Postcrossing Blog

Meet Vladena (aka ybur) from Czech Republic. She was a bit hesitant about Postcrossing at first… but quickly warmed up to it and is now an enthusiastic member! We were very happy to meet her and her daughters in Prague some weeks ago, where she amazed us with stories of her long-lasting penpal friendships :)

Here is what she had to say:

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

I’ve collected touristic postcards since my childhood. One day in September 2008 my older daughter came home from school and said: "Mom, I have something interesting for you. It is a site on internet, where you can receive cards from the whole world.“ Then she showed and explained Postcrossing to me.

I thought it was nice, but the language of communication was English…and my English was not very good… First my younger daughter registered, then my older daughter. And after 14 days hesitating I registered, too.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I think my other hobbies are usual – reading, travelling, walking, history, foreign languages… and penpalling. Me and my first penfriend celebrated 50 years of our friendship this year. Thanks to Postcrossing, I got two new penfriends: one from USA (the recipient of my first sent card) and one from Belgium.

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

Unfortunately I don’t have any picture of mailbox or mailwoman. I buy stamps and sometimes send my cards from the Main Post office in Prague, and its picture was already presented on Postcrossing.

But I can show you a gift that I’ve received from my daughters for my birthday last year: small box with stamps for one card for every year of my life :-)

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

It is very difficult to choose one postcard, each one has its own story and beauty… Here are some of my most rare ones:

Greenland with a Finnish Postcard ID

Isle of Man

Palau (Micronesia) with a Japanese Postcard ID and American stamp, which arrived after 166 days

South Korea

Iceland

A beautiful autumn scene, from a 92 year old lady

New Zealand, Christchurch – view before earthquake in 2011 (buildings are either damaged or exist no more)

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

I like the surprise of the mailbox opening and also searching the place where the card came from. I like to choose the postcard for every recipient, translate information about places or things on the card – and I’m happy when the Hurray e-mail confirms that I’ve sent a card they enjoyed.

I would like to send more cards, but this hobby is a bit expensive. Postage to Europe has increased by 47% and to overseas by 66% since my registration on Postcrossing. Another comparison: stamp for postcard to Europe costs now 25 CZK (= 0,92EUR) in our country, 0,80 EUR in Austria. However Czech salaries are about a third of Austrian ones…

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

Geography was one of my favorite subjects in the school, so I basically know where the most of countries are located. Only Palau I had to search :-)

Although I was surprised: I confess I’ve never though about Germany as a country to go for my holiday. Now, after receiving many postcards from there I often have to say: yes, this place in Germany is worth to see… and this… and this… and this…

Have you met any other members in real life?

I have two other postcrossers at home – my daughters! :-D Besides, I attended most official Czech Postcrossing meetings. I met there a lot of new friends, and not only from Czech Republic.

I also participated in international meetings: we met girls from Finland, France, Turkey and Netherlands in Prague. Eight of us were guests at a meeting in Dresden in March 2014. Also, my Belgian Postcrossing penfriend visited me 4 years ago.

2015 has been the best year for Postcrossing stamps so far. After 10 years and over 30 million postcards, it seems more postal operators have started to take notice of the postcard revolution happening right under their noses mail sorting machines! :)

The next country to join the club of countries-with-Postcrossing-stamps will be Ukraine, the 9th most active country in Postcrossing. Their stamp will be issued by Ukrposhta on October 9th, World Post Day. Here is how it will look like:

The cheerful stamp was designed by Nataliia Andriichenko, and shows a girl holding a pen, while wearing a traditional Ukranian national costume.

A matching cancellation mark and first day cover were also designed, this time featuring a dove, the symbol of peace. It also symbolizes the postal service itself, as a means of international communication and understanding.

To celebrate the Ukrainian stamp launch, the Lviv branch of Ukrposhta is planning a postcard exhibition and other events starting at 11am on October 9th, at the House of Scientists (Lystopadovyi Chyn St., 6). Special postcards will be printed on the spot, and will available for sale.

Meanwhile, in Kiev, the first day cancellation mark will also be available at the Central Post Office (Khreshchatyk St. 22) throughout the day.

Caitlin (aka Harbs0412) is a wedding planner and postcard-lover from the USA. For her own wedding earlier this year, she decided to combine her two passions and include postcards on her special day! She explains:

Letter and postcard writing is a big part of my life. I have been a postcrosser for over 3 years and I have 7 penpals – a few friends from college but also some I have never met. My husband and I also have a long tradition of writing letters as he is in the military and when we are separated we write each other letters."

For some time before the wedding, Caitlin collected postcards from different places via Postcrossing. She then used her favourite received postcards to make a back drop in a frame for cocktail hour.

She also collected blank postcards and had all her guests write notes on them… a guest book of sorts, written on postcards. A friend then saved the written cards, and will be in charge of mailing them to the couple throughout the year. Brilliant!

What did people write on the cards? Caitlin says a little bit of everything, from advice for the newlyweds to kind words about the wedding… They’ve gotten a few of them back already, and had a lot of fun reading the spontaneous messages from their special day.

Doesn’t that sound like a lovely idea for postcard lovers? Well done Caitlin, and congratulations! :)

Oh happy day! The new Czech Postcrossing stamp is now out and about, and we’re beyond excited to finally be able to hold it in our hands!

A small event was held at the beautiful central Post Office in Prague for all the stamps which were launched today, and it gathered an excited crowd of philatelists as well as stamp authors and engravers.

To celebrate the stamp in a more relaxed setting, a Postcrossing meeting is planned for the coming Saturday at Sberatel/Collector’s fair. So, if you’re in the area, do join us there for a chat and some postcard writing! :)

And if you’re not in the area, keep an eye on your mailbox just in case — your next postcard might feature this lovely new Postcrossing stamp! :)

Anyone who has ever received a postcard knows they’re tiny windows to far away places, transporting us to different landscapes and realities. Sometimes those places are so enticing they make us wish we lived close enough to pay them a visit! The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota is one of these places. Have a look:

No… those are not huge tapestries on the walls… they’re murals made out of corn!

Built in 1921 in the Moorish Revival style, the Corn Palace is an arena where different types of events take place. But the special thing about it is that every single year its facades are decorated by local artists using corn ears, as well as other grains and native grasses. Corn is a major crop in the area – and they’re proud of it!

Postcards from the Corn Palace tell the story of each year’s theme. 1957's theme was “Popular Athletic Games and Attractions in the State”:

In 1999, the theme was “Building as a nation”:

And in 2009, “American’s destinations” were featured:

Between Memorial Day and Labour day each year, a theme is picked and new decorations are stapled and nailed to the walls, and you can follow the corn-structions on their Corn Cam. :) The theme for 2015 is “South Dakota’s 125th”, so if you’re in the area, go check it out – and maybe grab a postcard for the rest of us!

A big thank you to Brenda (aka 9teen87), who owns a huge postcard collection, and brought these great postcards to our attention. You can see these and other interesting postcard topics on her blog.