Antique of the Week: Christmas Postcard from the 1890s

As everyone in Kensington knows, Antique Row is one of the community’s points of pride. Howard Avenue and its side streets are lined with shops specializing in antique furniture, rugs, vintage toys, used books and more. This large presence in the community sparked our feature, Antique of the Week, where we will showcase a different item or curiosity each week to bring attention to pieces from the past.

This week, we’re featuring an ephemera from the 1890s — a Christmas postcard.  The Ephemera Society of America defines ephemera as “everyday documents intended for one-time or short-term use.” Postcards were introduced in the mid-1800s, according to the society, and they have since been prized collector’s items.

Stacy Newton, the proprietor of , said that they can be used for creating crafts such as scrapbooks or collages.  

This particular Christmas postcard is appropriate for the holidays. It looks just like new. Newton has an entire box of unused Christmas postcards. She is selling them for $7 a card.

Be sure to stop by Flotsam & Jetsam’s new address at 3730 Howard Ave. to see what else she has on sale for the holidays. Newton can be reached at 919-889-5553.