Postcrossing Blog

We picked up the bibliophilia set for my library's postcard club thinking they would be book-covers. Instead, they're beautiful (but rather simple designs) featuring quotes from notable works of authors, poets, etc. While I personally love the collection, many of the postcard club members are distressed that so many of the quotes are about death. It's also 50 separate images, with two of each image.

Amazon has an excellent good value selection.

I received for my birthday Roald Dahl set of postcards: 100 postcards with the original Quentin Blake drawings of all the incredible stories written by Dahl, like Matilda, the BFG and my fav Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. https://www.amazon.it/Roald-Dahl-100-Phizz-Whizzing-Postcards/dp/0141371226

@lala1la I almost included them in this roundup... Next time! :)

I have the set Long May She Wave. They are beautiful, high quality, and good if you are sending from the U.S., but I don't think all of them are for everybody. I send them only if they match someone's profile, and then usually they are favorited.

Thank you for sharing this selection. There is a lot to ponder here.

Long May She Wave has been on my Amazon Wishlist for a while, just waiting to need enough items to get free shipping haha.

There are two Disney box sets on Amazon (I have both) and they've been great for anyone who mentions a certain Disney movie in their profile or they like illustrations.

On one hand I would love to buy those boxes, they look amazing, but on the other hand....I think I would keep them instead of sending them to people. They just look so awesome! I think I'll stick with buying them one by one.

I bought the Keep Fresh Stay Rad box early in my Postcrossing adventure, and honestly, I think I still have most of them. They just feature words or short sayings. Some are in some weird fonts that you can't even read. Some are "risque" It is just somewhat all around disappointing. I usually just send them out as my "I have no idea what to send you" postcards :)

I have the Long May She Wave set, very nice but so many cards that I'll never use them up with my officials. If anyone would like to receive one send me a u2u and I'll mail to you!

I like the postcard books more than the boxes. It is easier to send 20 - 30 postcards of famous art or Amish children or Polar Bears then to deal with 100 cards... I usually try to trade cards from the boxes and hope the people don't want the best cards. With the books I get 3-5 choices for the price of one box.

http://www.kennys.ie/catalogsearch/result/index/?p=2&q=postcards and https://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=postcards&search=Find+book are two good online sites and the prices you see quoted are the prices you pay as there are no shipping charges to anywhere. They both ship worldwide, I believe.
I've used both sites and found them excellent.

Just happen to buy my first postcard box set of Rachel Ignotofsky's Women in Science featured above! I love them! And they are on sale on Amazon (for I don't know how long) $12 down from $20, which makes 100 postcards dang affordable!

I was literally just thinking that we should have a blog post for this! I was in San Francisco last week and was tempted by so many postcard sets - just not sure if they were good quality for the money! Thank you so much!

Recently ordered Postcards from Penguin - One Hundred Book Covers in One Box - https://www.amazon.com/Postcards-Penguin-Hundred-Book-Covers/dp/0141044667/ref

I LOVE the Keep Fresh Stay Rad postcards--they're excellent for typography fans. Also, I recommend the Pantone set as well. They are very unique right now, and I always get compliments when I send them out on Swapbot or here. It's nice matching someone with their favorite color, or when the name of the color is relevant to their interests!

100 postcards for less than 20 dollars indeed is a very good offer, and some of the boxes are just great, but I agree with LyndaC: 100 postcards on one theme is too much. When will I ever send out all of them? I prefer postcard books with 20-30 cards, even if the prize/card is higher.
That said, I think I'll buy the "Women in Science", and maybe the "Curious Feast", too.

My personal favorite is the James Bond 50 years box:
https://www.amazon.de/James-Bond-Jahre-Postkarten-James-Bond-Archiv/dp/3831022623/
Bought one together with a friend so we both got 50 cards to send. :)

Bibliophiles,

Puffin and Penguin publishing companies did a box of actual book covers that you may be interested in. I linked the amazon page below.

Puffin:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0141333375/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=268A1Q2G0U9XA&coliid=I2X82812IV1E62

Penguin:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0141044667/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=268A1Q2G0U9XA&coliid=IJGKD75LMQA94

I have 4 boxes and two are nearly finished. I had Vogue and New Yorker magazine covers. The third is a black and white photo one (Our Past from English Heritage) which I send to all b/w card fans, and the fourth is with retro pin-up girls. They are also well loved. So a variety of cards and yet useful for direct swaps and collectors. No problem using them up... (and keeping a few...)

