Wanted   Do you have a passion for antiques and collectibles - and writing?   The Wayback Times invites you to submit freelance articles for use in print and on our new web site.   E-mail your text submissions to The Wayback Times.   Articles published in The Wayback Times since 1995 have covered a wide range of interests, from Golliwoggs to toy VW collecting, and from collecting insulators to hunting old books.   Most authors of our online selection of articles have included their e-mail addresses and they are always delighted to hear from other collectors.

Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Flip sides of postcards tell the story   List John Norris Next   The Flip Sides of Postcards at Vintage Postcard Fair   By John Norris Contemporary postcards in stores display their colorful image side, which can be cloned thousands of times, to attract buyers.   But it's the flip side which offers a unique image: The very mind of the purchaser writing to someone distant. It's a challenge for the writer to condense his or her thoughts into a given small space, like distilling the essence of an e-mail subject into a single line.   On Oct. 23, 2011, the Vintage Postcard Fair at Leaside Gardens in Toronto offered collectors the opportunity to peruse and buy thousands of postcards, some without messages, some with.   Of the latter, in some cases, the more creative writers had used their message as a stage for their comedic talents.   Dealer Jim Skelding of Merrickville, Ontario, has long recognized the value of the message over the front image. He has written two books on postcard messages: Merrickville, A Postcard Reflective (2010) and Inverhuron, A Postcard Reflective (2011).   He offered for sale at least two insightful messages on cards. One depicted Kenny's Hotel, Jones' Falls, Ontario. It reads: "Dear Vic, Our camp is situated underneath the place marked X. I was thrown in the first day I got here. HSM."   A second card was addressed to Mabel Richardson, Prescott, Ontario. It reads: "Hello, Mabel. Just got back and was seasick all way over. It was a fierce storm. Has Ma gone home yet? Love to all and write and tell me of your holiday. Maure."   Joe Rozdzilski of Toronto offered a gem in his "Animals" section, with the image of a donkey head. Addressed to Colleen Kennedy, Toronto 4, it reads: "Hello, Colleen. Well, I bought this postcard. I thought that this little ass had a charm of his own. Well, so much for this. Write soon. Nanci."   Neil Hayne of Kingston, Ontario, had a card with a one-cent stamp and message of protest: "Dear Sis Julia, What is the matter with you that you don't answer my last letter? I suppose you are living. What do you think of the family?"   Deltiologists are patient, resolute collectors bent on finding those postcards relevant to their particular interests.   The ubiquitous Brian Munro of Toronto, a collector of early Canadian transportation memorabilia and known for wearing a placard on his back with an image of the steamship S.S. Keewatin, discovered at the show four postcards with an image of the very ship.   "It was a gangbuster day for me," he said.   According to Wikipedia, the S.S. Keewatin, launched July 6, 1907, was a passenger liner that once sailed between Port Arthur/Fort William and Port McNicoll, Ontario. She ran continuously for almost 60 seasons and was retired in 1966.   In 1967, the S.S. Keewatin was moved to Douglas, Michigan, where she is moored in the Kalamazoo River and serves as a museum ship. Of importance to Canadians is that she is scheduled to be moved to Port McNichol for restoration and permanent display this year. Return to top of page   This Is Publishing © 2012 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster