I have been collecting postcards for years now, and if there is one thing I have learned, it is that every collector has their own passion. Walk into any dealer’s shop or scroll through a postcard exchange forum, and you will discover an astonishing variety of themes that captivate the hearts and minds of enthusiasts worldwide. From whimsical feline illustrations to towering lighthouses, from bustling street scenes to romantic holiday greetings, the world of postcard collecting is as diverse as it is endlessly fascinating. Understanding these popular themes is not just helpful for building your own collection—it reveals the shared desires and nostalgias that connect us all across continents and centuries.
Animals: The Timeless Favourites
If I had to name the single most beloved theme in postcard collecting, it would undoubtedly be animals. Ask any serious collector what theme appears most frequently in their requests during a postcard exchange, and they will almost certainly mention cats and dogs. These adorable creatures have captured human hearts for over a century, and their popularity in postcards shows no signs of waning.?
Cats occupy a particularly special place in the collector’s world. Whether it is the classic, realistically rendered tabby cats of Edwardian postcards or the whimsical, anthropomorphic felines of comic postcards, cat postcards consistently rank among the most requested items in postcard exchange communities. The appeal is universal—cat lovers from Tokyo to Toronto eagerly seek out cards featuring their beloved companions. What makes cat postcards so collectible is the sheer diversity available. You might collect cats in general, or you could focus narrowly on a specific breed, artistic style, or era.?
Dogs run a close second, offering collectors similarly endless possibilities. From working dogs and hunting scenes to sentimental portraits of beloved family pets, dog postcards tell stories of companionship and loyalty spanning generations. Sporting scenes featuring dogs—particularly hunting and retriever breeds—were enormously popular during the Golden Age of Postcards, and these cards remain highly sought after today.?
Beyond the obvious choices, animals of all kinds feature prominently in collections. Birds, particularly vibrant tropical species and graceful waterfowl, attract dedicated collectors. Horses, exotic wildlife, and even insects appear on postcards that find their passionate champions. During the postcard exchange process, I have noticed that people with specific professions or interests often seek animals native to particular regions—conservation enthusiasts, for example, might request postcards featuring endangered species from the area they are visiting.?
Lighthouses: The Unexpected Phenomenon
One of the most surprising discoveries during my years of trading through postcard exchange platforms is the passionate cult following that surrounds lighthouse postcards. Drive through any collector forum or discussion about postcard themes, and you will inevitably encounter enthusiasts raving about lighthouses. The lighthouse obsession is so widespread that experienced postcrossers have actually joked about people requesting “No lighthouses!” in their profiles, just to manage the overwhelming supply.?
What accounts for this phenomenon? Lighthouses occupy a peculiar place in the romantic imagination. They symbolize isolation, duty, salvation, and human resilience against the forces of nature. A lighthouse postcard is rarely just a plain structure—it typically showcases dramatic coastal scenery, moody skies, and the interplay of light and shadow. The solitude and responsibility associated with lighthouse keeping appeals to people seeking escape from modern life’s chaos.?
The beauty of lighthouse collecting is that lighthouses exist in virtually every country with a coastline, making them accessible to collectors worldwide. You might focus on lighthouses from a specific region, particular architectural styles, or famous lighthouses throughout history. The romantic narrative surrounding these structures ensures that lighthouse postcards remain perpetually popular in the postcard exchange community.
Trains, Planes, and Transportation
Transportation cards represent another massive category of postcard collecting that appeals to both casual enthusiasts and deeply passionate hobbyists. The romance of steam trains, the elegance of ocean liners, the thrill of early aviation—these subjects have captivated collectors for over a century.?
Train postcards are particularly beloved, especially those depicting steam locomotives during the Golden Age of rail travel. These cards serve multiple purposes for collectors: they celebrate mechanical achievement, document social history, capture the excitement of travel during a transformative era, and showcase beautiful landscape scenery. Vintage photographs of railways, stations, and famous trains attract collectors interested in industrial heritage and engineering.?
Aviation postcards similarly appeal to those fascinated by the pioneering days of flight. Images of early aeroplanes, famous aviators, and airport scenes capture a moment when flight represented ultimate human ambition. Modern collectors also seek postcards from the “golden age” of commercial aviation in the 1950s and 1960s, when air travel was glamorous and elegant.
Shipping and maritime postcards round out this transportation category beautifully. Merchant vessels, naval ships, famous ocean liners, and harbour scenes attract collectors interested in maritime history and nautical romance.?
