Trade cards typically had a picture on one side and an ad on the other. There were custom cards printed for specific products, and stock cards which could be used for any product. Trade cards were popular for medicines, sewing, and farm equipment, and a range of other products. Some rare Victorian trade cards are now worth thousands of dollars, for example cards advertising Clipper Ships traveling from the East Coast to California in the 1860s.
 Clothing+ Fashion |  Jewelry +Watches |  Home +Furniture |  Pottery + Glass |  Art +Photos |  Paper +Books |  Music +Movies |  Toys +Games |  Sports +Outdoors |  Ads +Signs |  Eras +Themes |  |
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Victorian trade cards are an early form of collectible advertising. Popularized after the Civil War by businesses, they offer a colorful and diverse look at popular culture and society in the late 1800s.
Trade cards originated in England in the 1700s with tradesmen advertising their wares. But...
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garbage pail kids cards Series 1 and …
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TRADE CARDS
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Interviews & Articles
An Interview With Victorian Trade Card Collector Ben Crane
How did I start collecting Victorian trade cards? In the late 60s I was a bottle collector, early American bottles and flasks. I s… [more]
Some Trade Cards and Broadsides
American advertising has always told a rousing story. What people had and what they could acquire. From the first issue of the Bos… [more]
An Interview With Victorian Furniture Collector John Werry
How did I get started collecting Victorian Furniture? Antiques is in my genes, my mother's family were longtime antiquers and live… [more]
Stuck on Comic Character Pinbacks
I started off collecting comics, and still do, but I’d been given a few early Disney pinbacks as a child and always thought they w… [more]
An Interview With Antique Advertising and Porcelain Sign Collector Alex Renshaw
How did I get started collecting advertising antiques? My dad was a lecturer and tutor in graphics and art from the 1960s onwards,… [more]
An Interview With Baseball Card Collector Dave Campbell
Dave Campbell contacted me after reading a post on The Baseball Card blog. He's been collecting baseball cards non-stop since 1981… [more]
An Interview With Porcelain Advertising Sign Collector Michael Bruner
I liked to collect things even as a child. Things that didn’t cost anything, like different colors of stones. There was somethin… [more]
An Interview With Victorian Greeting Card Collector Malcolm Warrington
Malcolm Warrington is based 12 miles to the west of Central London. He is a council member of the UK Ephemera Society with respons… [more]
The Force of Collecting Star Wars Cards
I was 10 when the movie came out and I went to the store and bought a couple of packs of Star Wars cards. But I ended up trashing … [more]
Hitting a Home Run with Baseball Cards
I started collecting in 1986. If you’re in Boston and you’re a baseball fan, the Red Sox may take over your life. They take over y… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Trade Card Place
Ben Crane's excellent reference site on Victorian trade cards. Includes a scrapbook containing hundreds of beautifu… [read review or visit site]
Rare Victorian
John Werry's in-depth blog on rare Victorian Furniture, with detailed, informative and often humorous posts on doze… [read review or visit site]
Ephemera Blog
Marty Weil's wide-ranging, in-depth blog on ephemera, including lots of great interviews with ephemera collectors. … [read review or visit site]
Advertising Antiques
This classy looking British site features hundreds of high resolution photos of antique porcelain pre-war (enamel) … [read review or visit site]
Non Sports Cards: Tobacco, Gum and Candy
Tom Boblitt moderates this extremely deep, collaborative site dedicated to non-sports cards (tobacco, gum and candy… [read review or visit site]
