Postcard series that can become even more addictive than Postcrossing itself - GF, MOTW, FOTW, COTW and all the rest....
It starts innocently enough.. you receive one postcard. Then another. Suddenly you notice that they both look similar. The same layout, a similar style but a different country.
And a thought appears - “I wonder how many of them there are?”
And then it only gets worse ;) because very quickly you discover that there are entire postcard series featuring countries of the world, maps, flags, national symbols or characteristic landmarks. Some have several dozen designs, while others cover more than 250 countries and territories.
And that is exactly when a simple:
“Oh, a nice postcard!”
turns into:
“I’m still missing seventeen to complete the set.”
Welcome to the world of collectible postcard series.
If you have seen mysterious abbreviations such as GF, MOTW, FOTW, WT or HPC on Postcrossers’ profiles and wondered whether you had accidentally stumbled upon some kind of postcard code – this post is for you.
Postcrossing itself is based on surprise. We never know which country the next card will come from or what theme we will find in our mailbox. Series add one more element to that – collecting. When all the postcards share a similar graphic layout, you can place Poland, Japan, Mexico, Australia or Iceland next to one another and create a small paper encyclopedia of the world. On the official Postcrossing forum, the topic of series comes up regularly. Users ask about abbreviations, swap missing designs, keep their own lists and show their growing collections. Postcrossing itself points out that its forum is a place where users discuss, among other things, their favourite artists and postcard series.
And perhaps that is the biggest secret behind their popularity. One card is interesting, two begin to form a set.
GF – Greetings From...
We begin with one of the most recognisable series in the world of Postcrossing.
GF = Greetings From.
This mainly refers to the "Greetings From..." series published by PostalLove. In the Postcrossing glossary of abbreviations, this is exactly how the GF series is defined.
Its distinctive appearance is difficult to confuse with any other cards.
The name of the country, colourful graphics, the most important symbols, interesting facts and information about the place. Everything on a single postcard, which is why GF cards have become so popular. They are a little like miniature travel guides that fit in your hand. They all maintain a recognisable style, so when placed together they look incredibly impressive. Interestingly, the community keeps its own lists of released cards. According to one detailed list published on the Postcrossing forum at the end of 2024, one collector counted 98 countries in the GF series and 103 cards when several different versions for certain countries were included. This is not an official statistic from the publisher, but it perfectly shows the scale of collecting this series.
GF also introduces us to one of the characteristic features of the world of postcard series – having one card from a particular country does not always mean that the topic is finished. Sometimes a new version appears and the collection is suddenly incomplete again. 😉
MOTW – Maps of the World
If you see this on someone’s profile:
“I collect MOTW”
you already know what it means.
MOTW = Maps of the World.
It is a series dedicated to maps of individual countries and territories. The abbreviation itself is explained this way within the Postcrossing community.
If someone loves map cards, MOTW can be very dangerous for the amount of free space left in their albums. According to a community list from 2024, collectors counted 257 different MOTW cards.
MOTW is particularly popular because maps are one of the most universal themes in Postcrossing. One glance is enough to know which country the card represents, while at the same time the individual designs look fantastic together.
FOTW – Flags of the World
If there are maps, there must also be flags.
FOTW = Flags of the World.
In the Postcrossing glossary of abbreviations, FOTW is described as a postcard series featuring flags, published by PostcardsMarket.
The concept is simple:
one country → one distinctive card → a flag and information related to that country.
But that simplicity is exactly what makes the series so perfect for collecting.
According to the previously mentioned forum list, one collector counted 259 FOTW cards.
So even more than MOTW.
With series like these, it is worth treating the information printed on the cards as part of the design rather than as an infallible encyclopedia.
Postcrossers on the forum have pointed out inaccuracies that sometimes appear in FOTW, MOTW and GF – for example when famous people or landmarks are associated with particular countries.
And that is actually another interesting part of collecting.
Suddenly, a postcard becomes a starting point for learning about the history or geography of a particular country.
COTW – Countries of the World
And now a series that is particularly close to House of Postcards. 💙
Countries of the World is created in collaboration with illustrator Martyna Wołowicz.
It is a project whose idea is very similar to what made so many Postcrossers fall in love with international postcard series: each postcard presents a specific country and its characteristic elements while maintaining a shared, recognisable style.
At House of Postcards, we have been developing our collaboration with Martyna and the Countries of the World series for years.
And this is where something begins that we know very well from our customers.