I too prefer postcard books over boxed sets, but now I think I need that Women in Science set!

I thought of buying Penguin's 100 Book Cover postcard boxed sets, but wondered if other's would like it as I don't think I have seen people ask for such things in their profile.. Personally, it seemed quite unique to have though.

I have a number of the postcard boxes (family members like to gift me with them for holidays or birthdays!), as well as my own collection of random/unique/purchased cards; this gives me enough variety to feel like I can send something that matches the interests of most people (at least, of most people who mention their hobbies or interests).

I got the Penguin 100 Book Cover box a few years ago (I think it was my first box set, actually) and had no problem matching cards to people (who like to read, like old books, like topics that the books referenced, etc.) -- and those cards have been favorited as well. There were a few that were harder to match (military or murder mysteries, mostly), but even those found happy homes with certain people.

I've got the super heroes box and have begun to send cards from it. Guess if I ever feel I'm done with it I'll give to a charity that has a second hand store :~) I have picked up many postcards at garage sales and the like. Just have to be careful they are interesting and in good condition.

Ohhh yes I do use this card boxes aswell, great for direct swaps. I use cards from House Industries, the boxes are very useful for gifts any kind once emty.

Lovely list, thanks! Unlike some other commenters, I prefer boxes to books - easier to sort through, and you don't have to tear the darn things out! Paper quality tends to be a little higher, also. And if you are a high-volume Postcrosser like I am, you don't actually worry about having too many postcards. Never enough! :-) I also love the book cover postcards mentioned by some commenters, and some of my other favorites that I don't believe have been mentioned yet are

New Yorker covers
https://smile.amazon.com/Postcards-New-Yorker-Hundred-Decades/dp/1846144698/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489523413&sr=8-1&keywords=new+yorker+cover+postcards

Vintage Vogue covers
https://smile.amazon.com/Postcards-Vogue-100-Iconic-Covers/dp/184614468X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489523429&sr=8-1&keywords=vogue+postcards

Sibley bird illustration postcards
https://smile.amazon.com/Sibley-Backyard-Birding-Postcards-100/dp/0770433960/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1489523442&sr=8-12&keywords=postcard+box

World of Peter Rabbit
https://smile.amazon.com/World-Peter-Rabbit-Box-Postcards/dp/0723267332/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1489523482&sr=8-22&keywords=postcard+box

100 cats
https://smile.amazon.com/100-Cats-Box-Hundred-Postcards/dp/0711235651/ref=sr_1_78?ie=UTF8&qid=1489523648&sr=8-78&keywords=postcard+box

I have both the Bibliophilia and Animal Box sets. The Art of Star Wars Comics box, too. If anyone would care to swap, I'd be happy to trade for Inge Look, Moomin, Lali, and similar cards which keep getting requested by Postcrossers but that are so difficult to find in this corner of the world. Just send me a message if you're interested. Thanks!

I received Women of Science yesterday. They are so beautiful to hold. If you order from Amazon, what the description doesn't say is that yes it's 100 cards, but it's only 50 designs. So you can keep your faves. \o/

If, like me, you clicked on the amazon links in the blog and were disappointed to see only a photo of the box....scroll down to the comments sections of the amazon page. Some buyers --often postcrossers!-- have posted a selection of photos of the contents that are very helpful.

Thanks, Postcrossing! I've just purchased Women in Science and the Little Miss postcards!

I have bought the animal set and love sending those cards as there are many post crossers that request animals, dogs and cats. It has a large variety and I agree you can never have to many cards - ok well I have to many and I am on diet right now until I get all my card to fit in this giant metal case I use.

I love the Animal Box set as well - it's a great selection for those who like animals. I also love "The Art of Pixar" and "The art of Vintage DC Comics". All of these give me a good variety to send. I'm afraid I need a bigger box to store my post card selection!

The "Long May She Wave" one seems to have many cards that are favorite by users. I need to order it soon!!

