Every collector faces a fundamental decision early in their postcard journey: Should I focus on a specific place, or a specific theme? This question has divided the postcard collecting community for generations, and for good reason—both approaches offer distinct advantages and present unique challenges. After years of collecting, trading through postcard exchanges, and speaking with passionate collectors across different continents, I have come to understand that this choice shapes not just what you collect, but how you collect, how you search, and ultimately, what your collection means to you.
Understanding the Two Approaches
Before diving into the pros and cons, let me clarify what we mean by these two fundamental collecting strategies.?
Topographical collecting focuses on postcards depicting specific geographic locations. You might collect postcards of your hometown, your entire country, a particular region, or even a specific street. The geographic location is the unifying element. Whether it is a street scene from 1905 London, a harbour view from 1920s Hamburg, or a modern card from a small village in Wales, the card earns its place in your collection because of where it shows.?
Subject-based collecting, by contrast, centers on a particular theme or subject matter regardless of where the card depicts. You might collect cat postcards, regardless of whether they show Egyptian, Japanese, or Brazilian scenes. You might collect lighthouses, trains, vintage automobiles, or famous artworks by a particular illustrator. The subject unites your collection, not the geography.?
The Case for Topographical Collecting
I have immense respect for topographical collectors. There is something deeply satisfying about assembling a comprehensive visual archive of a specific place. When you commit to collecting topographically, you are undertaking a form of geographic curation that can yield remarkable insights.
Accessibility and Availability represent one of the strongest arguments in favour of topographical collecting. If you are collecting postcards from your own region or hometown, you have a distinct advantage: local flea markets, antique shops, and second-hand stores in your area are far more likely to stock cards from your collecting focus. You can actually visit these venues, inspect cards in person, negotiate prices, and build relationships with dealers who understand local history. This is not always true of subject-based collectors seeking specific themes. Finding a dealer who specializes in, say, vintage optician postcards requires far more effort and luck.?
Historical and Documentary Value runs deep with topographical cards. When you assemble a series of postcards depicting the same street, town, or landmark across different eras, you are creating a visual documentary of how places have transformed. A postcard showing a main street in 1910, another from 1925, a third from 1945, and a final card from 1965 tells the story of architectural change, commercial evolution, and cultural transformation in powerful ways. This documentary aspect attracted serious researchers during post-World War II Warsaw’s reconstruction—archivists used old picture postcards as references for rebuilding destroyed historic districts when photographs had not survived. Similarly, Czech and Moravian museums recognized the research value of topographic postcards and established dedicated philocartic collections to preserve place-based visual history.?
Personal Connection and Nostalgia create deep emotional satisfaction for topographical collectors. Collecting postcards from your hometown, your childhood neighbourhood, or places your family came from taps into genealogical interests and personal history research. You are literally preserving visual memories of places that shaped you. Many collectors find profound satisfaction in documenting the streets where their parents grew up or where their ancestors lived.?
Definable Scope matters tremendously for collectors concerned about ever completing their collections. While no collection is truly “complete,” a topographical collector can at least define boundaries: “I will collect all postcards of Whitby,” or “I will collect all cards depicting the Market Square in my town.” This creates a defined target that, while challenging, feels achievable. In contrast, subject-based collectors hunting, say, all postcards of lighthouses anywhere in the world face an almost infinite scope.?
Rarity and Value Potential can be surprisingly strong for topographical cards, particularly those depicting non-tourist locations. As one auctioneer noted, “Non-tourist picture postcards make significantly more money. For example, a black and white card showing Crewe is harder to find than a view of the promenade at Blackpool or Rhyl.” This counter-intuitive reality means that collecting postcards of ordinary streets and everyday scenes in lesser-known towns can yield cards that are both rarer and more valuable than famous tourist destinations.?
The Challenges of Topographical Collecting
Despite these advantages, topographical collecting presents genuine obstacles.
Geographic Limitations represent the most obvious challenge. If you are collecting postcards of a small village or a region outside major tourist areas, you are constrained by what was actually produced and what survived. Not every place was equally documented on postcards. A collector of postcards from Iceland faces a different market than someone collecting postcards of London. Rural areas, small towns, and less famous destinations often have fewer postcards available, making comprehensive collecting extremely difficult.
Dealer Scarcity extends the geographic limitation issue. Most postcard dealers focus on major tourist destinations and famous locations because these cards sell most readily. Finding dealers who specialize in your particular region requires serious detective work. This is where postcard exchange communities become invaluable—fellow collectors in your region can become trading partners who alert you to available cards.
