A QUIRKY collection of early 20th century postcards - and a colourful piece of social history charting holidaymaking in Wales - is to be sold at auction.

Hinting at the racy undercurrent of Welsh seaside towns in the 1920s, the bold designs come from destinations such as Aberystwyth, Machynlleth, Tywyn and Dolgellau.

Depicting courting couples, flirtatious females and lecherous gentlemen, they were sent in the early 1900s and are surprisingly saucy, considering the social mores of the times.

With a postmark of 7 August 1922, another postcard shows a couple canoodling under a large red umbrella with the words ‘I’ve clicked at Aberystwyth’.

In 1894, British publishers were given permission by the Royal Mail to manufacture and distribute picture postcards which could be sent through the mail. With steam locomotives providing fast and affordable travel, the seaside became a popular tourist destination.

Early postcards tended to be images of famous landmarks, but by the 1930s, cartoon-style postcards became widespread and at the height of their popularity, the sale of saucy postcards reached 16 million a year.

Auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones said the album was a fascinating insight into the liberal mood of holidaymakers at some of Wales’ most traditional seaside destinations.

"Postcards were a cheap and fast means of maintaining contact with relatives in the days before telephones were widely used," said Mr Rogers Jones.

"As was becoming fashionable, the messages in a number of these cards are rich in innuendo. It seems that, once on holiday, the British were keen to show their sense of humour as well as a rather risqué side."

"It was quite a surprise to find such a collection of early postcards from Welsh destinations, including Dollgellau, Machynlleth, Llanidloes, Mountain Ash and Towyn.

"The messages written on the back also make interesting reading - friends writing to each other, hinting at what a good time they were having."

The auction takes place in Cardiff on Friday, 27 May, at 11am.