No matter how convenient it is to send an email or a text, there really is nothing like receiving a handwritten letter. Whether it's a birthday card, season's greetings, thank you notes, sympathy cards, or just to let that special someone know they're loved, recipients appreciate opening a brightly colored envelope as much as they enjoy opening a present.
We have found an eclectic variety of vintage stationery to convey love, gratitude, and appreciation in inspirational, artistic, and comical ways.
QUICK LOOK: OUR 3 FAVORITES
striped gold fold blank card set
grateful dead christmas cards
cats catatude card set
Our Favorite Vintage Stationary
Here are our top 14 picks for vintage stationery that range in price from 10 to 25 dollars.
1. Striped Gold Foil Blank Card Set
striped gold foil blank card set
Give the Gift of The Personal Touch Over the next year you’ll need birthday cards, thank you cards, sympathy cards, graduation cards, thinking of you cards… maybe even some just because cards! So, you’ll love saving time card shopping by having this boxed set on hand.
These colorful cards come in a set of 48 with an assortment of stripe styles. Thick lines, thin lines, horizontal stripes, vertical stripes, swirling lines, and squiggly lines; take your pick of styles that share a common color theme and a lovely gold foil accent line placed in a distinct way for each style.
The combination of bright colors with gold gives it a spunky 1970's essence, and the white envelopes they come in make for an incredibly pleasant colorful surprise upon opening.
2. Grateful Dead "Ugly Christmas Sweater" Cards
grateful dead christmas cards
Wish your friends and family "Happy Holidays" in true Hippie style this year with our Grateful Dead themed Christmas cards. Blank inside, small Little Hippie logo on back.
You can purchase these retro-themed Christmas cards in sets of 5 or 10, and you can also buy them individually for that one special deadhead you have in mind.
Ugly Christmas sweaters have been around for generations and hold the same love-hate appeal for all ages. You can say the same about Jam bands.
Jerry Garcia would approve of this card, and so would your Grateful Dead-loving, hippie friends and family.
3. Doreen Erhardt Cats “Catatude” Card Set
doreen erhardt cats card set
Hipster Cat with a Mustache and Yellow Sunglasses with CATATUDE Greeting Card is a great way to say "thank you" or to acknowledge any occasion. These blank cards are made of heavy-duty card stock that allows for smudge free writing.
These cute and sassy cards picture a mustached cat with retro shades in black and white with yellow accents. They come in a set of 6 blank cards with white envelopes included.
These cards lend themselves well to thank you notes if you want to read "catatude" as a spoof on "gratitude." They could just as easily be for any other occasion to boost your loved ones' mood.
4. Graphique Vintage Flat Notes Stationery
graphique vintage flat notes stationery
Send a personal note with a gift, a handwritten party invitation or thank your wedding or party guests in style with these “old-school text messages!” Graphique's Vintage Text Flat Notes are designed with bright pink and white stripes adorning the envelope cover.
The Graphique Store offers flat note cards with a sleek, classic look in various color schemes. We call these notecards because each of the 11 versions of the card comes with its own note of printed play-on-words that send inspirational and creative messages.
Details like vibrant trim colors, cream-colored envelopes, and delicately understated imagery add class to the messages' comedy. They come in an equally classy box with matching patterns for easy storage.
Find these cards and see if you can choose only one of the many poignant message lines offered. We give you permission to buy a few if you can’t!
5. Retro Polaroid Notecard Stationery
retro polaroid notecard stationery
Polaroid film may have been discontinued, but its dreamy evocative spirit lives on in this covetable keepsake box of notecards.
Chronicle Books brings you retro photography look-alike cards that appear to have just popped fresh out of an old-school polaroid camera. These cards come in a set of 20 different images and include envelopes.
Photography lovers and anyone in touch with their inner-child will love these cards. Send these cards in a snap to your favorite friend.
6. Funny Farm Animals Card Set
funny farm animals card set
The inside is blank, making this notecard set versatile for all of life's occasions! Here's a 20 card bundle that features beautiful painted animal designs of a cow, bird, chicken, horse, and more! Designed to inspire you to write better and more sentimental personal messages for kids and adults.
These funny farm animal cards come in a set of 20 with two of each of 10 images: chick, rooster, sheep, lamb, donkey, horse, cow, duck, pig, and rabbit.
These animals wear human clothes, brandish old-fashioned props, have technicolored fur and feathers, and assume anthropomorphized poses. Consequently, each animal has an identifiable and stereotypical personality.
The funky, artsy, psychedelic portrayal of these farm animals appeals to all ages for any occasion. You might want to buy two sets so you can keep one for kitchen décor; they're that good!
The Best Card Company really does bring you the best cards! From the farm to the table, get these cards here.
7. Assorted Fruit Card Set
assorted fruit card set
Never worry about missing an occasion with our luxurious, unique note cards. With amazing quality cards and envelopes that will make your note shine, you are sure to make the day of whoever receives your message. Leave a lasting impression with super cute thank you cards and envelopes from Foxglove & Co.
These assorted fruit cards come with six different patterns, including citrus, pineapple, succulents, fruit on the vine, and large leaves. The zesty, whimsical colors and raised texture details make the fruit good enough to eat.
The thick, high quality make of the paper plus the raised, debossed patterns give them a sturdy look and are fun and interesting to run your fingers over. These cards are a visual smorgasbord for you and your loved ones' enjoyment.
See the vivacity for yourself online at the FOXGLOVE & CO store.
