On 21st April 2026 Banbury Stamp Society were entertained by Peter Collyer who spoke on the subject of the “A to Z of Postcards”. Peter had previously explained that he likes postcards because at their best you get an attractive picture on the front, an interesting message on the back and distinctive stamps and cancellation marks.
Peter advised that postcards originated in Austria in the 1860s but their heyday ran from the late 19th century to the 1930s when they were often used, much as we would use e-mails or text messages today, to convey a short informative message. He used an example from Orkney where the writer communicating with a friend explained that they would see them on Saturday when they would arrive in town on the bus, to illustrate this point.
Peter explained that he decided to produce this display featuring postcards relating to each letter of the alphabet. Each letter was illustrated by a group of four postcards on the same theme or topic. Thus, for the letter A Peter showed four cards from British towns starting with Aberystwyth. B was illustrated by Belgian postcards one of which was posted in from Antwerp early in the First World War and was sent to England with the message “I am only four miles from the German lines”. C was illustrated by postcards of English cricket grounds and cards from Cuba and the (Panama) Canal Zone. Interestingly the card showing Taunton cricket ground was posted in the USA and had an American stamp on it – one wonders why.
D was illustrated by cards from Devon. E showed early pictures of towns and communities. F by ferry boats operating out of ports like Barry Island and Ilfracombe. G by cards sent to Glasgow Royal Infirmary by staff employed there to tell their colleagues all about their holiday adventures.
H featured cards from the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). I, the Isle of Man and Ireland. J, Jamaica. K, Kingston upon Thames. L featured cards from Littlehampton, a place of interest to Peter as he once lived there.
M featured cards from Mozambique. N New England post offices. O featured old postcards all of which were at least 120 years old. P Paraguay and Peru. Q featured postcards from Queensland. R featured racecourses from around the world. S was illustrated by cards relating to the sugar industry both in the United Kingdon and in the West Indies along with a few “saucy” postcards. T featured trams, once a common feature in towns. U featured Uruguayan scenes. V the town of Veracruz in Mexico. W Whiteholms of Dundee, famous postcard producers. X Ximbala publishers who produced cards in Guatemala. Y, Yorkshire cards and finally Z featured cards from Zimbabwe.
The club thanked Peter for a most interesting and entertaining evening which featured many unusual items, most of which they had never seen before.