Pinning The Postcard Depot on Pinterest

Want to keep up with The Postcard Depot's new listings? 

Follow us on Pinterest. 

Click on the image above to see our Pinterest postcard boards. 

The New Finds board is updated regularly to provide a sample of our new listings on multiple venues including our own The-Postcard-Depot.com web site as well as our auction venues hosted by eBay, BidStart, and Etsy. 

In addition to the New Finds board, we also have specialized boards where we pin postcards by category or theme, including Roadside America, Beach scenes, Lighthouses, Ships, Railroad, and major cities such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 

Hopefully, you'll find something there to like and enjoy. 

Here are a few of our recent pins - click on the pictures for links.

Car Ferry Bayfield - Madeline Island Wisconsin 1960s postcard

 Mount Washington Bretton Woods Hotel White Mountains NH postcard

Main Street & Cars, Brockville, Ontario, Canada 1950s postcard

Car Ferry postcards: A Lifeline To The Other Side

Ohio River Car Ferry Boat Fly OH Sistersville WV 1965c postcard

Car ferries - and before them wagon ferries - were a common sight in the development of the United States. Where the road was punctuated by a river, lake, or the sea, often the quickest and cheapest way to continue the journey was to float one's way across. Broad, flat bottomed craft, the ferries were built for load over a short and shallow journey; grace and style were left for the paddle steamers and ocean liners. Money for bridges would come later as the economy grew and eventually result in the disappearance of the car ferry.

 Shelter Island Car Ferry Boat Greenport Long Island New York postcard

These postcards provide a sample of car ferries still operating in the 1950s and 1960s.  

The Ohio River ferry boat between Fly, Ohio and Sistersville, West Virginia, nears Fly, OH on one of its many trips across the river. The caption on the card notes that the ferry was still operating in 1965, the year of publication, despite may other ferries having given way to modern bridges.

The "Islander" approaches its slip in Greenport, Long Island, New York, completing a routine trip from Shelter Island off Long Island, loaded with cars and a truck and their passengers.

The ferry operating across Lake Champlain between Grand Isle Vermont and Plattsburg New York was operated by the Lake Champlain Transportation Co.. Built in 1953, the card's caption reports it was 138 feet long, 37 feet wide and powered by two 425 horsepower diesel engines delivering a speed of 11 knots. A fine vessel like this could carry up to 26 cars. On the day of this photo, it looks like it was a light day with six cars and a bus!

Grand Isle Car Ferry Boat Lake Champlain Burlington Vermont 1950s postcard

A Ford Anglia on San Pablo Dam Road Cars El Sobrante California 1960s postcard

San Pablo Dam Road Cars El Sobrante California 1960s postcard

A street scene of San Pablo Dam Road in El Sobrante, California in the 1960s.  El Sobrante translates to "remainder" in English. One wonders in what way it's a leftover...

A small curiosity in the view:  the light blue car with the odd shaped angled view rear window, just to the right of the car in center of the picture, is a Ford Anglia, manufactured by Ford of Britain.   Its American-influenced styling included a sweeping nose line, and on deluxe versions, a full-width slanted chrome grille in between prominent 'eye' headlamps. It had muted tailfins, much toned-down from its American counterparts. 

This is much like my first car, same design and color. It got me through my last year of high school, college, and got me to my first job in another city before giving up the ghost.

It's small surprise that I would've picked an Anglia as my first car. As a kid, I played with one of these for hours along with the rest of my much treasured Matchbox toys:

Roadside America Postcards - Street Scene Show Low Arizona

Main Street Show Low Arizona 1950s chrome postcard

click image for larger view

This card might not win any photography competition awards but it nicely illustrates several topical areas of interest to different collectors. First there is the interest to Roadside America collectors then notice the Shell gas sign and gas pumps on the left in foreground. On the front right is a drugstore sign for the Show Low Drug Co, of interest to collectors of drugstore items. Further down the street on the right (click image for larger view) can be seen the sign for a bank. On the left, a motor lodge and of course there are cars for those you collect auto postcards. To round things out, Western or local town collectors may be interested in a card like this.