Specialized Knowledge Requirements mean you must become deeply familiar with local history, architecture, and geography. To properly appreciate and value topographical cards, you need to understand the buildings pictured, their historical significance, their construction dates, and their subsequent demolition or renovation. This research commitment can be rewarding but also demanding.
The Case for Subject-Based Collecting
Subject-based collecting appeals to collectors with specific passions and interests, and it offers compelling advantages.
Infinite Availability is perhaps the most powerful argument for subject-based collecting. Animals are depicted on postcards from virtually every country. Lighthouses appear on cards from every nation with a coastline. Transportation, holidays, and artistic themes feature on postcards globally. This means that participation in a postcard exchange becomes genuinely fruitful for subject-based collectors. You can request cat postcards from Japan, Norway, Brazil, and Australia—each bringing authentic regional representation of your chosen theme.?
Passion-Driven Engagement creates lasting satisfaction. When you collect something you genuinely love—whether it is dogs, trains, or vintage theatrical posters—every card you acquire sparks joy. The search feels personal rather than obligatory. I have noticed that subject-based collectors often develop much deeper enthusiasm for their collections because they are chasing something they truly care about, not simply trying to complete a geographic set.?
Thematic Coherence and Storytelling allows subject-based collectors to curate their cards into compelling narratives. A collector of maritime postcards can assemble cards showing the evolution of shipping from sailing vessels to modern container ships. A collector of holiday postcards creates a visual calendar of how different cultures celebrate. A collector of Art Deco cards documents an artistic movement across geography and culture. This thematic storytelling makes collections endlessly engaging.?
Accessibility to Dealers and Markets proves far simpler for subject-based collectors. Major postcard dealers worldwide stock cards organized by subject. A London dealer, a Toronto dealer, and a Berlin dealer all carry cat postcards, train cards, and shipping images. This means that whether you visit dealers in person or participate in postcard exchanges, you can reliably find cards for your collection.?
Broad Appeal and Social Connection emerges naturally in subject-based collecting. If you collect lighthouses, you can connect with lighthouse enthusiasts worldwide through collecting forums, auctions, and postcard exchange platforms. Everyone understands the appeal of cat postcards or vintage transportation images. This shared passion creates community in ways that hyper-local topographical collecting sometimes cannot.?
Less Obscure Means More Feasible for new collectors. The guide at postcard.co.uk wisely warns against choosing overly obscure subject categories: “I know of a collector who is continually on the lookout for cards featuring opticians and despite many man hours put into the search, often returns home empty handed.” Subject-based collectors who choose popular themes—animals, transportation, landmarks, holidays—find their searches dramatically more productive than those hunting obscure specialized subjects.?
The Challenges of Subject-Based Collecting
Subject-based collecting is not without its difficulties.
Endless Scope represents the fundamental challenge. There is no finish line. New cat postcards are produced constantly. You can never collect all lighthouse cards because they are distributed globally and continuously created. This boundlessness creates both freedom and frustration—you never truly complete your collection, which some find liberating and others find exhausting.?
Market Saturation for Popular Themes means that popular subjects can become expensive. Well-known postcards depicting popular subjects may command higher prices at dealers and auctions. The “everyone wants them” problem makes some subject categories extremely competitive.?
Lack of Contextual Depth sometimes characterizes subject-based collections. A cat postcard from Japan, while beautiful, does not necessarily tell you much about Japan. Topographical collectors gain contextual knowledge about places; subject-based collectors gain knowledge about themes rather than geography or culture.?
Storage and Display Challenges emerge as subject-based collections grow large. Subject-based collections often explode in size because the search is never bounded. A topographical collector with modest ambitions might assemble a manageable collection; a subject-based collector can easily accumulate hundreds or thousands of cards.?
Finding Your Path
After years of collecting and countless postcard exchanges, I have discovered that many collectors actually blend both approaches. You might primarily collect topographically—focusing on your region or country—while maintaining secondary subject collections that genuinely excite you. A London collector might focus on London postcards while also maintaining a smaller collection of cat cards. This hybrid approach offers the rootedness of topographical collecting with the passion-driven satisfaction of subject-based curation.?
My advice: Start with what genuinely calls to you. If you have a deep connection to a place, collect topographically. If you have a burning passion for a particular subject, collect thematically. Allow your interests to guide you rather than forcing yourself into a system that does not feel natural. The best collection is the one you are genuinely excited to build, the one that brings you joy during the search and satisfaction when you acquire new pieces. Whether you are documenting your hometown or assembling the world’s finest collection of vintage train postcards, your collection is a personal expression of what matters to you.
