guides · 5 min read
Reading a postmark
Dating cards from 1890 to 1960 by their inked circles.
A postmark is the small ink circle where a card meets the machinery of the post. It carries three things worth reading.
The town
The town or sorting office at the top of the ring — often a tiny place name that no longer exists on modern maps.
The date wheel
Day, month, and sometimes an hour, stamped by a metal wheel that clicked once per card.
The cancellation bars
Parallel lines drawn across the stamp so it cannot be reused. Their style changes decade by decade, and helps date cards where the year has faded.
Learning to read these three marks turns a blurry corner of ink into a small piece of provenance.