November 23, 2008
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 the advent of lithography in the 1870s made it possible to mass-produce them in color, leading to a golden age from 1876 to the early 1900s when halftone printed newspaper and magazine ads became more economical.
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.
How did I start collecting Victorian trade cards? In the late 60s I was a bottle collector, early American bo… [more]
How did I get started collecting Victorian Furniture? Antiques is in my genes, my mother's family were longti… [more]
How did I get started collecting advertising antiques? My dad was a lecturer and tutor in graphics and art fr… [more]
I started off collecting comics, and still do, but I’d been given a few early Disney pinbacks as a child an… [more]
Dave Campbell contacted me after reading a post on The Baseball Card blog. He's been collecting baseball card… [more]
Malcolm Warrington is based 12 miles to the west of Central London. He is a council member of the UK Ephemera… [more]
Ben Crane's excellent reference site on Victorian trade cards. Includes a scrapbook containing hundreds of beautifu… [more]
John Werry's in-depth blog on rare Victorian Furniture, with detailed, informative and often humorous posts on doze… [more]
This classy looking British site features hundreds of high resolution photos of antique porcelain pre-war (enamel) … [more]
Great reference on ephemera... includes examples and descriptions of various ephemera categories, selected special … [more]
Marty Weil's wide-ranging, in-depth blog on ephemera, including lots of great interviews with ephemera collectors. … [more]
Attention paper collectors: don't miss Malcolm Warrington's exquisitely designed tribute to Victorian scraps (stamp… [more]
Duke University's library has pulled together an impressive collection of over 7,000 ads printed in U.S. and Canadi… [more]
From the Nostlagia Factory in Virginia comes this celebration of 'mid-century automotive advertising illustrations'… [more]
Ian House's gallery of early 20th Century American package designs. Browse the exhibits in slide show mode or view … [more]
Malcolm Roebuck's tribute to the ornate silk picture bookmarks and postcards ('Stevengraphs') produced by Thomas St… [more]
Paula Zargaj-Reynolds’ blog, an extensive collection of 20th century vintage advertising, is a visual feast. Scro… [more]
This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p… [more]
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40 Ass't Webkinz,2 Box 1st Ed Trade Cards,mouse Pads!$149.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid
34 Ass't Webkinz, 2 Box 1st Ed. Trade Cards Great Buy!!$129.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid
Victorian Trade Card Die Cut Scrapbook Album 450 Pieces$103.50 Ends Monday 6 bids
24 Webkinz, 62 Pks 1st Ed Trade Cards & More$99.99 Ends Wednesday 1 bid
Vintage Parsons Ks Adv Trade Card Schuttler Wagon Mm799$63.00 Ends Tuesday 4 bids
33 Sets Of Cigarette And Trade Cards - List Value £700$53.17 Ends Thursday 2 bids
Victorian Trade Card Album,115 Cards,beautiful ! $49.99 Ends in 14 hours 1 bid
1 Full Pound Of Ephemera, Mostly Trade Cards!!! - Lot B$47.00 Ends in 13 hours 3 bids
1 Full Pound Of Ephemera, Mostly Trade Cards!!! - Lot A$45.00 Ends in 13 hours 2 bids
Huge Victorian Trade Card Album Full Great Cards 1880s$43.00 Ends Thursday 2 bids
21 Sets Of Cigarette And Trade Cards - List Value £550$39.84 Ends Thursday 3 bids
Set Thomson Trade Cards Football Towns & Their Crests $32.74 Ends Wednesday 2 bids
50 Vintage Victorian Trade Card Scrap Die Cut Paper Lot$32.02 Ends in 15 hours 8 bids
Rare! Old Brown's German Bitters Trade Card$32.00 Ends Tuesday 5 bids
Heinz Pickle Victorian Trade Card Chef$30.90 Ends in 14 hours 14 bids
