How to Preserve Vintage Postcards

Vintage postcards give us a glimpse of a more romantic time, a time in history when we took time for correspondence to say hello to friends instead of dashing off a quick email. The beauty of these postcards makes them highly collectible, but it takes special effort to preserve them for future generations to enjoy. Here are some ways to ensure your vintage postcard collection will live on.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Choose archival-quality storage materials for your vintage postcards. Archival quality means that the storage material reduces damage caused by handling as well as the environment, and doesn't introduce chemicals that can damage the vintage items.

2. Look for openings in albums and holders that are somewhat larger than the postcards themselves. It's very easy to crease or bend a postcard while trying to squeeze it into a holder.

3. Find albums or holders with plastic made from non-PVC or uPVC, which is considered to be archival quality. Special postcard holders are available. Check out the vintagepostcard.com website for more information.

4. Search for paper album pages and storage boxes that are acid-free with a pH of 7.0 or higher. Many of the papers manufactured have added chemicals, leading to a high acid content that can discolor vintage postcards and cause them to become brittle.

5. Remove vintage postcards from old albums carefully, especially if the postcards were mounted on green or black construction paper. The colored paper may leave a residue behind on the corners of the postcards.

6. Frame your vintage postcard collection, but be sure to keep your postcards out of direct sunlight. Instead, show them off on an interior wall in your home.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not stack postcards. Stacking can damage special features of the cards, such as embossing.
• Never use tape on the front of your postcards. If you must affix them to a page, use special mounting tools such as photo corners that won't damage the postcard itself.

Resources

• An article on the eBay website includes good ideas for preserving postcards.
• The Vintage Postcards website includes tips for safe storage and postcard storage supplies.
• A Geocities article describes some enemies of vintage postcards.