Donation Story: A Postcard From the IBM World's Fair (1965)

What did we do before text messaging? We used analog text messaging — in the form of post cards!

This one, date stamped by the US Post Office September 3, 1965, caught our attention not just for the photo of the futuristic IBM pavilion at the New York World's Fair, but for the sweet message on the back.

The sender thanks Mrs. Mumford for a kindness, and then says that he is "now at the IBM booth working their electric typewriter..." The sender, Rick, sent this message from New York to Kansas City (no zip code necessary) via Air Mail, for a whopping 8 cents.

For more vintage post cards — with and without written messages — stop by Troost39 and see what you can find! You never know: we may have an IBM Selectric typewriter in stock!

The back of the 1965 postcard: Rick's handwritten message to Mrs. Mumford in Kansas City — sent via Air Mail from the New York World's Fair for 8 cents.

An IBM Selectric II typewriter, similar to the one Rick mentioned in his 1965 postcard. (Photo: AVandewerdt, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)