In 1967 I was twenty years old, in the middle of college, and facing the Vietnam draft. So I have paid nostalgic attention to the 40th anniversary of one of the great cultural events of my generation.

As every postcard collector knows, the same place (railroad depot, restaurant, local view, etc.) can be depicted by photographers in many different ways.

Here they are — 2008's postcards celebrating National Postcard Week.

In 2007, a collector bought this RPPC image of a tattooed tattoo artist sitting in his studio for, including buyer’s premium, $4,830. The sale was at a Lyn Knight Postcard and Paper Auction near Kansas City.

Despair settled in the grimy creases of a face made old through wear. His lungs sucked heavy dust with every breath, his bones deformed from repetitive labor. His hands are cut, and often bleed from handling thousands of stone shards. The boy is 8 years old and for whatever reason he has been sold to the “company store” to live and probably die in a coal mine.

Cocoa beans were thought to have mighty and magical powers. Wisdom and strength came from eating the cocoa bean. Priests used the beans in rituals and religious ceremonies. They were used as a treatment for fever, coughs and even discomfort during pregnancy.

Old, odd and unique. That could be an antique shop, the collection of postcards with this article, or the owner of a business. Actually, it describes all three.

Alexander Graham Bell had no idea what his communication device would turn into—or the effect it would have on civilization.

Their efforts to communicate with folks back home weren’t always easy for the GIs serving in World War II. Aside from censorship, it was often difficult to tell their families about the grim events and scenes overseas ...