Postcards connect people. And now, more than ever, postcards connect us to each other and to an enduring story during the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m joined in this episode by postcard collector extraordinaire, Mark Routh, who takes us through the early days of collecting postcards and stamps and ephemera about the novel coronavirus pandemic that has dominated our world in 2020.
Mark has assembled a very large collection of Covid-related materials. And he talks about the countries and territories that were first to publish stamps and postcards related to the pandemic. Have any guesses what country was first? Or second? Or sixth? Mark tells us.
This is a look at how a world-class collector assembles a collection. It goes beyond postcards — and is part of an historical narrative. This is a defining moment of our time — and Mark takes us through many considerations for looking at the pandemic through a collector’s lens. Plus, he treats us to an uplifting poem at the conclusion.
You can find Mark at Mark’s Postcard Chat. (He also has a Facebook account that’s great to keep up with daily. He scans four or more cards every day and gives a discussion of the card and source.)
Other items discussed in this show:
Delcampe Collectibles Auction Site
Swiss Post Covid-19 Solidarity Collector’s Stamps
Isle of Man Stamps and Maxicard