Hi, I love the idea to have a box with 100 cards for less that 20 dollars. I don't like to order and pay on-line. Can someone tells me where I can find a box in a store?
I live on Vancouver Island BC, Canada. Thanks

I got the Women in Science set the other day, but they just look so cool I'm having a hard time parting with them!

Hello!
I think it would be great if there is a set with postcards for children. Maybe, like the most popular movies or the best books. I also like the series with something about genealogy or semiotics.

Oh my gosh, thank you, Postcrossing! I am excited with Women in science, will definitely buy them. And will read the comments of other users carefully, too :)

I bought some of these boxes a while back! Nice to know they are becoming popular. Love it!

I am eager to receive a postcard which represents a person's interest, country or culture. It seems odd to me if a Postcrosser from another country mails me a New Yorker cover, for example. On the other hand, being a long-time New Yorker reader I send those cards regularly. I suppose my point is that boxed sets may compel a Postcrosser to select cards with which the sender has no personal engagement thereby diluting the "connectedness" which many Postcrossers treasure.

I just bought this one and am very excited about it! It fits the 100 for less than $20, too!
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1452122296/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I bought a box of Star Wars postcards recently. They are actual movie scenes from the six films before The Forse Awakens.

I bought the Animal Box at the beginning of the school year to share with my students. Every fall, I have all my freshman students address a postcard to themselves and then sometime during the year, I write a positive note to them and send it off. They love getting the mail, and I love sharing my enthusiasm for postcards!

I tend to buy postcard boxes because I am having such difficulty finding postcards and/or reasonably priced ones. I recently bought a box of postcards from the 1950 (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Classic-Comics-Postcards-Fabulous/dp/1781570051/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1489950893&sr=8-2&keywords=postcards+from+the+1950) and while I like some of them, a lot feature skeletons or war like items, so it is becoming harder to pick a card from them. I have been able to send a couple out already based on people's interests.. Unfortunately when I started postcrossing the cards I had in my collection did not suit the tastes of the people I was matched with, so the boxes do help. I personally, would love to receive cards from the boxes!

I've bought some Bibliophilia postcards that where sold separately in a bookshop here, I love the design.

I have the Pattern box, not sure if I would recommend it, some are really difficult to send. Interesting though.

Interested by Curious Feast that I will probably buy, and I'd really like a box with recipes too, in english but from various countries.

I remember a serie of postcards from Germany on the theme of recipes, with nice illustrations, a bit childish. There have been some in France too, but all those postcards are not in english.

*were, sorry!

Those boxes are really nice! I also have some of them, though 100 cards of a same topic are a lot! And I don't want to send the same cards all the time. I also read the profile of the persons I have to send a card to and I try to send cards that the person want to receive. I buy a lot of postcards on my travels or in museum-shops. Most of the time you can find there really lovely cards! Or in very small paper-shops!

I love this round-up. I frequently buy boxes with 100 postcards. Maybe they are a bit too much for some, but I send out a lot of postcards. That said, I still have some cards in boxes that I bought years ago, but that's just because I love to match the right card with the right person. Boxes I've bought and would recommend:
- Star Wars Comics 100 postcards
- Beatrix Potter/Peter Rabbit 100 postcards
- Penguin sci-fi book covers 100 postcards
- Art of Pixar 100 postcards
- Art of Disney 100 postcards
- New Yorker covers 100 postcards
- Ladybird covers 100 postcards

I enjoy postcardsboxes from publisher Phaidon.

Earthsong postcards | Bollywood Dream postcards | Water Light Time postcards | Magnum Postcards | Che Guevara Postcards

Wow. I've never heard of these before. I'm going to enjoy looking through these and purchasing. Thank you Postcrossing. 😀

I love these Pixar cards!! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811849554/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I only buy the 100 sets and then use it up before i get another. Currently I am going through the bibliophilia one. I prefer to get a neutral box rather than a special interest one, such as of a particular fandom or like book/magazine covers [even though personally i would love to recieve them] because those do have an aquired taste and dont appeal to all.. hence i stick to ones like pictures/art/informational ones.. stuff that most are bound to enjoy.. as i am a phd student, i have to be economical in this way, even though ideally i would love to match a card to everyone's interests, got to watch my graduate student pocket too