July Meeting Minutes – The meeting was called to order at 12:50PM by our President Golda Dollinger. She welcomed members and guests and thanked everyone for coming and hoped we all found the cards we were trying to find.
          Show Chairman - Tom Moore announced that there are 18 paid dealers for the August Show and there is space for any last minute dealer who wants to sell. Sandy Trutt will be in charge of the Members’ Table ( sptrutt@bellsouth.net) . If you are a paid up member and have some cards you would like to sell, you may do so at the Members’ Table. The fee at the Members’ Table is 10% 0f your sales.
          Tom urged members to make up and display a postcard display board of what they collect. It is a good way to show people new to postcard collecting what they can do. It is fun to look at other members collections, too.
          Chef Tommy Whitehead, who produces those great sandwiches will be back again! There will be a nice selection of very good sandwiches.
          The speakers at the July meeting were three of our members who talked about their collecting interests. Golda Hollinger spoke about her New York cards that were connected with her family history, such as places where she and her husband used to go. One of her cards was a picture of the synagogue where they were married. She is looking for a card of her grade school.
          Neill explained that he belongs to a group in Dade County involved with the Arch Creek Natural Bridge (http://archcreektrust.org). In looking into the possibility of producing their own postcard, he came across the Postcard Collector and Tropical Postcard Club. At first Arch Creek was his topic but that soon changed to include Lemon City, now part of Miami but until 1926 a separate community. And this led him on to any early Dade County cards, postmarks and cancellations.
          Ben Ladin talked about his interest in mail sent through the Post Office’s pneumatic tubes and in mail delivered by Zeppelin and other postal history that he collects.

          The following article about her eBay store was written by Bonnie Wilpon, the president of the Sunshine Postcard Club in the Tampa Bay area. To check out her eBay store go to the following web site: http://www.tropicalpcc.com/Members_Classifieds.htm (Bonnie's eBay Store http://stores.ebay.com/Bonnpon-Postcards-and-Gifts)

          Harris and Jayne Gray do an eBay Store and just love it! Jayne got me motivated to get mine up and going about a year ago.
          I started by carefully reading the eBay Store information at: http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/seller-landing.html
          I wanted to start quickly, so I just did the things I needed to do to get the store up and going. I still have a lot to learn, especially about the marketing side and some of the special/added features that I'm not familiar with yet!
          The template was very easy to set up and use - my store was up and running within a couple of hours! More challenging was stocking the store. If you've been selling things on eBay and have them all scanned and ready to list (or re-list), it will make setting up the store a lot easier.
          Think through the categories you want. For example, if you're listing cards by states, think about states where you might have lots of cards, and plan to divide them up, for example, FL A-L and FL M-Z. If you list them all in FL, it will be too many cards for people to look at comfortably. It's much more time-consuming to change it later, since you'll have to move ALL affected items, one by one, if you wait.           The store costs under $20/month to keep it open, plus 3 cents per item per month. If you auction a postcard with a starting bid of $9.99 there's a 35-cent listing fee.... so you can list something in your store for a year at that price. The down side is that people can't bid -- you're selling at a fixed price. Also, the final value fees are higher for store sales than for auction sales.... so all in all, it's a little cheaper to sell from the Store, but not a whole lot.
          I find myself putting "bread & butter cards" directly into the store, and auctioning the cards I think will get competitive bids. There's nothing like the "high" of selling a card you opened at $5 for $100+! You won't have that thrill from the Store. On the other hand, when you're too busy to list anything for a week or two, or you're on vacation for a couple of weeks, it's nice to come home and find that you've made some money! So I really enjoy the combination of doing both auctions and the Store.

