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Name: Julia
Country, place: Poland, Poznan
Age: 57
Website: www.widokowki.julia.prv.pl
E-mail: ajrot@poczta.onet.pl
How have your adventure with collecting postcards started?
I have been collecting postcards ever since, but from 1970's I have
started to do it more precisely.
In what way do you increase your collecton? Do you only buy
postcads and receive them from your friends or familly? Or maybe you
have your own special ways to get them?
I get postcards from newspaper kiosks. During my trips I make my
first steps towards kiosks and post offices with hope to get some
brand new types of postcards. A lot of postcards come to me from
various exchanges with other people. During their trips, my familly
and friends also keep me in mind and they always bring me some
postcards.
What kind of postcards are you interested in and what kind you
do not accept and why?
The worst thing is, I like almost every postcard and that's why I
have so many of them in my collection (a few dozen of thousands). I
have almost no place to store them. My favourites are typical (10cm
x 15 cm) but in my collection I have also smaller and bigger than
this size and various shapes. I prefer not written on the back but I
like those addressed to me, so in my collection I have both: written
and not written (the importand thing is: they shouldn't be too much
damaged).
My favourite themes are:
- map postcards - I have ca. 13000of them (6000 of Polish cards in
it)
- Polish cities (places) by list - I have reduced number of
postcards to 5 exhibits from each place. From over 800 Polish places,
there are copule of dozens missing in my collection yet. I have ca.
5000 plus couple of hundreds from big cities like Warsaw, Cracow or
Gdansk.
- Poznan postcards - this is my familly city. I have ca. 4000
viewcards from that place
- Polish National Parks - I have ca. 600 postcards from all 23
Polish National Parks
- Polish Landscape Parks - There is like 1/3 of all parks in my
collection, ca. 400 exhibits.
- Polish Historic Monuments class zero - I have vievcards from all
65 objects but from some places i don't have a lot of cards.
- UNESCO places - There is ca. 300 postcards in my collection from
all Polish places and from 812 objects in rest of the World, I have
like 100 places.
- Pope Jan Pawel II pilgrimages
Apart from that, I collect following themes: caves, lighthouses,
Polish geographical regions (Tatra Mountains and my Great Poland as
a priority), mills, animals (storks and penguins as my favourites),
castles, town halls, churches and much more
How big is your collection?
Still I can't count it. I'm curious if I have already 100 000
postcards...
How do you store your postcards?
For storing my postcards I have bought chest of drawers, but there
is only few drawers, so I had to put the rest of the collection into
cartons (bigger editions), on the shelvesa and into pretty albums.
What postcard was the hardest to get?
Till this day I can't get (even though that I had it promissed)
postcard with USA map and September 11th terrorist attacks showed.
What postcard is the most valuable for you? (It can be
sentimental value or material value)
The most precious for me, is a map postcard from 1929 (PWK edition).
It's from my Poznan city. It was sent to me by experienced collector
from Cracow for my effort of getting important postcards for him and
not demanding higher price (the price of the postcards in Cracow was
two times bigger than the price I have bought them for). So this
particular postcard from Poznan was like a price for my honesty!
Is there any interesting story behind getting specific
postcard or postcards? I'm thinking here about some funny situations
or very complicated ones.
There is one comic history about map postcard from Easter Island but
I don't want it to be public knowledge.
What postcard is the most wanted for you today and do you see
a way to get it?
Every map postcard from country I don't have in my collection
Do you stay in touch with other postcard collectors? If yes,
please tell me how many people you know personally and how many do
you correspond with?
For 20 years! I have been in touch with a dozen or so collectors
from various places in Poland.We know each other not only from
letters. We have met not once in my house and in different cities.
Was there a time period when you was ready to give up
collecting postcards? If yes, please tell me, what made you maintain
your hobby despite of this?
There was never a time what I thought about giving up my hobby.
During the one of our (older collectors) meeting, somebody had asked
'What if we pass away?' I said 'I hope that my sons will carry it on
but if they will not like the idea, I hope they will sell it to the
antique shop or give it for free for some musem'
Could you list some postcards publishers that you think have
the best postcards in Poland?
I can list a dozen or so publishers. With a few of them I stay in
touch (for getting postcards of my interest) But I am not fully
satisied.
Could you say, that collecting postcards taught you something?
Of course postcards teach you something! You are able to discover
the whole World!
Do you have any negative experience in exchanging postcards
withother collectors?
I haven't had such an experience. All traders were honest, just as I
am.
Do you participate in 'postcards markets' (exhibits)?
I visit city fairs in Poznan, Gdansk and Warsaw from time to time.
What is your opinion on Internet as a postcard collector tool?
Internet is a wonderful thing for collectors! During the first month
of using Internet, I have gathered a number of foregin map postcards
that needed like year or so to be gathered using normal letters. I
have my own website and it put me in contact with many collectors.
Also, it helped me to get more viewcards for my collection.
Was there somebody that had offered you money for selling
your collection? Have you had a dilema in that situation or maybe
you was sure that you dont't want to sell your postcards? Is there a
postcard that you wouldn't sell even for good money? If yes, what
postcard it is?
No there was no such offer. Nevertheless, I sell a lot of postcards,
because I have many doubles. Most people don't have that amount of
postcards for exchange and you also have to understand other
collectors situation, so because of that I sell my doubles that
other people might like to have.
18. Do you have any other interests apart from collecting
postcards? What could you tell me about it? Is it somehow connected
with postcards?
I have a lot of interests, to list everything it'd be difficult.
Despite postcards I collect autographs and coins.
Is there anything you would like to add to this interview?
I would like to encourage all postcard collectors to make regular
catalogs of their collections! My motto is a thought of Pierre
Cabanne who said: 'Every collector is a happy human'. Also, I have
my own motto: 'Collectors are made to help each other!''
Thank you very much for the interview it was a great pleasure for
me.
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