Korea, South – Global Postcard Sales

Total: 39 postcards

Seoul, Duksu Kung Palace
Card was mailed in 1970 through a military facility in Seoul so it has one USA stamp and mostly legible postmark. Reverse is aging. Grade: 3

Code: 20313001
Price: $4.50
Hakugan Shisan
After much homework, we’re still not certain this card is in the right category, but we think so. Forgive any mistake. It was never mailed, is very old and heavily aged, and wherever it is, we’re sure the area doesn’t look the same. Grade: 3

Code: 20313002
Price: $16.00
Cheju Island, Chongbang Waterfall
Published by Korean Airlines, this card was mailed from Malaysia to USA in 1995 and has two Malaysian stamps with mostly legible postmark. It also has half of an added U.S. P.O. bar code sticker, covering an added airmail sticker, and some minor edge abrasion. The picture itself? Nice. Grade: 4

Code: 20313003
Price: $5.50
Totem poles
It almost looks like Washington during cherry blossom time, but those totem poles give it away, don’t they? Two cards are available. One was mailed from Seoul in 1996 with two stamps and nice postmark (Grade: 1, $6). The other is unused (Grade: 1, $4).

Code: 20313004
Price: $6.00
Kakhwang-jon in Hwaom-sa Temple
From 1996, a nice card mailed with two stamps but only a blurry postmark. Grade: 1

Code: 20313005
Price: $4.00
Seoul, Sejongno Street
And did you know this street is only 600 meters long? Sure looks longer. This card was mailed in 1989 with two stamps and partial postmarks. Grade: 1

Code: 20313006
Price: $6.00
Cheju Island, yellow rape blossoms and Sunrise Peak
Unused card issued by Korean Air sometime in the 1980s. If you browse through our “Japan” category, you’ll find a photo of Mt. Fuji that’s nearly identical–but with snow, of course. Considering the shared histories, that’s ironic. Grade: 1

Code: 20313007
Price: $3.50
Seoul, Gyeonbog Palace, Hyangweon-jeong pavilion
Card was mailed sometime during the 1980s, with three stamps but unreadable postmarks. Also has a red airmail chop on the reverse. Grade: 2

Code: 20313008
Price: $4.50
Seoul, Radisson Seoul Plaza Hotel, exterior
Unused card from the late 1990s or maybe early 2000s. Grade: 1

Code: 20313009
Price: $3.00
Seoul, Radisson Seoul Plaza Hotel, food
Unused card from the late 1990s or maybe early 2000s. Grade: 1

Code: 20313010
Price: $3.00
Seoul, Radisson Seoul Plaza Hotel, fittings
Unused card from the late 1990s or maybe early 2000s. Grade: 1

Code: 20313011
Price: $3.00
Seoul, Grand Hyatt Hotel
Three 4.6″ x 6.5″ cards are available, from this popular but formal hotel. Two were mailed (1997, 1999) each with a stamp and readable postmark (Grades: 2, $3.50) and the third is unused but heavily fingermarked on the reverse (Grade: 3, $2.50).

Code: 20313012
Price: $3.50
Overpass bridge
The best that can be said of this mailed card is that it has two different stamps on it. Otherwise, it’s a mess on both sides. Grade: 5

Code: 20313013
Price: $1.50
Seoul, Walker Hill Hotels and Casino
Unused card. Grade: 1

Code: 20313014
Price: $3.00
Seoul, Walker-Hill Hotels
Unused card showing the “Jang-Gu” Korean traditional dance with Walker Hill in the background. Grade: 1

Code: 20313015
Price: $3.00
Seoul, Now and the Past in Harmony (folio)
This is a cardboard-wrapped unused set of 14 (4-7/8″ x 6-7/8″) cards plus two additional similarly sized cards giving explanations of the pictures. The cards are beautiful, heavy, and formidable; the cover in the scan shows only some of the photos. This was, by the way, all we could find in Seoul’s impressive airport. Grade: 1

Code: 20313016
Price: $19.00
Closing Ceremony of 1988 Seoul Olympics
Two cards are available, both mailed from Seoul in 1989. One has one stamp and partial postmarks, minor postal battering (Grade: 2, $14). The other has two different stamps and faintly visible postmark (Grade: 1, $18).

Code: 20313017
Price: $14.00
Seoul, Namdaemun Gate
Mailed in 1989 with five different stamps and multiple postmarks. Most unfortunately, in 2008, the greater part of this structure was destroyed in an arson attack. Grade: 1

Code: 20313018
Price: $16.00
Seoul, Hotel Lotte, Posuk-Jung
Mailed in 1989, this card shows the “Colorful display of traditional Korean dance … adding to the memories of ’88.” “BRING HOME THE GOLD!” We assume this refers to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Of note, the cable address printed at the bottom of the card is “HOTELOTEE” and we wonder whether they meant to spell it that way. Stamp is here, but no legible postmark. Grade: 2

Code: 20313019
Price: $5.00
Seoul World Cup Stadium and Fountain
Mailed in 2012 with two different stamps and partly legible postmark. Grade: 1

Code: 20313020
Price: $4.00
Kyongju Tokyu Hotel
Unused card, not at all new, and unevenly aged. Nice boat, though! Grade: 3

