Deltiology is the study and collection of postcards. For many, a deltiological collection may be little more than a selection of postcards attached to the door of a refrigerator, but for others a collection may be extensive and of considerable value. Compared to philately, the identification of a postcard's place and time of production can often be an impossible task, due to the fact that — unlike stamps — postcards are produced in a decentralised, unregulated manner. For this reason, serious collectors may choose to limit their acquisitions to cards by specific artists and publishers, or by time and location.

That being said, there are some general rules to dating when a postcard was printed. Postcards are generally sent within a few years of their printing so the postmark helps date a postcard. If the card is original and not a reprint, you can often tell a postcard's original printing date by such things as the fashions worn by people in the card, the era in which the cars on the street were made, and other time sensitive clues.

Postcards are collected by historical societies, libraries and genealogical socities because of their importance in research such as how a city looked at a particular time in history as well as social history. Many elementary schools use postcards to teach children geography [http://home.earthlink.net/~gbnewman/postcardpals.html. Postcard Penpal programs have been established to help children in language arts.

Worldwide, deltiology is the third largest hobby after stamp collecting and money collecting. As a result, there are postcard clubs in the US as well as around the world. These clubs, as well as related organizations, host postcard shows on a regular basis.

External links

• Postcard Pals
• Postcard bibliography

Stationery | Philatelic terminology | Ephemera | Postal system | Collecting