A 5.5x3.5" vintage RPPC photo postcard from the estate of a vintage postcard collector. This was part of a huge collection of mostly UK antique postcards that we acquired from the Billie Love Historical Collection, a UK photographic archive.
* We always automatically combine orders for shipping, so add as many postcards as you’d like to your order!
Photo Overview
This original vintage Valentine’s real photo postcard shows the dramatic clifftop ruins of Dunskey Castle at Portpatrick, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, rising above the rocky shoreline and the Irish Sea. The foreground captures jagged rocks and surf below the headland, while the 16th century tower house stands silhouetted against an overcast sky, emphasizing the wild coastal scenery of southwest Scotland. The scene is captioned along the lower margin and numbered A.6391, typical of mid 20th century UK real photograph production aimed at tourists visiting Portpatrick and the Rhins of Galloway.
Dunskey Castle, once held by the Adair family, dates mainly from the 16th century and was abandoned in the 18th century, leaving the photogenic shell that appears on this postcard. Portpatrick itself was historically an important ferry port for traffic between Scotland and Ireland before Stranraer took over much of the trade. Collectors of Scottish castles, coastal landscapes, and UK real photo postcards will find this evocative Valentine’s view an atmospheric addition to their album, and desirable cards like this often sell quickly when priced right.
Text Present
Front, lower left:
"DUNSKEY CASTLE, PORTPATRICK."
Front, lower right:
"A.6391."
Back, top center:
"POST CARD"
Back, under POST:
"SENDING YOU GREETINGS"
Back, upper center:
"Valentine's"
Back, upper right (stamp area, on stamp):
"POSTAGE REVENUE"
"3d"
Back, left vertical:
"VALENTINE & SONS, LTD., DUNDEE AND LONDON."
Back, center vertical:
"THIS IS A REAL PHOTOGRAPH"
Back, message (left side, handwriting - approximate transcription):
"28th June
Portpatrick
Dear Mummy,
Just to let you know that I have arrived safely. The train was about 40 minutes late & so I missed the bus & had to wait over an hour & a half for the next one. I’ll write more later. The hotel is only a few minutes walk away from the sea front. I’m enjoying it. Sun is shining so here’s hoping.
Love, Ann"
Back, address (right side, handwriting):
"Mrs F. B. Shepherd,
133, Muirfield Rd.
South Oxhey
Watford
Herts"
Back, postmark (partially legible):
"PORTPATRICK"
Print analysis:
Real photograph postcard on Valentine & Sons stock, clearly marked "THIS IS A REAL PHOTOGRAPH" and postally used with a Queen Elizabeth II 3d stamp, indicating early QEII era, likely mid 1950s to early 1960s. The continuous tone image and typical Valentine numbering (A.6391) identify it as a photographic print rather than a litho halftone. As a commercial real photo postcard produced from original negatives and sold contemporaneously to tourists, this is best classified as a Type 2 print from c1950s, not a modern reprint.
Condition: All postcards we sell are in fair to excellent vintage condition. Please see photos for any tears, folds, smudges, or other age damage that may be present.
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