Vintage Hotel Postcard
You find them in stacks of old postcards everywhere–the motel/hotel postcard. They were usually given away free to overnight guests and were a great way for the innkeeper to advertise. But today they are a history of the great motels and hotels of the past. American families used to take gas guzzling road trips for vacations—gasp! And stayed in family friendly motels on the way. So contained in many family collections are the postcards picked up on the way.
Today these remnants of a day gone by are snapped up by postcard collectors specializing in motels and hotels. Collector Andrew Wood says “While I collect linen motel postcards, even that focus allows a number of specializations. On a given day, I’ll point out my sub-collection of Wigwam Villages, Alamo Plazas, sombrero-themed motel postcards, or art deco-streamline modern motels.”
Here are some recommended reference books for motel postcard collectors:
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| Gas,Food & Lodging: A Postcard Odyssey through the Great American Roadside | Home Away From Home:Motels in America | The Motel in America |
Hint: click on photos and links for more information!
Tags: collecting, ephemera, hotel, motel, postcard
