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?
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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?
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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!
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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.
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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!
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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.
58 comments so far
Great story, thanks for sharing!
I always love reading these spotlights! This one was especially cool as I love special postmarks too! :)
So fun! I love the Taiwan stamp! Our new “Love” one is probably the best we’ve ever had. Now I need to pay better attention to these. 😊
Fun! That is a great specific collection.
It is a shame that in the PH, pictorial cancellations only happen in the Manila Central Post Office.
Like GayDoreen, I have to start paying attention to postmarks! Thank you zincirli and shanaqui for opening my eyes on a new for me postcrossing prize.👀
try to collect from South Korea & Japan too..
they have so many beautiful pictorial cancellations <3
Thank you. Great story. And I LOVE the photo of you with "your" post box!
😍Great story !
Thanks for sharing. Very interesting.
I will begin looking for these. So cool.
Great story - I also collect Pictorial Postmarks/Cancels! December is my favorite month to request Pictorial Postmarks! Check out Yellowknife, Northwest Territory Canada Post Office for an Aurora and Polar Bear postmark in green, red or black ink!
Thank you for sharing and thanks to the Postcrossing community that keeps us linked together!
What a nice story.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi dear Canadian, I love your story...
Very nice 😊 love your passion for postcards and mail!
Great story. I have also received a postcard from Bretagne with the cut out, it's the same Postcrosser, Loumor. FR-1736496
There's a Postmark Museum in Bellevue, Ohio. They're focused on cities rather than pictures. But it's still very interesting. Perhaps Rebecca can turn her collection into a museum someday. 😀
I have never noticed a pictorial cancellation mark and now I will have to check my Postcrossing and vintage postcards to see what I have for these types of cancellation marks.
I love how a simple joy for one person brings together so many people together.
Many post offices in China have multi-color cancellation marks (see https://www.postcrossing.com/postcards/CN-4143264) and they are very popular among collectors.
Great, now I have to have another hobby 😁 love this
Awesome read! Looks like there is yet another hobby to get into. Another deeper rabbit hole here, but it is fun. I have been trying to collect the special postal cancellations in India, and these are fun too. Would love to swap the Indian ones with those from outside India.
Love this story!
Such a great spotlight. I was lucky enough to draw Rebeccas adress a few months ago and I was stunned by her great profile and beautiful Instagram! Make sure to follow her, guys, it's a treat for every fan of mail!
I also created a « passport » to collect them in! https://www.graphitediaries.ca/blog/canada-post-passport-passeport-postes-canada
I really enjoyed reading this post. Those pictorial cancellation marks are incredible! Thank you for sharing your story with us Rebecca.
I love getting pictorial cancellations!
So interesting! Thank you for sharing this aspect of postcrossing!
Good stuff!
USPS Is Celebrating Love on Valentine’s Day - https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/fl/2026/0205-usps-is-celebrating-love-on-valentines-day.htm
PMCC - https://www.postmarks.org/ - Postmark Collectors Club
Pictorial postmarks are great fun to collect, which is why I like sending maxi cards when I can find them as they have the matching postmark to the stamp and picture. Besides that, there are many post offices in Australia which have them and special postmarking can be requested. Not only that, there is a centralised department near Melbourne which has ALL the pictorial post markers. Mail can be sent directly there for postmarking with the picture of your choice. Its really cool. All my Postcrossing Xmas cards were specially postmarked at Surfers Paradise which has a pictorial surfer girl and waves on it. If you'd like one from there, we can do an exchange. cheers
VeraBird
It's always a pleasure to read the Spotlight. So many great people around the world, sharin the same hobby.
What a great story. I also love pictorial postmarks. They add so much character to mail pieces!
Thank you for a great story. ❤️
Fascinating! Another unique aspect of our international friendships!
Thanks for sharing - had no idea there is a place called babyland - now going to look it up
I sent a couple of bundles of about 40 postcards and Christmas cards to a place called Christmas Valley, Oregon in late November, early December requesting they post mark them from their post office. They were very prompt and One came to my neighbor within a few days and I was tickled at a huge decorated Christmas theme cancellation stamp. It took up half the envelope. And not a single person noticed.
You can get many pictorial cancellation marks in Japan. Not only at main post office. Small towns and rural post offices also have pictorial cancellation stamps.
I send all my snail-mail (that I send from Austria) with special postmarks. Sadly hardly anyone notices (or mentions it). But I just love them and love to receive such mail! They are a great joy for me and make a great card with special stamps even more special. <3
If I manage to get some mint Canadian stamps, I'll send off some cards to be mailed to me with some of those special postmarks, there are some wonderful ones. :-)
Amazing story and love the cancellation marks! The mailbox looks cool in Canada!
I love this story! Every now and again I notice an interesting cancellation mark, now I know to look for them. Happy Postcrossing!
Fun! I didn’t know you could send your mail somewhere else so they can send your mail…! Turns out there’s a Valentine’s Day stamping frenzy in Loveland, Colorado, not far from where I live: https://www.cpr.org/2026/02/08/valentines-day-letters-loveland-sweatheart-city-stamp/
The German postal service publishes a brochure with the new stamps and postmarks online every two weeks. Info-Blatt "Stempel & Informationen"
https://shop.deutschepost.de/sammeln/philatelie/philatelie-service/sammlerkataloge
Thank you for sharing your passion for this, I hadn't even realized they were out there. Now I have to go through my postcards and see if I have received any.
You have an interesting hobby. Thanks for the info.
Postcrossing is awesome.
Great idea! Here in Czechia we have christmas cancelation every year new, you must send your cards to town called Boží Dar, which means God's present. And on Valentine day special mark Is sent from town with name of Love...
Extremely interesting and has opened my eyes to another aspect of the postal system globally. I look forward to the day I receive a surprise pictorial cancellation. I also look forward to discovering pictorial cancellations that I can send to another postcrosser.
I haven't received any postcards from others yet. I'd really love to get one, and I love making friends.
Great story! I like getting first day cancellation on new stamps. I'm bringing a bunch of Lunar New Year horse postcards with the Lunar New Year stamps to get them cancelled and dated on Tuesday. I'm hoping there will also be a special cancellation mark!
Great article, thanks for sharing!
Lovely story. Thanks. I hope special pictorial cancelations will be coming your way.
This is an amazing story! Thanks for sharing, I hope you continue to have fun with this activity!
Thanks for bringing pictorial postmarks to my attention! I’ve only occasionally noticed them , but now I’ll be on the lookout!
This is incredible! I love it. So many interesting ways to enjoy Postcrossing! I’m motivating people at my work to sign up for postcrossing as well.
Lovely to see you, your cards, the postmarks and read about you in the spotlight zincirli :-)
Thank you for sharing, lovely to see people are passionately participating in sending cards.
Elsie
South Africa
Thanks for sharing. The postcard with the cut out does seem very unique. The postmark cancellations are fun to look at.
Thanks for sharing this topic with us. I have been a stamp collector for many years and I always enjoy it when I can add a special or pictorial cancellation to my collection. Hopefully others will be aware of these now and will start collecting them also
An extra thanks goes out to fellow Postcrossers who make the effort to use these cancellations
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