Code: 20313021
Price: $3.00
National Museum of Korea, Lotus Flower
Unused 4-7/8″ x 6-7/8″ card, bilingually captioned in Korean and English, of this 19th-century Sin Myeong-yeon (Lotus Flower) art. Grade: 1

Code: 20313022
Price: $2.00
Alphabet
At least we think this is elements of the Korean alphabet. Mailed in 2012 with three stamps, partial postmarks, and address label affixed. Grade: 4

Code: 20313023
Price: $2.00
Fireworks Display on the Seoul Tower
In the pantheon of fireworks postcards, we don’t often find one that needs to say “at night,” but here it is, mailed in 2013 with two stamps and postmark. A bit of postmark ink smudging on the front. Grade: 3

Code: 20313024
Price: $3.00
Seoul, Seoul Palace Hotel
A creased card, mailed in 2013 with a dedicated postage meter label that makes it slightly more unusual. Grade: 3

Code: 20313025
Price: $1.00
Seoul, Worldcup (sic) Stadium
Mailed in 2013 with three stamps and two clear postmarks. Minor postal creasing on one corner, not significant. Grade: 2

Code: 20313026
Price: $6.00
Seoul, Cheonggyecheon
An oversized (4-1/8″ x 8″) card of an urban renewal project, mailed from Norway (not Korea!) in 2014 with stamp, blue A Prioritaire label, and sticker of a Norwegian flag. Grade: 4

Code: 20313027
Price: $2.00
Ulleung-gun (set of 12)
Wikipedia tells us that “Ulleung County is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It consists mainly of the island of Ulleungdo, but is held to cover a total of 44 islands, including Dokdo Islets, which is contested by Japan and North Korea.” This is a set of 12 cards, in a cardboard sleeve whose cover appears here. Unused. Grade: 1

Code: 20313028
Price: $12.00
Seoul, Hotel Lotte World
Unused card from the hotel itself. Grade: 1

Code: 20313029
Price: $2.00
Tabotap and Seokgatap (3D)
Unused 3D card — lenticular printing, but the images don’t shift when the card is tilted — in its original cellowrap. Grade: 1

Code: 20313030
Price: $4.00
Sukgulam, Buddha (3D)
Unused 3D (lenticular printing) card whose image does not change when the card is tilted. Still in the original cellowrap. Grade: 1

Code: 20313031
Price: $4.00
Nosung – Old Buddhist Monk
Captions in three languages (Korean, English, Japanese) link the mask with historic drama. Unused card. Grade: 1

Code: 20313033
Price: $3.00
Miyal-halmi (Old Woman)
Captions in three languages (Korean, English, Japanese) link the mask with historic drama from the northwestern region. Unused card. Grade: 1

Code: 20313034
Price: $3.00
A rear garden of Kunjongjon Hall
If, as we did, you do your own search for information about this structure, it’s likely to exhaust you. Try it and see wht we mean. The postcard was mailed in 1987, with stamp, postmark, and airmail sticker. Minor abrasions on the reverse, and some age foxing. Grade: 3

Code: 20313035
Price: $1.00
Gyeongju, Dabo Pagoda
It’s also called the Dabotap Pagoda, part of the Bulguksa Temple at Gyeongju (Seorabeol), the ancient Silla capital. The traditional construction date is 751 CE. The structure is listed as a Korean national treasure. The postcard dates from somewhat later (1987) and has stamp and postmark. Grade: 1

Code: 20313036
Price: $2.00
Cheju Island, The Subtropic Plants
The designers missed a chance to identify what these plants are, but upper left looks a lot like a banana blossom. If you’re Korean, you’ll definitely know. Card was mailed in 1987, with stamp and postmark and airmail chop, but also significant age-related foxing on both sides. Grade: 4

Code: 20313037
Price: $1.00
Seoul, drawn images
Mailed in 2020 with two different stamps, full postmark, and a small numbered sticker on the reverse. Grade: 3

Code: 20313039
Price: $1.00
BTS – Boxed set of (30) postcards, bookmarks, and stickers
We like sets like these, but they can be hard to describe. First, you might know that BTS is a world-famous Korean boy band. As for this set, the cardboard cover (still sealed in its original shrink wrap) says there are 30 postcards, 30 bookmarks, and 280 “pasters”, which we interpret as stickers, though this type of set sometimes gets the number of stickers wrong. The reverse cardboard cover shows thumbnail photos of much of all this. Sourced in China, it’s a set likely to please fans of this popular band. Grade: 1

Code: 20313040
Price: $22.00
BIGBANG (set)
Please read this description carefully, and if you then have any questions, ask us. The set comes in a metal box measuring 7-7/8″ x 3-7/8″ x 7/8″. The front is as you see in our scan. The reverse of the box is blank. So, we don’t know for certain what’s in it: just postcards? How many? With or without stickers? Sets of similar dimension usually have about 30 postcards — but no guarantees. BIGBANG itself, (빅뱅; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment and at the time we write this consists of four members: G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, and Daesung. Originally a five-piece band, Seungri retired from the entertainment industry in March 2019 but is still featured in these cards. Dubbed the “Kings of K-pop”, they helped spread the Korean Wave internationally. Grade: 1

Code: 20313041
Price: $32.00

Total: 39 postcards