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Postcards became popular at the turn of the 20th Century, especially for sending short messages to friends and relatives. They were collected right from the start, and are still sought after today by collectors of pop culture, photography, advertising, wartime memorabilia, local history, and many other categories.
Postcards were an international craze, published all over the world. The Detroit Publishing Co. and Curt-Teich were two of the major publishers in the U.S, and sometimes individuals printed their own postcards as well...
There are many types of collectible vintage postcards. Hold-to-light postcards were made with tissue paper surrounded by two pieces of regular paper, so light would shine through. Fold-out postcards, popular in the 1950s, had multiple postcards attached in a long strip. Real photograph postcards (RPPCs) are photographs with a postcard backing.
Novelty postcards were made using wood, aluminum, copper, and cork. Silk postcards – often embroidered or with a printed image – were wrapped around cardboard and sent in see-through glassine paper envelopes, and were especially popular during WW1. In the 1930s and 1940s, postcards were printed on brightly colored paper designed to look like linen.
Most vintage postcard collectors focus on themes, like Christmas, Halloween, portraits of movie stars, European royalty and U.S. presidents, wartime imagery, and photos of natural disasters. Not to mention cards featuring colorful pictures by famous artists like Alphonse Mucha, Harrison Fisher, Ellen Clapsaddle, and Francis Brundage.
With vintage postcards, subject matter, condition, and rarity, plus general desirability and demand, determine value.
In 1994, I had the great pleasure of acquiring the complete archive of Walker Evans for the Metropolitan Muse… [more]
I worked for 35 years as a reference librarian with the Madison Public Library and I just got interested in M… [more]
Andreas Praefcke (Ravensburg, Germany) collects postcards of old and new theatre buildings worldwide. His com… [more]
This collection of over 2000 postcards provides a peek at life in and around Delaware in the early 1900s. Browse g… [read review or visit site]
Andreas Praefcke's postcard collection of theatres and concert halls worldwide. Showcases 3700 images of over 1810 … [read review or visit site]
Digital Past, a group effort by dozens of Chicago-area institutions, boasts one of the world's largest online colle… [read review or visit site]
Malcolm Roebuck's tribute to the ornate silk picture bookmarks and postcards ('Stevengraphs') produced by Thomas St… [read review or visit site]
Don't let this one get away from you. This 'unbelievable' collection, from the Wisconsin Historical Society, featur… [read review or visit site]
Great collection of American penny postcards from the early 1900s, organized by state and then county. Includes a n… [read review or visit site]
This beautiful site features a collection of tinted postcards, woodblock prints, and early maps of Tokyo. The image… [read review or visit site]
Lynne Appel's reference site contains useful information for postcard collectors such as such as a Postcard Collect… [read review or visit site]
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Source: Google News
Howell is a nationally known postcard collector whose collection contains more than 20000 pre-1920 Kentucky postcards. He is also co-author of three books...Read more
Megan Humphrey, owner of Sweet Basil Cards in Burlington, creates unique handmade Christmas cards that are designed to look like a vintage postcard...Read more
And don't miss the antique postcard exhibit planned for the second floor of the Half-Moon Inn. Here, visitors will have the opportunity to view a large...Read more
The vintage postcard photo shows the bank just after completion. Interestingly eight brick steps lead up to the bank entrance, which is considerably higher...Read more
The best of these have found their way to a postcard collection cheekily named Times New Roman & Countrymen (Blaft, Rs 295). The collection consists of 25...Read more
Toys & Collectibles: Mechanical banks, tin windups, lg. antique postcard collection inc. Campbell Kids, early books, sev. canes, pocket watches,...Read more
The Ybor City I admire is the community pre “urban renewal”: that pathetic time in the 1960s when vast stretches of this remarkable multi-lingual and...Read more
Scott County's Vintage Postcards” includes many of the penny postcards that were produced to show off local scenes and people around 1900...Read more
