Member Dick Smith and his fellow Texan and former National Indy 500 Collectors Club President, Randy Christensen, have assembled something that several Indy Collectors have wanted for quite some time; a checklist of Jumbo Postcards. Well, it could be used as a checklist, actually it is a very nice booklet with a picture of every known 6” x 9” postcard of The Indianapolis 500 and The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They call it simply, Indianapolis Postcards 6” x 9”, with the sub, A compilation of Known Images and Their Collectable Variations.

Several years ago I casually mentioned to Randy that I had several postcards but would like to know what I don’t have. As an old baseball card collector, I would like to look at available racing postcards and give it that old “got it, need it, got it, got it, need it” and have a way of knowing what I still need, what is out there to keep looking for. Randy looked at me with that “don’t you know?” look on his face and informed me that many people would like that, but “it just ain’t that easy”.

Former member Fred Hook had started this task several years ago. I was told that a divorce cost Fred his collection and the list was gone.

The 6 x 9’s, as they are referred to, are a favorite of many collectors. The color is excellent on many of them and color pictures of the beautiful cars of the 1950’s are not that easy to find anywhere else.

Like many collectables, several people remember them from their childhood. When I was a kid, anytime I ventured into a drug store or the G.C. Murphy’s at The Meadows, I looked for that postcard rack. Man, was it neat when you could find a new one. I remember the first time I saw that Pat Flaherty John Zink Spl. from 1956. Had to have it.

I used to take them to school with me and find some onion paper and trace them. I still have ones that you can see the tracing indention's if you hold them up to the light. My original ‘58 Jimmy Bryan was traced many times. I still have that old friend. You probably think the value is down because of those forty-something year old indention's made by a nine-year-old at Indianapolis Public School #69. Sorry, it’s priceless.

Of course there are other size postcards. Many of the same 6” x 9”’s can be found on the 3-1/2” x 5-1/2” standard size. They are just not as popular. Dick & Randy’s book covers only the 6” x 9”’s.

This has been a Labor of Love for the Texans and they intend it as a “First Edition” so it can be modified and updated. They are asking for collectors to bring forward any other Jumbo’s that they have not listed.

The booklet depicts over 150 Jumbos and there is a COLOR picture of each one. It is in chronological order by the year of the car or scene, not necessarily by the date the card was made.

Dick wrote, “Our goal was to give something back to the hobby. Plus, we are hopeful that this will bring other, unknown cards to light for all of us to enjoy. We plan to keep the listing current through updates as new cards and variations are found. Just within the past year, we have identified several new ones.”

The guys intend for the booklets to be available at the BIG SHOW this year. That is, of course, “The Day Before the 500 Collectors Show” that members Kenny and Barb Breslauer host each year at The Indiana Convention Center.

At this writing a price has not been decided upon but they would like to get their money back. One thing is for sure, if you like to collect postcards, this new booklet is a “must” have. Every year when I see Randy at The Big Show he always asks “Did you find something you just couldn’t live without?” Well, a bunch of you won’t be able to live without a copy of their book.