01 May 2020
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Isn’t it nice when a piece of mail drops through your letterbox? That’s the idea behind the postcrossing project which is now a global phenomenon with dozens of postage stamps issued to celebrate it. We spoke to Ana Campos, the postcrossing.com Community Manager, to find out more
It’s a simple premise, but one that can help us keep in touch with the wider world and gain new stamps for our collection along the way. The Postcrossing website challenges people all around the world to send postcards to other enthusiasts, and in turn receive postcards from others.
Listen to the full interview with Ana in episode 2 of the All About Stamps Podcast.
Postcards are being sent between thousands of different people each and every day, so whilst the world is not quite as small as it used to be, the project seems like the perfect way of getting stamps from around the world and receiving post from all corners of the globe.
‘Postcrossing was started fifteen years ago by Paolo, back when he was a student in university,’ Ana Campos, the Community Manager for the Postcrossing website tells us.
Founder Paulo Magalhães simply wanted to receive more postcards, Ana explains, he soon discovered he wasn’t the only one, and 56 million postcards later, he now manages the project and its development full time.
‘People actually really appreciate getting something in the mail, like a physical token, a tangible token of someone’s attention and care,’ says Ana. ‘And then coming home at the end of a long day, maybe at work, you open your mailbox and there’s a little bit of a surprise there just for you. I think this really appeals to people.’
In addition to the joy of receiving mini messages, the postcards invariably feature postage stamps. Of course, they will be modern, and often the definitive value for international postage, but there’s something satisfying about seeing stamps from all over the world doing what is intended, paying for postage.
How to get started
Just head over to the Postcrossing website and sign up for an account, input your postal address so that you can receive postcards, and then send your first postcard. Just click the send a postcard button and the website will randomly pick another member to whom you should send your postcard.
Postcrossing stamps
The hobby of postcrossing is so popular it has even been celebrated on stamps, not just one or two, but a whole range from philatelic bureaus around the world. The list of countries to issue postcrossing designs includes:
- Aland
- Austria
- Belarus
- Bulgaria
- Czech Republic
- Finland
- Guernsey
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Kazakhstan
- Lithuania
- Moldova
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Slovenia
- Ukraine
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