Postcard Collecting - How I Archive

I am posting this mainly for myself, but feel free

to use it if you are collecting postcards for archival purposes.

No idea what Category to choose, so went with Art :)

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Collecting postcards is not only a beautiful connection to history but also an appreciation of art from years ago. There are many different types, from mica flakes to silver accents to silk. Not taking into account the mementos in the back written by a family member, enemy, landlord, or Will down the street. Taking care of these fragile rectangles is much easier than physical bulky items such as a helmet, an old book or nurse's album. 

Just need to keep a few key bullet points in mind:

• Acid-Free Materials: Using acid-free and archival-quality materials, such as acid-free sleeves, folders, or storage boxes can prevent discoloration and damage over time. Your best bet is well fitted archival sleeves or polypropylene sleeves. Things such as normal paper, regular cardboard, or your metal postcard rack on the wall are bound to damage your postcard over time. Especially if your postcard rack is in direct sunlight!! STOP!!!
  
  
• The Sun is a Deadly Laser: UV ray exposure is great for plants, not your postcards. Direct light can cause discoloration, fading, and your postcard to become brittle. Instead opt to place your postcards in a gentle lighting.
  
  
• Temperature Control: While this is crucial for bulky items such as nurse's albums and books, it is equally important for postcards—or anything of value. Humidity will ruin your postcards, causing them to grow mold, flake, and deteriorate. Store your valuables in a cool and dry environment. 
  
  
• Wash Your Hands: Oil and dirt are natural, but it can damage postcards over time. Always handle your postcards—or anything of value— with clean hands. I want to use this moment to say using 'white cotton gloves is the best' is a myth. These gloves were once thought to preserve however it has been found they deal damage over time.
  

These are the fundamentals of preserving and maintaining postcards. The intricate details involve cleaning, preparing, and archiving them, both digitally and traditionally. I always recommend archiving them using both methods.

I archive in Google Sheets as I find it user friendly. I need to state that my hobby involves not only learning about the postcards but also uncovering the stories of those who wrote on them. Sometimes, I even connect with descendants to share my discoveries. Ancestory.com will be your ally if you take up this hobby like I do!! If you specifically collect World War One postcards as I do, there are several sites to locate soldiers. At the bottom of this post will be the links.

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. Archiving In Google Sheets .

I archive with detail in mind; I want to be able to find, read, and take notes as efficiently as possible. While I have a preferred layout for my column headers, they adapt depending on whether I'm working with a family's album or a collection of random postcards. The following setup is for working with a family album, though it can be customized as needed.

Here are the column headers from left to right:

ID: I assign a custom ID to each of my postcards for quick and easy access. Here are some examples of the IDs I use: 0001, WW1-0001, ABC-0001.

Title/Description: Title or description of the postcard. Be as creative as you wish here, though I advise using what is in the postcard to name it.  Here are some examples of the Titles I use: 1907 Christmas, Fishwish, Joyful New Year 1920, Danish Christmas Billboard.

Date of Postcard: When the postcard was sent to mail. Personally, I format my date year-month-day.

Date of Entry: When I came into possession of the postcard. This is useful for record keeping.

Sender Name: Who sent the postcard.

Sender Address: Where the postcard came from (e.g., city, state, country).

Recipient Name: Name of the person who received the postcard.

Recipient Address: Where the postcard was sent to (e.g., city, state, country).

Message from Sender: The best part! Here you put the transcribed message on the postcard. There are several ways to transcribe: Transcription with Clarifying Punctuation, Transcription with Annotations, Transcription with Interpretations, ect. Do what feels best and makes researching simple.

Image Description: Here you can go into detail about the front of the postcard. Providing a thorough description of the image on the postcard, including all notable elements, can help bring to life the postcard through text. You can be brief here as well. Again, very much up to the archivist. 

Photographer/Artist: Here you place the name of the photographer or artist who created the image on the postcard. The American News Company New York or Raphael Tucks & Sons are good examples.

Dimensions: Physical dimensions of the postcard (e.g., 4 in x 6 in).

Color/B&W: Is the postcard is in color or black and white.

Type of Postcard: Type or purpose of the postcard (e.g., birthday, holiday, scenic, souvenir).

Condition: Here I place my interpretation of the condition of the postcard (e.g., good, faded, aged). One could also go into great detail here or be simple. I usually add a separate column called 'Condition Notes' to go into detail.

Historical Context: What is the historical significance or placement of the card. Here I go into detail about the time period, information about the front if it is a place or speech, or information about the stamp used. 

Research Notes: This is an extra column I place when working with a family's album. I fill this column with lineage information.

I have yet to digitally scan most of my postcards, but it is on the to-do list. I would make a column for this perhaps at the very start or end. Front and Back.  

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. Useful Links .

Chicago Postcard Museum Terminology Glossary - Great for Terminology and Research

Publishers' Initials - Miscellanea Deltiologia - Postcards.wikidot for finding publishers, but sight shows as not secure, please use at own risk

HipPostcard - Great for Buying and Identification

Storables Article - Goes Over Storage and Preparing for Storage in Detail

Ancestory.com - Learning about Receivers and Senders

National Archives UK - Looking up British Army soldiers who served in the First World War

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. One of My Favorite Postcards .