Patriotic THANKSGIVING Postcards

While Thanksgiving postcard designs can be outdone by many Santa Claus Christmas and dressed Rabbit  Easter postcards, there are some exceptional Thanksgiving postcards worth adding to a holiday collection.  We begin this post with a Puritan Relief Ship image by John Winsch publishers, one of a series of Thanksgiving postcards tracing U.S. history through colorful images.  Below that postcard are two more from the same series.  Rich embossing, fancy Winsch lettering, and gold touches make these postcards extra nice.  Most history records mark the Thanksgiving Autumn dinner shared by Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians in 1621 as our earliest Thanksgiving celebration.

Patriotic Thanksgiving postcards can earn that name by adding red, white and blue decorations to the designs.  After all, Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday!

 

The handsome turkey above wears a star spangled top hat and stands out against a bright red background.  We love fantasy images from the turn of the century with "modern" inventions and modes of transportation. Here is one of our favorite Thanksgiving turkey images with the birds floating along in a dirigible basket, American flags flying and red, white and blue straps around their vehicle.  

These sturdy boys carry a big Thanksgiving feast basket and hold flags...love their jaunty caps! Rich embossing adds to the charm of all the postcards in this post. 

Below, pilgrims appear in a winter scene framed by a gold Good Luck turkey wishbone, all laid out on a red, white & blue background decorated with golden stars.   

We close this post with some Thanksgiving postcards featuring Uncle Sam, symbol of the country and very popular with postcard collectors.  It just seems natural to find him on images of our national holiday.  Although there were Thanksgiving festivities in various towns and states around the country, it wasn't until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated each November.

PRICE ESTIMATES:  Patriotic Thanksgiving postcards are generally more expensive than simpler images of turkeys, harvest fruits and vegetables.    Of course, any image that includes people will be harder to find, and therefore more valuable, than images that don't.  The fine Winsch series at the top of the post can be found between $12 - $25 each.  Uncle Sam cards range from about $10 - $20,  depending on rarity.  Turkey fantasies, such as the blimp image here, vary widely in price.  Sometimes turkeys in automobiles, airplanes or other vehicles can be found very reasonably...if you find a bargain, snap it up!   These prices are for postcards in EXCELLENT condition, and they are only estimates.