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Young woman
We’ll call her the mystery lady but someone out there knows who she was. The card was made in France but has no caption. It was mailed from Netherlands in 1927 (and has the postmark) but then much later, maybe the 1990s, was re-mailed in an envelope with an address sticker affixed. Grade: 4
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Universal Postal Union
This is only one-half of the reply card as originally sold. So it’s incomplete. Not being sure what kind of price to put on it, we are basically just putting it on the website. Grade: 5
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Friars and grapes
Mailed way, way back, in the USA. The stamp is there, and part of a postmark, and a politically incorrect message to Fritz. Grade: 3
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With the heartiest affection
Not postally used, but an odd and rambling message fills the reverse. Grade: 4
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May Success be Thine
From brother to brother on a card whose stamp is there, and postmark too, but not quite legible. Grade: 4
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Things of quality
Never being quite certain where to categorize cards like this, we let it find its own level. Mailed in Malaysia in 1989, with Malaysian stamp and partial postmark. Grade: 3
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Christian
This card, made in Europe and with many languages printed on reverse, was sent from North Dakota to Iowa in 1909. It has stamp intact and most of a postmark. Minor tear on upper left edge, and a crease on lower right corner. Grade: 4
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Nurses’ House – The Sundial
Delightful real photo and we have absolutely no idea where this may have been. The reverse has no pre-printing at all, but an eight-line message (unmailed) indicating it was the view from living room windows. Grade: 4
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Scene
Odd shape (2.75″ x 6.25″) card, no idea where it is. The card itself was printed in Germany for The Rotograph Co., N.Y. City, and headed PRINTED MATTER instead of postcard, with instruction on how postal rates varied according to the message. To cut this story short, there’s a one-cent stamp remaining, and we think this was mailed to Missouri in the early 1900s. Grade: 4
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You drive me crazy
Well, we can’t really put this under “Comic,” can we? If there were a Creepy Postcards category, this would however fit right in. Unmailed card produced in 1984 and with a message written on the reverse. Grade: 4
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What appears to be the end
We decided not to create a separate category (“Sappy”? “Depressing”?) for cards like this, so if you have dug down this far and are reading this, we hope you’ll know what we mean. Anyway, this was mailed in Malaysia in 1990 with stamp and postmark. Grade: 1
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National Guard Heritage (USA)
Because this is not a picture postcard, it may only appeal to you if you are looking for this particular pre-printed postage. Mailed in 1988, both sender and receiver are no longer with us. Grade: 3
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Schonheit des Leibes (Berlin)
Mailed in 2012 from Netherlands with stamp, postmark, and address label affixed. Grade: 4
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Life is short and the art is long
A series of similar cards like this. It’s 5″ x 7″, mailed in Malaysia with stamp and postmark. This particular card has white correctional fluid on the reverse. Grade: 3
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Art is I; science is we
A series of similar cards like this. It’s 5″ x 7″, mailed in Malaysia with stamp and postmark. This particular card: Grade: 1
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What is art? Nature concentrated.
Two 5″ x 7″ cards are available, both mailed in Malaysia, with stamp and partial postmark. One of the two cards has a little white correctional fluid on the reverse. Grades: 3
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Bettman/Corbis photo (USA)
We don’t know where the card itself originated, but it was mailed from Germany in 2011 with stamp, postmark, and trilingual Priority label. Grade: 1
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Lion Dance (Lions of Prosperity)
S.W. Singapore card KL8504, indicating it was produced for the Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) market. Mailed in 1986 with partial postmark and Malaysian royalty stamp. Grade: 2
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Way out in the West
Was this supposed to be funny? Or what? The writer’s message on the reverse says it best. Mailed in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000 with two stamps, and address on an affixed label. USPS postal barcoding on front and on bottom reverse. Grade: 4
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Leisure and Cultural Services Customer Appreciation Card (Hong Kong)
Although this is postcard-sized, it’s actually a comments card meant to be completed and dropped into a box at any of the LCSD venues. Unused. Grade: 1
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Autumn colours (Finland)
A beautiful picture, sadly unattributed on the printed card except through a website. Mailed in 2010, this card has one of Finland’s Braille stamps and an extra (also Braille) sticker probably from the margin of a sheet of stamps. Also there’s a blue Priority label affixed. Grade: 3
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Garden (Japan)
Perhaps if you can read Japanese, the caption will tell you where this garden is. Otherwise, because the card was mailed from Japan in 2010 with Japanese stamp and full postmark (plus a little more), we think it’s a safe guess the garden actually is in Japan. Grade: 3
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Post Card from England
Not a photo card, this is as you see, with a message on the reverse. Mailed in 1946. Grade: 3
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Boats and message
Definitely one of our oldest cards (mailed in 1902) but heavily stained, stamp is gone, there seem to be four different postmarks, and who knows what all is going on here. Grade: 5
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From New York (1903)
Non-pictorial US Post Office-issued card with President McKinley. The front is as you see; the reverse has a very long message in a language totally unreadable to us. Grade: 3
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From Missouri (1905)
U.S. Post Office postal card (McKinley), mailed in 1905. The reverse is a receipt for payment on an insurance policy. Grade: 2
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Spring (USA)
The robin looks stuffed. Unused postally, but the reverse has two large rubber-stamped addresses. Grade: 4
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Duck hunters
Unused H.S. Crocker card HSC-46. Grade: 1
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New England, old sugar house (USA)
Unused Plastichrome card P22585 with initials written in the postage area. Grade: 3
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Not one single unkind word
It’s a very old, unused card but not really a greeting so we didn’t know just where to put it. Dated 1911 on the front, in tiny print. Grade: 3
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Trees and stream
Old, battered generic card. If there were any stamps or postmark, they’re long gone. Grade: 5
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Frubienzym (Germany)
Not sure what to make of this. It was mailed from Germany with stamp and postmark, and the caption looks as though some correction fluid was put over it and then scraped off. It’s readable, though. Grade: 4
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We’ve a full line
Mailed in 1905 with stamp and two postmarks, one of which is fully legible. Grade: 3
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Here skies are bluest
From this unused E.C. Kropp card 31122N-W215, we repeat the caption in its entirety: “Here skies are bluest, And friendship is the truest, And mosquitoes the fewest.” You should never believe everything you read on the internet. Except here. Grade: 3
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“Others”
Poem by C.D. Meigs on this card mailed in 1966 with postmark but no stamp. Looks like the writer asked the recipient to give her the stamps back! Grade: 4
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We do our best
Please come to Sunday School. But the card is unused. Maybe they had full attendance? Grade: 1
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After a dark dream
Originating as an internet card, this was mailed from Canada in 2012 with CNY dragon stamp, part of an airmail sticker, and the postmark. Were we the designers of the card, we would have loved to change one word in the text, but this is mostly a family-friendly site and we know when to leave well enough alone. Grade: 3
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Ollie Postcard
We are supposed to know about such things, but confess to being clueless about this novelty card. It’s unused, unnumbered, and unattributed. It has all the thin strips of an old shredded (and used) postcard at the bottom. Google was no help at all here. Do you know? Grade: 1
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At the old cabin door (USA)
If we ever open a topical category from “Old South,” this will lead the way. Unused card A-31663 from C.T. American Art. Grade: 1
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Mother’s Day (Turkey)
Google Translate helps us know that the legend reads “As always I will stay a baby … Mother’s Day” though maybe a Turkish speaker could help smooth that out. Mailed in 2011 with stamp, full postmark, and extra little sticker of a teddy bear. Grade: 4