Ephemera Society of America
Great reference on ephemera... includes examples and descriptions of various ephemera categories, selected special … [read review or visit site]
Ad Access
Duke University's library has pulled together an impressive collection of over 7,000 ads printed in U.S. and Canadi… [read review or visit site]
The Scrap Album
Attention paper collectors: don't miss Malcolm Warrington's exquisitely designed tribute to Victorian scraps (stamp… [read review or visit site]
Plan 59
From the Nostlagia Factory in Virginia comes this celebration of 'mid-century automotive advertising illustrations'… [read review or visit site]
Stevengraphs Bookmarks and Postcards
Malcolm Roebuck's tribute to the ornate silk picture bookmarks and postcards ('Stevengraphs') produced by Thomas St… [read review or visit site]
American Package Museum
Ian House's gallery of early 20th Century American package designs. Browse the exhibits in slide show mode or view … [read review or visit site]
Found in Moms Basement
Paula Zargaj-Reynolds’ blog, an extensive collection of 20th century vintage advertising, is a visual feast. Scro… [read review or visit site]
Truth in Advertising
This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p… [read review or visit site]
Clubs & Associations: Cards
Other Great Reference Sites: Cards
- Victorian Trade Card Collection
- Online Picture Card Museum
- Wisconsin Historical Images: Trade Cards
- Baker Library Historical Collections
- The Cartophilic Society of Great Britain
- Albums by Exhibitman
- Duke Library: Emergence of Advertising in America
- Oxford Library: John Johnson Collection Exhibition
- Library of Congress Broadsides and Ephemera
- Duke Library: Presidential Campaign Memorabilia
- Coca-Cola Old Ads
- Library of Congress: Coca-Cola Ads
- Street Jewellery
Top eBay Auctions
Antique Victorian 19c Lg Scrapbook Trade Cards Diecuts Album Fairies Christmas
Victorian Scrapbook - Trade Card Album Die Cut--250 Cards & More-- Loose Pages--
Super Rare Craig & Hales Vfl Football Trade Card Frank Maher (essendon) 1925
Scarce 1880s Rough On Rats Mice Bed Bugs Roaches Flies Trade Card Jersey City Nj
Cat £275 Mint Barratt Walt Disney Characters 2nd Set 50 Cigarette / Trade Cards
The Parker Gun Trade Card Sign With Woodcock
Large Antique 1800s Victorian Scrap Book W 85 Pages Full Of Die Cuts Trade Cards
Victorian Scrapbook ~ 40 Pages ~ Cats Christmas Diecuts Trade Cards Children
Lavazza Trade Cards Nr. 11 - Le Maschere I
Cat £175.00 Mint 1965 Cadet - Doctor Who & Daleks Set 50 Cigarette / Trade Cards
Britains Deetail 1971 Arab Horsemen Complete On Their Original Trade Card.exc.
1840's Victorian Journal Scrap Book Trade Cards Scraps Doctors Slavery
Sanfords Inks / Fountain Pen Ink Adv Trade Card Folder, 8 Panels, Ink Bottle Pic
Circa 1880's Set Of 8 Anthropomorphic Victorian Trade Cards Near Mint Condition!
Rare 1977 J. Lyons Set......jubilee......cigarette / Trade Cards
Rare Old De Laval Cream Separators Die Cut Trade Card (standee?)
Rare Civil War Era Mayo's Cut Plug Tobacco Trade Card President Buchanan 
Old Van Dyk's Coffee Mechanical Trade Card, Teddy Roosevelt
Trade Card From Peek & Craig In Nyack, Ny - Opera Piano
Victorian 1886 Scrapbook-50 Pastings! Trade Cards, Valentines, Die Cuts
1870s Victorian Trade Card~captain Paul Boyton~water Circus Act In Rubber Suit
Scarce 1901 Singer Sewing Machine Universal World Antique Vintage Old Trade Card
1880-1900s 22 Trade Cards, Brochures, Trick & Mechanical Cards - Super Lot 
Nice Trio Vgc Kornies Footballers In Action Vfl Trade Cards 1951 Melb, Rich, Haw
Boston Red Stockings Baseball Player Cigars Trade Card Toy Glove & Ball
Victorian Trade Card ~ Currier & Ives, "a Crack Shot," 1880 ~ Uncle Sam!
Vintage Palmer Cox Brownies Baseball Trade Card
Palmer Cox Brownies Vintage Baseball Trade Card 
2 Old 1880's Victorian Trade Cards Newtown Bucks County Pa Carver & Greer
Tc284, Uncle Sam/eagle, John Bull/lion, Libby Mcneill Meat Trade Card
1880s Era Denver Colorado Falk's Bottled Beer Trade Card!! Saloon! No Reserve!!!
