breasted roller; crowned crane; Scarlet-chested sunbird; and others. Grade: 1
-
Kuching, Semenggoh, Orang Utans (Malaysia)
Unused card 780 from the “Scenes of Sarawak Series”. Grade: 1
-
Bouquetin (Ibex)
This winsome animal gazes out from behind a bit of snow on this card, mailed from France in 2006 with five stamps and partial postmarks. Grade: 2
-
Camels (Libya)
Card from the 1960s, serrated edges, had been used to protect something else when it was mailed in an envelope. So it is technically “unused” but has major tape marks and dents. Not really better than space filler. Grade: 5
-
Leatherback turtle (Malaysia)
We had the good fortune to see these nesting, before human forces got in the way. This card was mailed in 1991 but photo is much earlier. Flashbulbs are technically not allowed now. Stamp and postmark intact. Grade: 1
-
Leatherback turtle (Malaysia)
Unusual daylight view of a nesting turtle. Card mailed in 1991, with Selangor stamp but no legible postmark. Grade: 2
-
Baby leatherback turtles (Malaysia)
Card mailed in 1991 with commemorative wasp stamp and partial postmark. Grade: 2
-
Monkeys send greetings (Thailand)
Two of these 2007-vintage, unused cards are available. Grades: 1
-
Elephants bathing (Ceylon)
Card mailed in about 1970, when Sri Lanka was still Ceylon along in harmony. Stamp intact but heavily postmarked. Minor corner abrasions. Grade: 3
-
Leatherback turtle (Malaysia)
Three cards are available, mailed in the early 1990s, with stamp and nearly entirely legible postmarks. One has a bit of aging on reverse, and edge abrasions, but OK otherwise (Grade 2, $3.50). The other two are better (Grades: 1, $4.50). Yes, let’s kick the turtle while we’re at it.
-
Elephants (Thailand)
Two of these cards are available. One was mailed in 1995 and one in 1996. They are special because in each case the cards have two large se-tenant elephant stamps. Details: one card from 1995 has those two plus one other large stamp, legible postmarks, and no damage. The other, from 1996, has five stamps, heavy postmarking, and basically similar condition. Each one: Grade: 1, $16.
-
Bird Park (Penang, Malaysia)
Mailed in 1991 from Penang, this card shows a mandarin duck, shoveler, ruddy shelduck, and Carolina wood duck. Stamp is there, and postmark is legible. Normal postal edge abrasion and modest aging on reverse. Grade: 2
-
I heart Penang Bird Park (Malaysia)
This card shows the red-flanked lorikeet, red bishop weaver, and Lady Amherst’s Pheasant. Mailed in 1991, the card has a stamp and mostly readable postmark but the card got caught in the postmark machine and has a minor tear on left front edge. Grade: 4
-
Leatherback turtle at night (Malaysia)
Turtles at Rantau Abang, once a common sight, sadly no longer. This card was mailed in 1991, with stamp and blurred postmark. Grade: 3
-
Deyme, Garonne, Attelage de Boeufs (France)
Attelage, in French, = Coupling. Maybe not the most inspired choice for a postcard — personally we might have wanted to receive a city view instead — but this real-photo card was mailed in 1953, has its stamp and two postmarks, and almost begs you to walk behind and plow the field. Grade: 1
-
Turkey Run State Park (Indiana, USA)
Two of these unused Curteichcolor (9CK2579) cards are available. They date from the 1960s and apart from very gentle aging on reverse, are in fine shape. Grades: 1 ($4.50), 2 ($4)
-
Buffalo statue (USA)
This unused 1970s card is perfect for your growing collection of old buffalos. Has index # S-79270 and also #175, and it’s aging on reverse but otherwise undamaged. Grade: 1
-
Camels (Jordan)
How is it that we have cards of camels from so many different countries? Well, here’s another. Unused, dating from mid-1970s, aging and slightly stained reverse but excellent front. Grade: 2
-
Camels (Libya)
Authentic unused card from 1960s but it has a hole punched through it. Grade: 5
-
Elephant (Tanzania)
Basically, the classic East African scene. Unused card from 1960s. Grade: 1
-
Koala (Australia)
Card was mailed in 1989, with two stamps and full postmark. Grade: 1
-
Kookaburras (Australia)
Unusually bright card with kookaburras, mailed in 1985 with stamp intact and blue airmail sticker affixed. A bit of staining on reverse, nothing too significant. Grade: 2
-
Kaohsiung Medical University – fauna (Taiwan)
Here’s a set of 12 unused cards from Kaohsiung Medical University. We’re not certain what prompted these, but all but one have Latin (scientific) names on the reverse, along of course with Chinese. Six show seashells; four show birds; one is an insect (the golden-spotted tiger beetle, to be exact), and one — it’s in the upper left of our scan, we have no idea what that is. A few of the cards have small stickers on the lower right reverse, possibly correcting an error made in the text of what also shows without stickers on the remaining cards. Having said all that, we have four sets available, all Grade: 1
-
Kangaroo
The iconic Australia subject — well, one of them — for a postcard. Unused. Grade: 1
-
Australian wildlife
Two of these new, unused cards are available. Grades: 1
-
Flamingo display, Denver Museum of Natural History
An odd card that would somehow have you believe it came from the Bahamas, but that’s only the flamingos, apparently. Mailed in 1989 from Denver with two stamps and full postmark. Grade: 2
-
Donkey (Canary Islands)
We are so isolated over here in Hong Kong that we don’t know if this is supposed to be a comic card or not. In any event, it was not postally mailed but the entire reverse is written over with a message. Grade: 4
-
Crab (Indonesia)
The caption writers had a little problem with English but those crabs are formidable nonetheless. Unused, modern card. Grade: 1
-
Elephants (Viet Nam)
Unused card. Grade: 2