![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Burns_on_Ayr_Postcard_1899.jpg/640px-Burns_on_Ayr_Postcard_1899.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Postcard
Type of postal stationery / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Burns_on_Ayr_Postcard_1899.jpg/320px-Burns_on_Ayr_Postcard_1899.jpg)
![Postcard depicting people boarding a train at the Shawnee Depot in Colorado, late 1800s.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/People_boarding_a_train_at_the_Shawnee_depot%2C_circa_late_1800s_-_DPLA_-_e0b201c59bea89f203494f37fe0ee671.jpg/640px-People_boarding_a_train_at_the_Shawnee_depot%2C_circa_late_1800s_-_DPLA_-_e0b201c59bea89f203494f37fe0ee671.jpg)
In some places, one can send a postcard for a lower fee than a letter. Stamp collectors distinguish between postcards (which require a postage stamp) and postal cards (which have the postage pre-printed on them). While a postcard is usually printed and sold by a private company, individual or organization, a postal card is issued by the relevant postal authority (often with pre-printed postage).[1]
Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[2] As an easy and quick way for individuals to communicate, they became extremely popular.[2] The study and collecting of postcards is termed deltiology (from Greek deltion, small writing tablet, and the also Greek -logy, the study of).[1]