          Minutes of May Meeting Meeting Called To Order: At 12:50 PM by Golda Dollinger, President. Leo Griffith, our speaker, advised us that his presintation to day would be quite lengthey. So the meeting is called to order earlier and the reading of the minutes was wavied. Our Newsleter, Tiopical Topics, provided the outline of the May meeting. June meeting was a good turn out but we would like to grow and see more injoying this interesting and facinating hobby. We can all try and find people or friends that might be interested and they just do not know much on postcard collecting. Lets inlighten them!
          Snow Chairman: Tom Moore spoke about up coming August 9th Shoe. He reminded us that we would like to see lots of Postcard Display Boards, "What Members Collect". And how easy they are to put together. The dealers have sent in their table fees. For payed up members with only a few boxs of cards there is a Members Table. See Sandy Trutt who is in charge. There is a 10% fee on the sales total to the club. Also payed up members are admitted free. Harry Magee has destributed show cards at the Hollywood Stamp Club, 3 Military Clubs he belongs to and the Gun Show at the American Legion, Oakland Park. This all helps and we print pleanty of cards. It all helps! Are YOU getting cards out?
          Sec./Tres: Sylvia Murphey read a lovely Thank You for the expression of Sympthy the Club went to Catherine Kadish on the death of her husband Moses - a long time Club Member. We also learned of the recent death of Brian O'Leary, one of our newer members and an expression of Sympthy has been sent to his brother.
          Members Classified Ads, Online: Neill said, The responce to this page on our web site has been slow. You do not have to be on a computer to have an ad in the Classifieds as I will be glad to take your written ad. And you can have contact by your mailing address of and/or the phone. Give it to me at a meeting or mail it (Postcard Classified, 671 NE 71 Street, Miami, FL 33138-5715). I am hoping Barrs and Postcard Collector will pick up on this.
          Door Prize: Was won by Roland Morris. No further business meeting was adjourned.
          Speaker Leo Griffith On The U.S. Virgin Islands: Leo had layed out several tables with his wounderful postcards, and blowup photos of his home islands. Many were of buildings that have been destroyed by storms. He showed paintings that he had made from postcards that showed the beauty of tghe Islands. Leo answered questions about the Islands. Everone injoyed the show and learned a lot. When Leo speakes you can tell that he has taken lots of time to assemble and put it all togethe! Thank you - thank you Leo!
          Respectfully, Sylvia Murphy, Sec./Tres.

          Do you have a lot of postcards you have aquired that are duplicates. Bought a box of cards and can only use a few? Did you drop a catagory but still have a lot of cards on the subject? Maybe a relitive left you a lot of cards?
          Well getting into being a dealer is easy but there are things you must do. Do you want to set up and sell at show or meetings? Do you want to sell via internet, as at eBay or Playe's Auctions, and others. Some have there own web site to display cards they are selling. Ask around there are members doing this. From staying local, at antique malls and flea markets. Set up at the club and also do their shows. Go on the internet.
          Which ever way you go it takes organization. Which ever method you use you have to get your stock ready. Do you use boxs or albums. Or a combination of both. You see a lot of dealers with boxs but "better cards" in albums. You need sleeves. Some shows state "All cards must be sleeved". Do you put a sticker on the sleeve or a light pencil mark with the price? Depending on the number of cards you will set up with what classifications do you use? A good rule of thumb is to check out catigoies use in Barr's or Postcard Collecters periodicals. To make it easy to find a card a good way is to have a state box, then that box alphabeticly, and then, when you have a lot of a town under a letter - Name that town. As a Florida Box, then aphabeticy (M), then a town file by name (Miami), when you have a lot of cards in that group.
          Likewise withTopicals. What do people look for (also check the magizines on catigories) as Coca Cola, Walt Disney, ect and when some such as Military can be brokendown to Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard etc.
          There is a lot to learn here. Learn by doing is OK I guess but you look back and "wish I had done this or known that!". Talk to established dealers and you will learn a lot. Most dealers are fine people and glad to talk with new people.
          Priceing is a big item. Price too high and you will not move cards and too low and YOU will be hurting your own bottom line. What to do? The guide books give you an average. $10 or $100 it depends on the condition of the card, where you are at, how long you are willing to hold it. Use 25 cent boxs for cards you feel are common or have a lower grade/condition. But people will find little jems in your quarter box asnd they like to search them. As a browser (or at an online site like eBay) you will see prices low or high for the same card usually at differant dealers, but even in the same boxs.
          Usually taxs are a dealers personal responcibiliy. But one way or another you owe Uncle and the State for your profits, or parish the thought, losses.
          How much do you want to do with other asspects of postcard sales. Are you going to check DPO's? RPO's? Slogan postmarks? And a derth of other postcard related subjects. That quarter box can hold a $50 DPO!
          As you go, Club Meetings or bigger Shows, good luck and HAVE FUN!