An incredible postcard collection could net a Birmingham grandmother thousands of pounds when they go under the hammer later this month.
Jane Westwood, from Burntwood, has amassed an astonishing 750,000 postcards over the years and after deciding to sell them at auction, she’s been told they could be worth around £75,000. Dating from the early 1900s to the present day, they will be sold by Richard Winterton Auctioneers and may well amass her a small fortune, reports Birmingham Live.
The 63-year-old has been collecting them since she was just six years old. Her self-described ‘obsession’ began when her sister emigrated to Australia years ago and began sending her postcards and they now completely fill a spare bedroom in the home she shares with husband Graham, 69.
From boxes holding 750 cards each and albums filled with 400 a piece, to some packed containers still to be sorted, hundreds of thousands of postcards have been catalogued into themes and locations.
Subjects include topography, transport, nautical, comic, animals, artistic, sentimental, holidays, religious, political and Edwardian photographic portraiture, with a vast number of places throughout the UK and numerous locations abroad represented – there is a veritable A to Z of London boroughs.
Experts at the auctioneers say the archive is so comprehensive that in many respects it’s priceless. But they have put an estimate on the vast collection between £50,000 and £75,000.
After Jane and Graham married, they would scour shops for postcards while on holiday and frequent car boot sales looking for additions to the burgeoning collection. She explained: “I would even buy a trunk load of them and then sit here in the lounge and go through the whole case one by one.
“It’s the fun of never knowing what we’re going to find in the bottom of a box.
“I only bought cards I liked and it did develop into an obsession – wherever I went, I didn’t look for anything other than postcards. I just want it all to go to someone who will appreciate them.
“With the money from the auctions we would like to treat our grandchildren.”
While many of the postcards are photographic, numerous examples are hand-coloured, embossed or made from silk. Some use real feathers to depict birds and others include shiny novelty cards with wobbly eyes – a gimmick which may feel modern yet incredibly these cards date back almost a century.
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A team from the auctioneers are continuing to carefully sift through each and every card and plans to offer elements of the collection every month, with the first lots catalogued for The Collectors Sale at The Tamworth Auction Rooms in Church Street on Wednesday, April 26, starting at 9.30am.
“It is the most wonderful, eclectic collection of postcards I have ever come across,” said Robert French, ephemera specialist at Richard Winterton Auctioneers.
“Not only has it got everything in terms of subjects from topographical to transport, it’s the sheer quality of the cards themselves and the comprehensive cataloguing and organising accomplished by Jane.
“It is very, very impressive – it’s almost impossible to put a price on the collection as it’s so special. We would expect a total in the region of £50,000 to £75,000, but in many respects it’s priceless.”
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