I’m not sure how I missed the fact that Gmail was sending out free holiday postcards last month, but they were. Oh, well, since I didn’t send one, at least I received one — plus, you can click on the link and download both the hi-res images of their cards, and PDF files that you can cut out into a postcard shape and mail yourself!

“A University of North Carolina student notices a new creation as he walks past the snow-covered Old Well on the UNC campus.”  Well — if you’ll pardon the pun — it was kinda hard to miss.

This is an “official” Postcrossing card from my friend Britt, who was apparently thinking of sending me a card anyway when she drew my name out of the hat.  She writes: “This is a card from the school I hopefully will be attending in the fall. Fingers crossed.”  Naturally, I immediately sent her a good luck “V for Victory” card, which I did not have the foresight to scan before dropping it in the mailbox.  So it goes.

This card was given to Great-Grandpa Phil by Ida M. Schobert on “Dec. 17 – 09″, which either means 99 years ago or one year from now, depending on whether or not this card can get up to 88 miles per hour. When I say “given”, I mean it was apparently hand-delivered, given the lack of address or stamp. The “stamp” in this case is a very highly embossed Santa Claus face, cut by hand from something else — perhaps even from another postcard. Ida clearly put some time and thought into this card, but no, she’s not my great-grandmother.

All of the items around the main picture are embossed, though the main picture is not. I’m not sure what the items in the upper left corner are supposed to represent. Any ideas?

It’s unusual to find an older card featuring African-Americans that isn’t racially insensitive in some way. This card bears a copyright notice on the front from 1906 by the I. P. C. & N. Co. The two people and the doorway on this card are embossed, while the rest of it is not.

This card was sent from “K.K.” in Reading, Pennsylvania on December 18, 1908 to Mr. Morris Burger of St. Louis, Missouri. Other than the initials, there is no message.

As of this writing, I was able to find two identical cards listed in eBay Stores, each one going for just under $20. I paid about $2.30 for this card as part of a lot.

“The magnificent and palatial Sun Valley Lodge is located in the heart of Sawtooth Mountains, south of Galena Pass and near Ketchum, Idaho. The view shown is looking east up Trail Creek Pass. Skiing, skating, tobogganing and dog-sledging (sic) are typical activities attracting international sportsmen. Cost $1,500,000.” I hope they’re referring to the cost of building the Lodge rather than going on a ski vacation.

This Curt Teich card (number 7A-H3945, published in 1937) features a photograph by Wesley Andrews, and was in fact distributed by the Wesley Andrews Company of Portland, Oregon. Andrews started out making real photo postcards early in his career, then apparently outsourced production to the Teich Company later. A beautiful card despite some minor damage in one corner.