Postcard History

Remembering Sandy Millns by Susan Brown Nicholson

Every postcard show or club knows the names John and Sandy Millns. Together they spent decades buying and selling to the postcard world.

Sandy went to the University of Toledo and became a kindergarten teacher. I felt those skills made her a great postcard dealer. She remembered everyone by name, their kid’s names, and what they collected. She would have the postcard album pulled out and waiting as the person approached her booth.

She married John Millns, several years her senior, and helped raise his five children. Over the years, Sandy often helped those children with cars, college tuition, and homes, whatever they needed. John, also graduated from the University of Toledo, served in the US Army, and held jobs in Insurance and Real Estate. He was 50 years old when he and Sandy started collecting and selling postcards. They were known internationally in the postcard world. In fact, postcards were a way of life for them. John would buy a new van nearly every year having put over 100,000 miles on them traveling all over the United States to all the postcard shows. They also made many European trips to buy cards.

One time my husband on the way to work asked me “do we know the people in the guest bedroom? I said we must if they are sleeping” It was Sandy and John. They were on their way home to Ohio from a postcard show and were too tired to make it, so pulled over and came into my home at 2am.

After John passed away in 2005, Sandy’s eagerness to continue with postcards went on as well as shopping for a good deal in thrift stores and auctions. She had an Antique Mall booth that she very much enjoyed visiting and maintaining.

Sandy was in the hospital for several days as her kidneys were failing, they had her on comfort care and she passed away Wednesday, March 27^th 2024 at 79 years old. Almost immediately the word had spread coast to coast. Many of you have emailed your memories to me and I thank you for those thoughts. Sandy was fun to be with at any time. She had a great laugh and fun thoughts. She would read books while driving those long boring stretches across the Midwest. There was not a puzzle she did not like; in fact she enjoyed all games. Most recently, after moving into assisted living, she was playing bridge and bingo again with great joy. She and John were married on the 13^th so her lucky number was 13 and she collected any postcard with 13 on it.

Sandy will be missed by many all over the world. Now Sandy, go find John and get the shows ready for the rest of us. For those of us still here, say hello to your best postcard friend and share memories with them as often as you can.