First someone buys Poland, then the Czech Republic, Germany.
A moment later comes the question - “Do you also have Iceland?”
And at that point, you already know the series has done its job.
There are currently more than one hundred different designs in the Countries of the World category at House of Postcards – the shop includes, among others, Åland, Albania, Andorra, Antarctica and Antigua and Barbuda.
And that is exactly what we love most about this series. It does not stop at the most obvious countries. It allows you to discover places whose postcards very rarely find their way into our mailboxes.
WT – World Travel
Another abbreviation you may find on profiles:
WT.
And no, it does not mean “what?”.
WT = World Travel.
It is a series designed by Nisan Design from Taiwan. This is how users of the official Postcrossing forum identify it.
World Travel consists of very distinctive, contemporary illustrated postcards dedicated to individual countries. And here we come to an interesting phenomenon.
You do not have to own WT cards exclusively from the country they were sent from. Collectors buy complete sets, trade them on the forum, organise group orders and even hunt for missing countries while travelling.
On the forum, for example, you can find Postcrossers organising group orders for World Travel cards directly from Taiwan.
HPC – Happy Postcrossing
Another abbreviation:
HPC = Happy Postcrossing Card
These are colourful illustrated postcards by the German brand Papersisters, and they do not feature only countries.
There are cards such as "Happy Postcrossing from Germany", but also themed versions connected, for example, with books or holidays. Forum users point out that among the many Papersisters designs, HPC is one of the series that collectors particularly enjoy collecting. One of their biggest advantages is their recognisability. Once you receive one, you will usually recognise the next one immediately.
WC – WordCloud
And another mystery:
WC = WordCloud
a series based on word clouds connected with specific countries. According to a forum list, it covered 82 countries, and thanks to different versions of some designs, one collector counted a total of 98 cards.
Interestingly, the creators’ shop has been closed, so some designs may now be much more difficult to obtain. Even so, Postcrossers still mention WordCloud cards on their wishlists and search for missing designs.
And this is where the magic of collecting really begins - a series that can no longer be easily purchased automatically becomes even more interesting.
PWE, ICONs and... how many of these are there?!
Did you think we were finished? Oh no...
The world of postcard series is much bigger.
You may come across, among others:
PWE – Postcard World Explorer, a series of map postcards;
ICONs – Icons of Countries, a series based on symbols characteristic of individual countries;
WonderPost, WonderFest, various World Travel projects and many smaller collections created by publishers and illustrators from all over the world. Forum lists show that there is no single, definitive list of all such projects – new series appear, others disappear, and collectors constantly try to catalogue them.
And perhaps that is the best thing about it.
There is never a moment when you can say:
“I have everything.”
Because someone will soon create something new.
We suspect there are several stages.
Stage 1:
“Oh, a nice postcard.”
Stage 2:
“Oh, I have two from the same series.”
Stage 3:
“I’ll just check how many there are in total.”
Stage 4:
Excel.
And we are not laughing. Because we understand it very well.
Postcrossers create their own trackers, country lists, online albums and lists of missing cards. On the official forum, discussions regularly appear about how many designs have been released in particular series and which versions are still available.
Do you have to collect an entire series?
Absolutely not.
You can collect:
only countries you have visited,
only Europe,
only countries from which you have actually received a card,
only the designs you genuinely like.
Or all of them.
We will not judge..
Because there is no single correct type of collection in Postcrossing. One person dreams of collecting every GF card, another collects only cats, a third wants to have every UNESCO card, while someone else will be happiest to receive a classic view postcard from a small Polish town. That is exactly what makes this community so interesting.
Countries of the World at House of Postcards
Finally, we return to our own little piece of this worldwide collecting craze.
The Countries of the World series, created in collaboration with Martyna Wołowicz, is something more to us than just another group of products.
It is a little like our own paper journey around the world.
Every new country means searching for characteristic motifs, symbols and elements that can tell its story on a single postcard.
And then comes the best part. The card begins its journey from Poland to Germany, from Poland to Japan, to Finland.
We personally were very happy to receive a COTW postcard from someone through Postcrossing.
And now admit it...Are you one of those people who say:
“I don’t collect any series”
or rather:
“I’m only missing 73 cards”?
Or perhaps you collect GF, MOTW, FOTW, World Travel, HPC, Countries of the World or a series that we have not mentioned here?
Be sure to let us know.
Because we have a feeling that after reading this post, a few people have just started a new collection.
And it is very possible that we are partly to blame.