Postal card

By the end of 1870, Great Britain, Finland, Switzerland and Württemberg joined the countries issuing postal cards.

To the post office, there were positive advantages to postal cards as opposed to correspondence in envelopes.

[3] Presumably for the purpose of getting a prompt reply, a sender was given the opportunity to pay for postage both ways with an attached message-reply card, first introduced by Germany in 1873.

[3] Message-reply cards were attached tête-bêche and likely to be perforated or rouletted to facilitate separation once in the hands of the recipient.

(Postcards are readily available at commercial outlets, the addition of an adhesive stamp is required to mail them and they are frequently illustrated with pictures or printed advertisements; they are not considered postal stationery any more than a plain envelope or sheet of parcel wrapping are.