Postcrossing Blog

Rebecca (zincirli) from Toronto (Canada) has been a member of Postcrossing for a while, and when we heard about her hobby of collecting pictorial cancellation marks, we thought that sounded cool and like a great topic for our blog! So without any further ado, here’s our latest spotlight, so that she can tell us about it in her own words!

How did you get started sending postcards? What is your earliest memory of them?

I’ve always enjoyed getting mail, but I didn’t really get into sending a postcards frequently until I started traveling in my early 20s.

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

One of my former bosses actually heard about Postcrossing on a podcast, thought of me and shared the website, and I signed up immediately! I’ve been obsessed ever since. I think what really got me hooked was I’d say the artform of Postcrossing. Finding the right postcard, choosing stamps, decorating it to match (if possible) what people’s interests are, it’s such a great creative outlet.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or collections? Tell us about pictorial cancellations!

I love to collect stickers and washi tape, and I have quite a few house plants too! But what I’m really into collecting right now is pictorial cancels. I saw them on the Canada Post website in early 2024 and had been curious. I then noticed this post on the forum, and went to visit Toronto’s First Post Office to get their pictorial cancel in person! The staff were so wonderful it inspired me to mail my first cancel requests, and I’ve been hooked ever since. If there’s a pictorial cancel that I think someone in my life would like I’ll also get a postcard sent to them with the cancel, it’s a lot of fun. I’ve collected over 100 so far!

I’m also a collaborator for Canada’s Pictorial Cancels, where we’re collecting them to record measurements and get the run dates for the pictorial cancels. Some of my favourite pictorial cancels I’ve collected so far are: Bamfield (British Columbia), Christmas Island (Nova Scotia) and Bath (New Brunswick). I even have a spreadsheet to keep track of everything 🤓

I’ve also received a few pictorial cancels from other countries, check out these two from Portugal and Taiwan for WPD!!

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

A few people in my life have signed up for Postcrossing after seeing the postcards (and joy from them) I’ve received! My house now has two postcrossers as my boyfriend signed up as well, we write cards together and enjoy going shopping for postcards.

Is there anything else that you are passionate about?

I love history, especially ancient history, and local history! Small town museums are my favourite. I think it’s important to learn as much as we can about the areas around us and the history behind it all.

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

I received a card from Tunisia in 2023 (TN-8389)! My first card from Africa at the time. I sent a card to Réunion last year too (CA-1530232), I was impressed with how quickly it arrived!

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

So difficult to really narrow it down but there are three that stick out to me. The first (US-9381560), is from BabyLand (USA), home of the Cabbage Patch Kids. It’s such a wild card but I love it!! Then from Bretagne in France (FR-1686819), has a super neat cut out in the postcard which I think makes it super unique!! And lastly is from Germany (DE-14066134), because I absolutely love the art style and expressions on the buildings.

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

This is my local street mailbox! I always try to drop off my cards on my lunch so they can be picked up the same day.