A government postcard in sports memorabilia collecting refers to an official postal card issued by the U.S. Post Office that fans can send an autograph request to their favorite players. Since these postcards went through the postal system, postmarks often verify the year of the autograph.

The Larry Doby autographed card I have is dated December 5, 1950 and love how Doby inscribed it “Merry Xmas” for the time of year he signed the postcard. The back of the postcard has the return address of the fan who sent the request. It’s a great piece of history.

These postcards are also known as Penny Postcards as they would usually cost a penny to mail them.