Antique Vintage Victorian French Chromo Trade Card Empire Couple Picking Apples
Excellent Wm. Radam's Microbe Killer Trade Card
Vintage Mellins Baby Figurine, Food Jars, Stand Up&trade Cards, Teething Ring 
Victorian Trade Card Baseball Imperial Cigar "reward For Genuine Capadura Segar"
Three Ball Brand Soap Adv Trade Card Group, Rhyming Verse, Pug Dog, 4 Cards
Psa 10 1992 Upper Deck Shaquille O'neal Rc Rookie Trade Card
Rare Huntley & Palmers Trade Cards,animals,1900,set Of 12.good-very Good.
Royal And United States Mail Steamers White Star Line Trade Card Ship Liverpool 
2011/12 Panini Limited Tyler Seguin Trade Team Marks Patch Card #7/25
Little Girl And Kitten Antique Victorian Trade Card Lion Coffee
Chicago Worlds Fair 1893 Folding Trade Card Dress Goods Fabrics Size Cost Bldgs.
Sanford Co Automatic Engine Jackson Mi Victorian Trade Card Ferryman Frog Mouse
Jared Allen Tools Of The Trade Jersey Patch Card 7/10
(2) 1876 Centennial Exhibition Trade Cards / Main Exhibition Building / Bonus 
Rare Fort Wayne, Indiana Leichner's "sample Room" For Whiskey & Lager Trade Card
Sixty-six 66 Saloon Trade Card - Galveston Texas Tx 1910
Star Saloon Trade Card - Galveston Texas Tx 1910
Big Lot Of 25+ Large Colorful Victorian Trade Cards Etc.
4 Kutztown,pa Victorian Trade Cards (1 Pc):christ, Christman,ritter & Fisher J3
Huntley & Palmers Trade Cards,biscuits In Various Countries,1900,set Of 12.g-vg
18 Victorian Trade Cards, Confederate Money, Soap, Stove, Wringer 
Victorian Stand Up Card Advert Cats Komo Furniture Cream Trade Card Vintage Old
Tc258, Red Riding Hood With Wolf, Libby Mcneill Meat Trade Card
Tc273, Artic Explorers?, Libby Mcneill Meat Trade Card
Large Lot Vintage Advertising Items/brochures/shoe Spoons/booklets/trade Cards +
Vintage Lot Of 41 Colorful Antique Victorian Advertising Merchandise Trade Cards
1888 Benjamin Harrison/clark/"for Protection Not Free Trade" Cabinet Card Look
1880's Victorian Trade Card, Allen & Ginter Mfg. Richmond Cigarettes,7 Cute Dogs
Rare Full Set Vintage 1966 Batman Macleans Tooth Paste Trade Cards And Extras 
Cards
- overview
- trade cards
- playing cards
- tobacco cards
- greeting cards
- Mutoscope cards
- baseball cards
- football cards
- hockey cards
- basketball cards
- wax packs
- lobby cards
- cartes-de-visites
Victorian Era
- overview
- trade cards
- Victorian furniture
- Victorian lamps
- Victorian womens clothing
- Victorian and Edwardian hats
- hatpins
- Victorian and Edwardian jewelry
- lockets
Advertising
- overview
- tins
- crate labels
- mirrors
- thermometers
- calendars
- salesmans samples
- pinbacks
- beer trays
- advertising clocks
- trade cards
- porcelain signs
- tin signs
- door pushes
- ashtrays
- tape measures
- pharmacy
- snowglobes
- Kennedy memorabilia
- airline and aviation
Paper
- overview
- calendars
- brochures
- documents
- newspapers
- magazines
- maps
- wartime letters
- letterheads
- menus
- ticket stubs
- greeting cards
- trade cards
- crate labels
- lobby cards
- baseball cards
- paper dolls
