The Greater Roanoke Postcard Show is back. For anyone interested in history, art, genealogy, architecture, antique cars, advertising, foreign travel, and anything in between, the VFW Hall in Daleville is the place to be on Friday and Saturday, September 16-17.
If not familiar with antique postcards, the idea of collecting them may not sound too exciting, but once the “bug” bites, there is much to be learned and enjoyed with this hobby. Looking for some vintage views of your hometown? How about some 100-year-old Halloween postcards? You’ll find them there. World-wide, Deltiology (the study and collecting of postcards) is the third most popular hobby, behind coins and stamps. The Greater Roanoke Show will bring together postcard dealers and collectors from the region.
From the early 1900s until the mid-1960s, postcards were the way people kept in touch with friends and family, not only on vacations but in day-to-day life. Many have compared antique postcards to present-day emails and texts. Cards feature street scenes, views of long-gone buildings, beautiful artwork on holiday and greeting cards, as well as almost any other conceivable topic. There are even early 1900s “photo-shopped” postcards called “Exaggeration” cards featuring huge fish and vegetables, sent to support tales of “I caught one this big” or “the corn we grow is like this!”
Vendors from Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and Ohio will have hundreds of thousands of postcards for viewing and sale, priced from 25 cents to much more for truly rare cards.
“This is my seventh year doing the show, and we are very happy to be back in the area,” says Mike Uzel, the show’s promoter. “We expect a good turnout.” The public is invited to bring their vintage postcards for evaluation by the experts there.
Show times are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, September 16, and Saturday, September 17, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. VFW Post 1841 is located at 4902 Roanoke Road, (Rt. 220 North), Daleville. Admission is $5, good for both days, with plenty of free parking.
For additional information, contact Mike Uzel at 804-720-0937, email uzelsells@comcast.net.