The Pioneers - Famous Names from the U.S.A.
QSL cards first came into existence in the U.S.A., after the end of the First World War. The earliest that have survived are from 1920 - these were basically just hand-written notes on postcards; with the explosion of interest in experimentation and the drive to transmit for further and further distances - initially on medium wave frequencies - exchanges of information and confirmation of contacts by postcard became an important part of the hobby.
The cards below - from the 1921-1925 period - are from operators who later became famous world-wide.
1AW Hiram Percy Maxim 1925
Maxim did not collect cards himself, and few of his have survived; they are over-sized and damage easily.
He sent them on request, and also used them like postcards for exchange of messages.
9CXX Art Collins, founder of Collins Radio, from 1924
9ZN R.H.G. Matthews, Founder of Zenith Radio
An early card from 1921
9ZT Don Wallace - later W6AM - from 1925
