One of Cumbria’s biggest historical postcard collections is set to be sold at auction.
1818 Auctioneers will be auctioning off the collection of 9,500 postcards that are organised into specific towns, areas and manufactures of the postcards.
The collection is a lifetime of work from its owner and give rare snippets into Cumbrian history.
Specialist Stamp and Postcard Valuer, Andy Bowden, said: “This a fascinating collection, representing a comprehensive visual history of Cumbria.
“Postcards are more than just images. They serve as snapshots of a bygone era, capturing the essence of a time and place. This extensive collection provides a valuable snippet of social history and life in Cumbria from the early 1900’s onwards.
“Local history enthusiasts, collectors and researchers are particularly likely to be interested in the Sankey postcards. These are one of the most sought after by collectors.”
Edward Sankey was a well-known local photographer in Barrow In Furness for many years, and later in Cumbria and the Northwest.
During Edwardian times and Georgian postcards were very popular. It is believed the first Sankey cards started appearing around 1902.
Edward was a keen businessman and in 1923 he gained a patent for his specially designed printing machine.
It allowed the Sankeys to print more postcards with greater speed, as well as producing smaller runs of cards for other publishers.
The Sankeys owned a car so their access to the Lake District and surrounding areas made a ‘Tour of Lakeland’ series which was novel at the time and popular with tourists and visitors to the region.
Simon Thompson, Assistant Manager Auctioneer and Valuer said: “Over the past few years there has been a major project to catalogue Sankey’s work which is now stored in the Cumbria Archives.
“This auction will be popular for both the local community and collectors worldwide. It’s the largest private collection of Cumbrian postcards we have ever seen at 1818 Auctioneers”
Collectable Stamps, Cigarette Cards and Postcards 1 online auction starts on the 8 February at 10am, and concludes on Sunday 25 February.
