Deltiology
Deltiology (from Greek δελτίον, deltion, diminutive of δέλτος, deltos, "writing tablet, letter"; and -λογία, -logia) is the study and collection of postcards.
[1] A biographical sketch of Dr. Rhoades's life by his wife Nancy was provided to the Canadian Friends (Quaker) Historical Association in 1994.
[2] Dr. Rhoades had responded to a contest by editor Bob Hendricks in Post Card Collectors Magazine to create a more scholarly name for the hobby of postcard collecting.
Mr. Rhoades is a Research Associate for Ohio State University, and upon being challenged to find a name for the Postcard Collectors thru several contests held by this magazine as well as by William Morris of New York City, he contacted Dr. K.M.
They identified a word from the Greek language: "deltion" meaning small illustrated tablet, or card.
For this reason, some collectors choose to limit their acquisitions to cards by specific artists and publishers, or by time and location.
Deltiology appeared at the end of the 19th century, when the mass production of postcards began and received international distribution as the cheapest type of postal items.
The first postcard was published in 1869, and by 1875, 231.5 million open letters were sent in the member countries of the Universal Postal Union.
Special magazines and catalogs began to be published (in Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Russia, Great Britain, the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, etc.
), international exhibitions took place (in Leipzig, Saint Petersburg, Nice, Paris, Florence, Nuremberg, London, etc.
and of high-quality art and printings, and by postal exchange between countries which expanded significantly with the strengthening of international relations.
Picture postcards are also differentiated based on other features: undivided backs are typical for c. 1901–1906 in the USA, prior to 1904 in Canada, and other years in other countries.
[24] Some websites popularize deltiology by providing opportunities to receive and send postcards to random people around the world.
