Secret Lives of QSL Cards

[K9ZMD]

Maybe ten years ago, an old high school buddy told me he'd seen one of my early QSL cards in a friend's "antique postcard" collection. That led to a joke about how it must feel to be an "antique". I laughed & chalked it up to a once-in-a-lifetime event.

And then, today, I did a search on my call sign and found an eBay collectibles auction for an old K9ZMD QSL card, one I sent out in September 1963!

aas1231.jpgaas1230.jpg

The auction's BUY IT NOW price is $5.11, which I think is what I must have paid for the whole batch of those QSL cards in 1961.

So, maybe reading this post, Steve, WB2WIK, might realize thar's gold in those boxes of QSL cards he's stored away over the past 46 years.

[K9ROC]

LOL, that's a great story. ;-)

[WA9SVD]

I just don't understand the attraction of collecting cards that have no relation to my own operating, I have all the cards I've ever received (including those I get from contacts made at our club station,) but I see no reason to look for cards I didn't earn. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

[K9STH]

For years I had wanted to find one of my "hand made" QSL cards that I used when in high school. Then, within a few weeks, I had 3 examples plus a QSL card that I used in college! None of the people actually knew that I was looking for an example. A couple of them were found in the QSL collection of a deceased operator by a relative who had an amateur radio operator's license.

http://k9sth.com/uploads/QSL_-_cards_-1.pdf

Glen, K9STH

[K9ZMD]

I just don't understand the attraction of collecting cards that have no relation to my own operating, I have all the cards I've ever received (including those I get from contacts made at our club station,) but I see no reason to look for cards I didn't earn. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

I'd guess that old QSL cards must be a small subset of old collectible post cards. That particular eBay seller has about 600 pages of auction items @ 50 items per page. All of those items may not be post cards, but I can tell you the first 7 pages - all I looked at before getting bored - listed nothing but old post cards & envelopes (and nary a QSL card among them). Searching "QSL" in eBay collectibles revealed 5 pages @ 50 listings per page. Quickly checking some of them, I found quite a few had been sent to W9FWO (just as mine had been); these cards were all listed by the same seller that is auctioning my card, so he/she must have attended the W9FWO estate sale.

On a hunch, I then searched eBay for 1AW, W1AW, HIRAM PERCY MAXIM, and a few other notable amateur radio operators. No Joy today, but that search might be worth revisiting from time to time.

[K9STH]

I have 2-each 1AW cards: One was sent to a station and the other was never used.

Glen, K9STH

[N2ADV]

I'd pay to get some QSL cards my dad sent out in the 80's. I can see there being a market there.

[W5BIB]

For years I had wanted to find one of my "hand made" QSL cards that I used when in high school. Then, within a few weeks, I had 3 examples plus a QSL card that I used in college! None of the people actually knew that I was looking for an example. A couple of them were found in the QSL collection of a deceased operator by a relative who had an amateur radio operator's license.

http://k9sth.com/uploads/QSL_-_cards_-1.pdf

Glen, K9STH

Neat story Glen. I too did 'home made' QSL's with the help of my non-ham Mom. I used a U.S. Postal (blank) card with crayons!! Wrote my call sign (WA5BIB) in colors, then used an iron to melt them, store bought 'rubber stamp' for all the other info & PRESTO! QSL card. My long time friend, Red (K5ALU) recently sent me one of my home brew cards from 1962!... what memories!!. I recently 'passed it forward' and sent Vic (K9UIY) two of his 'store-bought' cards I had received in 1962. He was amazed to get them back over 50 years later!!

[WB2WIK]

Gary (K9ZMD) I have a card of yours from when you were operating in "East Germany" (no lounger an entity!) in maybe 1980 or something. I forgot your E. German callsign as the card is not at my fingertips, but I remember it.

That one goes on record as one of the "longest delayed" QSL cards I ever received, as I think I got it in 2003 or 2004 and it was for a QSO at least 20 years earlier.

[K1OIK]

Maybe ten years ago, an old high school buddy told me he'd seen one of my early QSL cards in a friend's "antique postcard" collection. That led to a joke about how it must feel to be an "antique". I laughed & chalked it up to a once-in-a-lifetime event.

And then, today, I did a search on my call sign and found an eBay collectibles auction for an old K9ZMD QSL card, one I sent out in September 1963!

aas1231.jpgaas1230.jpg

The auction's BUY IT NOW price is $5.11, which I think is what I must have paid for the whole batch of those QSL cards in 1961.

So, maybe reading this post, Steve, WB2WIK, might realize thar's gold in those boxes of QSL cards he's stored away over the past 46 years.

I just sold a box of someone elses QSL cards for $100 but I kept two out over 50 years old and sent them FREE to their former owners, here is oneqsl 001.jpg

I called him and he was happy to give me his new address