Postcards From The Edge

There was a time that I thought it would be incredibly cool to have visited every state in this country. Honestly, I still kinda do. I haven't had the opportunity to travel anywhere CLOSE to as much as I'd like to. But, I used to keep a running list of all the states I'd visited and a separate list for each of my kids. This new mapping site was made to order for the nerd in me. And now you, too, can create your own visited states map. Or you can use it to keep track of states where there are warrants for your arrest. Whatever.

South Carolina looks kinda 'dissed' there, doesn't it? It wasn't intentional. Just must have missed it on my extensive tour of the southeastern U.S. But more than South Carolina, I have always most wanted to visit New England. The Maine shore holds much more allure for me than the celebrity of southern California ever will. Seeing the history of Boston is much higher on my thrill-meter than checking out the night life of Dallas (though Texas holds other things I'd love to see). Now, while the Pacific Northwest and the Grand Canyon are pretty high on my list, I could go practically forever without seeing the Las Vegas strip.

It was always a "someday" kind of thing, you know. Someday there will be money to go somewhere. And someday, there will be time. And someday the kids will be older and can do that. And someday you'll have enough time off from work. And long before I reached the advanced age that I am now, I figured out exactly when that someday was. In my dreams.

I suppose it's why I started collecting postcards so long ago. I was such a whore about it, too. A coworker would be going to the Bahamas and I'd be all "Oh, hey, Judy, if you don't mind, could you pick me up a postcard or two? I'll pay you for them." Or my cousin is going to Hungary to compete in the Olympic trials (this is a true story), and he sends letters out to the family asking for money to help fund his trip, and I send him a few bucks and a note to please send me a postcard from Hungary. Which he was totally sweet enough to do, even though he didn't make it to the Big Show. I haven't messed with the postcards much lately, but the itch is sneaking back in.

There are a few of my most favorite postcards on display in the living room. I've got them in these relatively functional frames that I like. Hey, here's a (not terribly clear) picture of one of them. Anyway, the postcards that I have out are some hand-tinted cards from the 30's and 40's. The pastels in them are so nostalgic, they'd take you back even if the pictures themselves didn't. I've got four of these frames in our living room, but have dozens of these hand-tinted cards.

If I wanted to spend the time doing it, I could pretty much change them out monthly and never have the same ones on display for a year. But somehow, if I've got time to change out these postcards, I'm thinking I've got time for a roadtrip. So, that never happens.

Most of my collection is kept in postcard albums and categorized photo boxes, and housed in an underbed storage bin. I'm nothing if I'm not organized.

When I go on vacation, I buy duplicates of the postcards I like. One to mail to friends and family and one to keep for my collection. I've bought them at flea markets and postcard shows. I've gotten tons of them from friends and family who have come upon them any number of ways. And because of this, I have long since reached my first goal of having a card from every U.S. state. (By the way, more of my state collection is from Florida than anywhere else. Those folks at the Florida Board of Tourism should be proud of the job they're doing.)

I really didn't want to stop collecting when I'd done that, and so, I pulled out the world atlas and set about the task of getting one from every country. That should keep me busy for a while. I've actually already got 55 countries, including some pre-WWII cards from Guam (that my ex father-in-law picked up while he was there fighting), Lichtenstein, Lebanon and South Africa. Both the African and Asian continents are seriously under-represented in my collection, but it certainly gives me something to shoot for.

And, as if that wasn't goal enough, I've also noticed that I tend to come across a lot of postcards for small (what I call) Mom & Pop motels from all over the states. Obviously, an advertising tool for these establishments, but they've sucked me in. When I see one, I just instinctively pick it up.

In addition, map postcards have moved way up on my Must Have list. You know the ones that were all the rage when we were kids. A card from Florida with an orange and a girl in a bathing suit along with the state bird and state flower, all juxtaposed over an image of the state with the larger cities noted. I've got about half of these so far.

Others that have been picked up or given to me over the years, and have become dear to me, include humorous or artistic cards, some black and white photographic cards from the late 1800's (including some from an insane asylum...stop by for a visit and don't forget to send a postcard to your loved ones while you're here!) , and some of my favorites that I refer to as those made from unconventional media. These include postcards made from leather, wood, a seed packet, copper, clear plastic, fabric, and a puzzle. This stuff is made to order for collectors who like the quirky. And, of course, I'm definitely in that category.

I've noted some on-line trading communities recently and thought this would be a great way to ease back into collecting at my own speed. I've missed it. The uber-geeky excitement of marking a card off my Wish List when I get it. The thrill of the hunt. Some of my older postcards may be worth a little money. I honestly don't know. I don't collect them because of that. And if I suddenly won the lottery and had the means and opportunity to travel as much as I wanted, I imagine, at this point in my life, I'd still collect them. I suppose collecting anything is more about dealing with a compulsion than anything else. I'm just glad mine is legal, easily accessible and relatively cheap.