The tradition of sending postcards to loved ones at home may have waned in recent years, but not that long ago, the arrival of colourful postcards from exotic locations would have been met with excitement in households across Ireland.Postcards became collectable items too – initially as an offshoot from stamp collecting – but then for the images themselves. In 2019, Whyte’s auction house made a world record by selling an entire single-owner collection of picture postcards for €130,000. The collection, which had belonged to Dubliner Seamus Kearns (1929-2014), included postcards with Irish views, historical events, advertising, art and comic images. During his lifetime, Kearns had hosted exhibitions throughout Ireland, including a major show at Dublin’s Guinness Hop Store in 1995, to celebrate the centenary of picture postcards in Ireland.Now, Purcell’s in Birr, Co Offaly, is to sell thousands of vintage picture postcards in its auction on Wednesday, July 15th. “There are postcard collectors and dealers who regularly buy and sell cards, but there are also local history collectors who are always on the lookout for postcards from the specific region/area of interest to add to their book collections,” says Conor Purcell of Purcell Auctioneers. County libraries are also keen to buy postcards with images of rural and urban landscapes within their county. For example, DLR Lexicon library acquired nearly 700 postcards of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area at the Whyte’s sale in 2019. Some of these images then formed the basis of an exhibition in 2020 and 2025 – What’s In A Name. It explored how the name of the town changed from Dunleary to Kingstown (in honour of King George IV’s visit in 1821) and then, following the foundation of the State, to Dún Laoghaire.Cafe or bar owners may also be interested in postcards of local scenes at Purcell’s auction. These are divided into bundles from various counties – eg Laois, Longford and Louth, Mayo, Kilkenny/Carlow, Waterford, Cork, Donegal, Wexford – with estimates of €60-€120 and €100-€200 for each bundle. Wicklow features prominently, with four different lots of postcards depicting the towns and scenic spots in the so-called “garden county”. Early picture postcards were made from wood, leather, celluloid, aluminium and even peat. The Purcell auction has some examples of peat postcards in this auction. Specialist collectors may also be drawn to the postcard albums of stereoscopic or stereograph images made in the late 19th century of tourist sites around Ireland. Near-identical photographs were paired to provide the illusion of a single three-dimensional image when viewed through a stereoscope or stereo viewer. In the late 19th century, viewing such images was a popular form of home entertainment. Batches of stereoscopic cards from Connaught/Ulster, Leinster and Munster have estimates of €60-€120 each.Two stereoscopic images of Powerscourt House. Batches of stereoscopic cards have estimates of €60-€120 at Purcell's auction on July 15th. Stereoscopic images of a sheep fair in Athlone. Estimates of €60-€120 per batch at Purcell's auction on July 15th. As is common in book auctions, the Purcell auction has lots of guide and local history books dedicated to counties including Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Dublin. These include Howth for happy, healthy holidays (€60-€100); and Tom Corkery’s Dublin (1980, Mercier Press), with an estimate of €100-€200. Corkery was the pseudonym of Kevin Lehane (1921-2002), the Dublin cinema manager who wrote about Dublin pub culture for The Irish Times in the 1950s. His book captured “the innate contrariness of Dubliners”, according to The Irish Times obituary for Lehane. Howth for Happy, Healthy Holidays, (€60-€100), at Purcell's auction on July 15th Tom Corkery’s Dublin, with an estimate of €100-€200, at Purcell's auction A rare “Gaelic League” typewriter (€100-€200) is another item of interest. It was adapted to writing early 20th century Irish language characters during the time when Gaelic scholars Eoin MacNeill and Douglas Hyde founded the Gaelic League to preserve and revive the Irish language and culture. A rare Gaelic League typewriter (€100-€200) adapted to writing early 20th century Irish-language characters. At Purcell's auction Other items of interest include Traditional Boats of Ireland, History, Folklore and Construction, by Criostoir MacCarthaigh (Collins, 2005), which has an estimate of €40 to €60; and The Bogs of Ireland – An Introduction to the Natural, Cultural and Industrial heritage of Irish Peatlands, by John Feehan and Grace O’Donovan (UCD, 1996), with an estimate of €80-€140. The collection of four hardback books by philosopher and poet John O’Donohue – Anam Cara, Conamara Blues: Poems, Divine Beauty and Benedictus (€60-€80) will also attract interest.Traditional Boats of Ireland, History, Folklore and Construction, by Criostoir MacCarthaigh, estimate €40-€60, at Purcell's auction on July 15th Meanwhile, deVeres in Dublin is holding a small online auction of 20th century interior design pieces and Irish art, which also ends on Wednesday, July 15th. There are prominent pieces by Italian designer Willy Rizzo and Danish architect and furniture designer Arne Jacobsen among the range of chairs, couches, mirrors, shelves, side tables and coffee tables.Jane O’Malley’s carborundum print, Red Vase, with an estimate of €300 to €500, at deVere's auction on July 15th Collectors of Jane O’Malley’s work may be interested in a carborundum print entitled Red Vase (12/30), with an estimate of €300 to €500. The Canadian-born painter, who died in 2023, moved to Co Kilkenny with her artist husband Tony O’Malley in 1990. The Butler Gallery in Kilkenny city will host an exhibition, Tony & Jane O’Malley: The Shared Studio, from August 8th-October 26th, in association with Kilkenny Arts Festival. This major exhibition marks the receipt of a bequest of both artists’ estates by Jane O’Malley to the Butler Gallery.Finally, two opportunities to celebrate creativity. Firstly, an exhibition of work by artists based in studios in Henrietta Street, one of Dublin’s finest, if long-neglected Georgian thoroughfares, continues at the City Assembly House, 58 South William Street, Dublin 2, until July 10th (open from Tuesday to Saturday; 12 noon to 5pm). Paintings by Eithne Jordan, Alice Hanratty, Gwen O’Dowd, Robert Armstrong and Charlie Cullen, and photographs by Anna Rackard, Perry Ogden and others are included. Secondly, a fundraising auction by the Gaiety School of Acting ends today. The lots include a print by Maser, a private tour of sculptor Rowan Gillespie’s studio, and an oil painting by Irish artist Jack Coulter: https://app.galabid.com/gaietyschool/itemsPurcellauctioneers.ie; deveres.ie What did it sell for?Famille rose 'boy and chicken' cup Famille rose ‘boy and chicken’ cupEstimate €20,000-€30,000Hammer price €115,000Auction house Adam’sBronze turquoise cloisonné enamel lotus vase from the Yongzheng period (€8,000-€12,000). Turquoise cloisonné enamel lotus vase from Yongzheng periodEstimate €8,000-€12,000Hammer price €11,000Auction house Adam’sA late Shang-style archaic bronze tripod vessel known as a ding. Ding: Late Shang-style bronze tripod vesselEstimate €200-€300Hammer price €8,000Auction house Adam’sGeorge Best, Manchester United, 1968 European Cup Winners' Medal George Best’s 1968 European Cup winners’ medal Estimate £150,000-£250,000 (€170,000-€290,000)Hammer price £305,200Auction house Bonhams