Show Us Your Oldest Picture Postcard From Any Country

I just got an even older one. This one is a real French postcard, mailed within Paris on 26 October 1899. It features a painting by Jules Victor Verdier, entitled "Latet anguis in herba !" ("A snake is hiding in the grass!" in Latin).

What about the snake, that shot the Tiger !

I have older ones but can't remember where they are. This picture depicts an exceptional event taken place in 1898. The sender didn't have a lot to say: "Greetings from Oscar."





It is just unbelievable how quickly it travelled back to those day: in a single day. Today it will take three to four days. Good old times...

With a surprising misspelling in the french text : "karte" instead of "carte"

Some of the old (before WWI) postcards were printed in Germany like this one which has the same image than the above one but it is coloured and was used more than a decade after the printing.

1 Early "non" picture PC from Austria 1871 and 1 early US picture PC ( Advertising engraved picture, I guess) from 1895...

These types of cards were issued by the New South Wales government in 1897. This one is postmarked 1899. The receiving date is nice - all in the timing eh?







Kerry & Co. started producing picture postcards in NSW in 1903.

Hi Bobby,
1½d ?
Should be 2d by long sea route, or was postage reduced by 1899?

Hi Rod,

The postcard rate to the UK was reduced to 1.5d on 8 October 1891.

It may have been worldwide but I'd have to check.

Thanks Bobby, saved in my Postcards folder.

COLCHESTER New discovery for database
Code "O"
Date line just above colchester text

Colchester - then called Camulodunum - became Britain's first recorded settlement, and later its first city and capital.

Code A2

World's oldest Christmas Card 1843

Not nearly as old as others above, but it seems to be the oldest I have. Postmarked Ocean Grove July 2, 1905 and rec'd in Chicago July 13 1905.

Greetings from Asbury Park N.J.

Hi Rod,

Just following up from last night.

White says that for New Zealand the rate was 1d from 1 November 1889.

The rate to Fiji & BNG was 1d by October 1894 but I can't find out when these rates were established. It was 2d in October 1888 so maybe they were reduced at the same time as New Zealand.

The postcard rate was reduced to 1d for UK 1 June 1905. By February 1907 it was 1d to most of the British Empire.

Otherwise it was 1.5d to anywhere else.

Thanks Bobby.
Placed both in my Postcards folder and Aussie Postage Rates folder
and in New Zealand rates :)

Two from 1897, just picked up last nite....