8. All Occasion Deep Floral Greeting Card Set
all occasion deep floral card set
These lovely floral greeting cards are blank inside, giving you enough space to write your special heartwarming thoughts, quotes, and messages to your loved ones.
This warm and colorful floral stationery by Paper Junkie comes in a sizable set of 48 cards with an assortment of 6 different patterns and includes envelopes. The cards are foldable and blank inside.
These floral prints aren't your typical red and pink roses or yellow carnation prints but display a variety of plant species with incredible attention to detail. Some styles come with equally vibrant butterflies that appear to be grazing amongst the flowers.
Not only are the flowers and plants unique, but the color scheme is as well. The background colors are equally vibrant, yet they complement and highlight the plant and flowers' colors at the forefront.
Try to pick your favorite pattern. PS: These require little to no watering!
9. Lined Vintage Paper and Old-Fashioned Envelopes
lined vintage paper envelopes
This is an old fashion stationary paper and airmail envelope set, with double side retro lined for your happy writing experience.
These antique stationery cards come in a set of 48 lined sheets for formal letter writing. They come with 24 old-fashioned envelopes marked with the vintage "air-mail" stamp and classic red and blue patterned edges.
The textured khaki coloring of this stationary adds to its antiquated feel. The sheets' ample length gives you all the room you need to write a long, heartfelt message like the pen-pals of old.
This is as vintage as stationary gets! Check them out in the KiDEPOCH store on Amazon.
10. Lovely Kawaii Chinese Style Retro Stationery Set
lovely kawaii chinese retro stationery set
It has 8 styles as shown in the picture, a good choice to write a letter, calligraphy and graffiti, better as a unique gifts for your friends, family.
This set of 48 retro Chinese style stationary cards and matching envelopes have six different patterns. Each pattern has four cards and two matching envelopes.
You can use matching style envelope and card pairings, or you can pair a specific style card with a different envelope style for varied colors with a coherent theme.
Ironically, SCStyle Store makers use the Japanese term “Kawaii” for this Chinese-style stationery. Still, we can forgive this cultural faux pas as the term refers to a combination of cute, beautiful, and cool. We’d say they live up to the term! Check out these kawaii cards here.
11. No-Fold Flat Cactus Cards and Envelopes
flat cactus cards and envelopes
What better way to brighten up that special someone’s day than with our joyful cactus designed greeting cards. Blank on the backside for your very own handwritten message, making these note cards suitable for all ages and occasions!
These artsy cactus cards from the Cavepop Store are a unique homage to stark succulents. The white, black, or bright pink background on each respective card creates a stunning contrast to the cactus' friendly greens.
The beauty of these cards lies in their simplicity. They offer a wonderfully vibrant image on the front, and their non-folding design makes them no-fuss cards that you can easily frame. Makers use high-quality paper to fabricate these cards, so they are classy from the visual to the textural.
These cards make a bold statement that will surely impress a range of recipients, cactus-lovers especially! Take a poke at these cards.
12. Vintage Retro Dress Art Note Card Set
retro dress art note card set
Our proprietary Square-Top name offers a fresh, modern look. Beautiful design motifs on the card's right panel reveals an extended view of what is usually the card's interior page. This artistic detail frames the cover art, creating a unique card and a lasting, memorable impression.
The Best Card Company lives up to its name with these beautifully chic retro designer dress-art cards. This assortment of 12 cards has four different dress styles set atop old-school headless tailor mannequins.
The inside of each card is tinted a tasteful pale pink giving it an extra feminine flair. Additionally, the card's back is longer than the front to give both the front and inside of the card an elegant right panel pattern.
Surprise your girlfriends, mothers, grandmothers, or otherwise fashion-loving friends with these stunning cards. They are pretty enough to frame!
13. Cats and Chicks Gratitude Card Set
cats and chicks gratitude card set
These gratitude cards fit nicely inside standard mailing envelopes. You could even tack up these cards to show off the pin up girls and cats! We offer a wide selection of designs and art styles, offering a unique match for men and women looking for the right notecard for their special, personal message.
The Best Card Company offers these silly, retro, pin-up girl and matching feline image thank-you cards. They are deliberate in their usage of pixelated print for an even more retro feel.
They have a simple "Thank You" printed on the inside that you can personalize as desired.
While pin-up girl art represents a sexualized industry-and, these retro images are as coy and sexy as can be- the cat counterpart adds a weird and comical spin worthy of laughable raised eyebrows.
Sexy-but-not thank you cards are in this year! Women don’t want cat-calling, they just want cats!
14. Wild For Whyatt Funny All-Occasion Card Set
funny all-occasion card set
This hilarious assortment of comic and joke cards will bring plenty of laughs and smiles! With 10 unique, assorted cartoons for adult men and women, you'll have plenty of stock for any of life's occasions and funny moments.
This assortment of greeting cards comes with ten different comics for adult men and women spanning plenty of clever topics that are sure to make you chuckle and snort!
There are five comic sets to choose from with different styles, characters, and humor niches so you can reach any audience; whether it be more intimate "inside" family jokes or more intellectual cartoons for your co-workers.
These cards have the extra perk of being thick, durable, and eco-friendly, made with 30 percent recycled paper. Eco-friendly jokers, check out which set makes you laugh the most here.
Conclusion
Vintage stationery adds an extra burst of comfort to the nostalgia inherent in letter writing. Let those important to you feel how much you care with the age-old tradition of card giving. We've given you 14 hip, fun, and classy options to choose from.