Lot Of 29 Trade Cards & 22 Miscellaneous Ephemera Items$27.00 Ends in 7 hours 2 bids
1956 Original Elvis Presley Trade Cards Scrapbook $26.99 Ends in 16 hours 9 bids
Antique Victorian Mi Boys ? Scrapbook Trade Cards Magic$26.51 Ends Tuesday 3 bids
Joseph C Wheeler Fairbanks Fairy Soap Lg Trade Card$24.99 Ends in 15 hours 1 bid
C1880 Trade Cards Anna Dickenson Woman Suffrage$24.99 Ends Monday 1 bid
Rare 1888 Trade Card Salem Witch Woman Suffrage 1/2$24.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid
Rare 1888 Trade Card Salem Witch Woman Suffrage 1/2$24.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid
Mixed Lot Of 49 Trade Cards & Ephemera From Late 1800's$24.95 Ends Tuesday 1 bid
Victorian Scrapbook - Victorian Trade Cards Scrap Book$23.50 Ends in 16 hours 4 bids
Mechanical Trade Card Adv National Cash Register Mm844$22.72 Ends Tuesday 4 bids
~antique Scrapbook / Post Card/trade Card Book~ C.1890$21.49 Ends Monday 2 bids
Antique 1879 Currier & Ives Black Americana Trade Card$20.50 Ends in 4 hours 5 bids
Victorian Trade Card Dentist History Of Homer, Ny Rare!$19.99 Ends in 15 hours 1 bid
Vintage Scrapbook Victorian Trade Cards Scraps Antique$19.99 Ends in 16 hours 1 bid
Rare Norma Cook Stove Yellow Boy Trade Card$18.00 Ends in 14 hours 1 bid
Rare Oriental Couch Cover Carpets Trade Card Folder$18.00 Ends in 14 hours 1 bid
(150) Arm & Hammer Useful Birds Trade Cards Mint!!!!$17.49 Ends Monday 3 bids
Metamorphic Political Trade Card- S.tilden Vs U.s.grant$16.95 Ends Tuesday 2 bids
Van Houten's Cocoa, Mechanical Adv. Trade Card$16.50 Ends Monday 2 bids
Arm & Hammer Beautiful Birds Trade Cards Complete 1-60$16.50 Ends Wednesday 2 bids
Rare Dutch Dog Trade Card 1940 Irish Terrier$16.49 Ends Tuesday 5 bids
Football Cfl: Roughing: Patterson Candy Trade Card$16.25 Ends in 9 hours 2 bids
1800's New York Ny Adv Trade Card Safe Locks Bank Mm839$16.00 Ends Tuesday 2 bids
Singer Sewing Machine In Italy Early 1900s Trade Card$15.50 Ends in 14 hours 4 bids
1880s Us Presidents Trade Card Franklin Pierce Ex+$15.50 Ends in 16 hours 3 bids
Wow! One Hundred Seventy Six Victorian Trade Cards N.r.$15.50 Ends in 16 hours 5 bids
Snow Puff Baking Powder Santa Christmas Toys Trade Card$15.50 Ends in 15 hours 4 bids
1890's Kis - Me Gum Mechanical Trade Card Advertising$14.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid
1870-80s Trade Card Mt Washington Railway Rr Nh Ticket$14.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid
2-19thc Trade Cards Jewelers + Silversmith Westerly Ri$14.55 Ends Wednesday 9 bids
Caswell Livermore & Co Fish Boston Trade Card Folder$14.00 Ends in 15 hours 1 bid
Victorian Arbuckle Coffee Trade Card Series Of 48$13.45 Ends in 11 hours 4 bids
Victorian Trade Card Album-rochester Black Americana$13.28 Ends Tuesday 2 bids
Farm Machinery Ia Trade Card Ma Adv Ny Spreader Mm800$13.06 Ends Tuesday 2 bids
30 Die Cut Sample Trade Cards Decorated Fancy Fans$13.00 Ends in 14 hours 2 bids
Boxing : 1920-30s Cigarette Tobacco Trade Mix X20 Cards$12.50 Ends in 8 hours 2 bids
Very Early John Deere Mechanical Trade Card$12.21 Ends Thursday 2 bids
Dwight's Cow Brand Soda 1876 Centennial Trade Card $12.00 Ends in 15 hours 1 bid
Lighthouses : Kohler Trade Card Set C1920$11.93 Ends in 19 mins 2 bids
9 Victorian Arm & Hammer Soda Trade Cards Birds$11.61 Ends Tuesday 3 bids
President Andrew Johnson Larkin Sweet Soap Trade Card$11.61 Ends Wednesday 2 bids
Uncle Sam - Eclipse Carbonating Co. Soda - Trade Card$11.50 Ends in 16 hours 2 bids
Uncle Sam Wheatlet Oat Meal Advertising Trade Card Sign$11.00 Ends in 15 hours 2 bids
Vintage Advertising Die Cut Heinz 57 Trade Card Pickle$10.95 Ends Tuesday 3 bids
Jos. Koehler Ny Metamorphic Trade Card 1882$10.50 Ends in 12 hours 2 bids
