
Preserve history and art by collecting vintage and contemporary postcards.
Reviewed May 18, 2026
Social
Solo
Where
At home
Depth
Lifelong craft
Sessions
30–60 min sessions
Physical
Sedentary
Learning
Easy to start
Starter cost
~$59 to start
Portable
Getting started
Buy your first postcards
Start with a theme: a specific town, artist, or era (pre-1920 real photo postcards, 1950s Americana). A small theme prevents the paralysis of buying everything.
Learn divided back vs undivided back eras
Pre-1907 postcards have undivided backs (message and address share one side). Post-1907 backs have a printed dividing line. Era identification is the first dating tool.
Create a simple catalogue
A spreadsheet with date, location, publisher, condition, and purchase price. Retroactively cataloguing a large collection is tedious and often incomplete.
Contribution and expertise
Contribute scans to a postcard archive
Playle's, the British Postcard Collectors community, or local historical societies accept high-resolution scans for research databases.
Donate a significant local card to a museum or archive
Local history centres actively seek topographical postcards of their area. A well-documented card with provenance has genuine archival value.
Take a beginner Postcard Collecting (Deltiology) course
A structured course is the fastest way past the awkward beginner stage. Browse highly-rated postcard collecting (deltiology) classes for beginners.
Take the free quiz to rank the full catalog by your time, motivation, and setup — about five minutes.
5 stages · 20 milestones
Tick off milestones as you go — from first session to confident practitioner. Progress saves to your account so you can pick up where you left off.
Buy your first postcards
Start with a theme: a specific town, artist, or era (pre-1920 real photo postcards, 1950s Americana). A small theme prevents the paralysis of buying everything.
Find gearLearn divided back vs undivided back eras
Pre-1907 postcards have undivided backs (message and address share one side). Post-1907 backs have a printed dividing line. Era identification is the first dating tool.
Create a simple catalogue
A spreadsheet with date, location, publisher, condition, and purchase price. Retroactively cataloguing a large collection is tedious and often incomplete.
Join the deltiology community
r/Deltiology on Reddit; the Deltiologists of America have a forum and annual show directory.
Find a community~$59
Core gear to get going. Estimates from curated picks; actual spend varies.
+~$80
Nice-to-have upgrades once you know you are sticking with it.
Links open Amazon with your affiliate tag. Prices are ballpark catalog values.
Shop starter kits on Amazon