Landmarks and Topographical Views: Capturing Places
When most people think of postcards, they envision the classic postcard of a famous landmark or scenic location—and for good reason. Topographical postcards depicting specific locations represent one of the largest and most enduring collecting categories. These cards serve as visual archives of how places looked at particular moments in history.?
Landmark postcards showcase the world’s most iconic locations: Niagara Falls, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, and countless other monuments that define our collective geography. What makes these cards so collectible is that every region produced multiple versions featuring the same landmark. Collectors enjoy assembling series of cards showing the same location from different angles, in different seasons, or from different eras.?
Beyond famous tourist attractions, collectors also prize postcards of lesser-known landmarks, small town views, and local architectural treasures. These “off-the-beaten-path” cards often hold greater value than predictable tourist views because they are harder to find and document local social history. A street scene from a small rural village tells stories that images of Niagara Falls simply cannot.?
Street scenes rank particularly high among collectors’ preferences. The busier and more detailed the street scene—showing period automobiles, shop signs, trolleys, pedestrians in period clothing—the more desirable the card. Night scenes add an additional layer of appeal, as they represent a smaller subset of postcards and showcase different lighting techniques and artistic approaches compared to daytime views.?
Interior views of buildings and structures are even rarer and more valued than exterior photographs. A postcard showing the interior of a grand hotel, department store, or public building from a hundred years ago offers glimpses into how people experienced and moved through public spaces in ways that exterior photographs cannot convey.?
Holiday and Seasonal Themes
Holiday postcards represent a massive collecting category that deserves special attention. Different holidays attracted different levels of enthusiasm from postcard manufacturers and collectors, creating a hierarchy of availability and value.
Halloween postcards have become particularly sought-after and command premium prices despite—or perhaps because of—being produced exclusively for the American market originally. Early Halloween postcards featuring witches, black cats, jack-o’-lanterns, and other October imagery were produced in limited quantities and have become increasingly difficult to find. Halloween enthusiasts worldwide now collect these cards, making them both highly desired and expensive.?
Christmas postcards, particularly those featuring jolly Santa Claus figures, are perpetually popular. The appeal here is substantial—everyone loves Santa. Postcards showing Santa in different colors (non-red robes command premium prices), different artistic interpretations, and different settings never fail to attract passionate collectors.?
Easter, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s greetings, Thanksgiving, and other seasonal occasions all have dedicated collector communities. Holiday postcards appeal to those interested in how cultures mark special occasions, how artistic styles evolved through particular seasons, and the commercialization of holidays through imagery.?
Artistic and Illustrative Cards
The artistic merit of postcards themselves attracts serious collectors who view these cards as legitimate art forms. Cards illustrated by famous postcard artists command significant attention and can achieve impressive prices. John Winsch, a prolific publisher, created postcards featuring the work of numerous talented artists, particularly during the Golden Age.?
Art postcards—whether vintage museum reproductions, contemporary illustration, or artistic photography—consistently rank high in postcard exchange requests. Many participants specifically request art cards, noting that collectors and gift-givers appreciate receiving cards featuring beautiful imagery regardless of specific subject matter.?
Modern Preferences and Trending Themes
Contemporary postcard exchange participants reveal some fascinating preferences that differ from purely vintage-focused collectors. “Greetings From” postcards—those featuring stylized letters or playful typography spelling out place names—remain enormously popular. These cards combine nostalgia, humour, and place-specific identity in appealing ways.?
Map cards have emerged as unexpectedly popular, appealing to geography enthusiasts, travel lovers, and those seeking educational or informational postcards alongside traditional scenic views. Similarly, cards featuring locally specific content—state flowers, state birds, regional foods, national dress, and culturally unique imagery—attract collectors seeking authentic representations of different places.?
Series cards and collectible sets—whether featuring animated characters, literary references, cultural icons, or curated artistic series from specialized publishers—have carved out their own passionate communities. Moomin postcards, Harry Potter cards, Game of Thrones series, and similar branded collections drive significant postcard exchange activity among devoted fans.?
Building Your Own Collection Around Popular Themes
The beauty of understanding these popular themes is that you can use them as entry points into collecting while also discovering your own unique passions. Start with something popular—cats, lighthouses, or landmarks from your region—and allow your collection to develop naturally from there. Participate in postcard exchange programs, visit dealer shops, attend collector meetings, and you will inevitably discover unexpected themes that captivate you personally.
The most rewarding collections are often those where the collector’s genuine enthusiasm shines through. A passionate collector of obscure regional architecture will find their collection far more enriching than someone half-heartedly gathering random cards. These popular themes exist because they resonate with fundamental human emotions—love of animals, appreciation for beauty, nostalgia for places and eras, and the desire to document and remember what matters to us.
