Collecting yes, but what?

Before embarking on a collection, you have to ask yourself the question Collecting yes but What?

You can collect a country, a region, a village or a theme.

You can start with a country, a theme and then refine with a region or a village and vice versa.

If you want to build a good collection, you have to consider a collection between 30 and 50 objects at least.

It is important to know the scope of the chosen collection, what is the probable extent of the population of the collected theme.

Examples:

1- Do you want to collect postcards of the city of Hanoi?
No problem, this city has been the scene of many shots, you will have the choice, you can even specialize in a theme: streets, monuments, trades, religious sites.

2- You have chosen to collect postcards on Dien Bien Phu.The difficulty will be greater, you will have to choose themes that cover the place of Dien Bien Phu: the army, war, Laos, the border, aviation, villages in upper tonkin.

Same remarks if you choose the theme of baking in Indochina for which you will have some difficulties, on the other hand you will be comfortable if you choose irrigation, water management or agriculture.

Here are some themes

• Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina.
• Hanoi, Haiphong, Saigon, Hue.
• The French Army, the Indochinese Revolt, the Penal Colony
• Trade, agriculture, fishing, hunting, boating
• Minorities, ethnicities, traditional costumes
• Trades, public monuments, places of worship, urban planning (streets, buildings)
• Famous personalities, historical personalities
• Indochinese workers
• The emperors, their places of life, their mausoleums, the imperial festivals
• etc, etc

Cards with or without stamp

Here is a very personal opinion but it will help you choose the collection.

Before 1904, the stamp was obligatorily stuck on the front of the card.
Personally, I like to collect these cards with the stamp, especially if the cancellation is beautiful and legible. This stamp and cancellation can increase the price of the card by 5 to 6 euros depending on the place of cancellation.

After 1904, the stamp must be put on the back of the card. The stamp will then not be seen when you look at the postcard, however if the cancellation is beautiful, it will unquestionably date the mailing and therefore the date of use of the postcard.

Map used in 1906 - legible stamp

Cochinchine - Poulo condore
Sous bois
Plante 173 #64

Map used in 1909 - legible stamp

Cochinchine - Poulo Condore
Entrée du bagne
#62

Collecting cards from 1950-1954

These cards came out of the attics in 2018. The people who wrote these cards are 88-90 years old, their children sell "what to do with these souvenirs!".

They are not too expensive to buy, between 1 and 5 euros.
They are sometimes very ugly, especially those with garish colors, but the Black and White maps deserve to be looked at.

So don’t hesitate, buy at low prices and enjoy.
Imagine the bay of Along, Hanoi, Saigon, Tourane....

Please note: Buying a card from this period for more than 5 euros is only suitable for exceptional cards. But exceptions exist, so to your albums.