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About Vintage Postcards
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.
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Upcoming Events
- Twin City Postcard Club Annual Spring Show
Apr 10–11. St Paul, MN. - Connecticut Postcard Club 29th Annual Spring Show
Apr 18. North Haven, CT. - Webfooters Post Card Club 30th Annual Antique Paper Show and Sale
Apr 17–18. Portland, OR.
Interviews & Articles
An Interview With Metropolitan Museum Curator Jeff Rosenheim On The Postcard Collection Of Walker Evans
In 1994, I had the great pleasure of acquiring the complete archive of Walker Evans for the Metropolitan Museum. Th… [more]
An Interview With Vintage Postcard Collector Ann Waidelich
I worked for 35 years as a reference librarian with the Madison Public Library and I just got interested in Madison… [more]
An Interview With Postcard Collector Andreas Praefcke
Andreas Praefcke (Ravensburg, Germany) collects postcards of old and new theatre buildings worldwide. His complete … [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
U. Delaware Postcard Collection
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]
Carthalia
Andreas Praefcke's postcard collection of theatres and concert halls worldwide. Showcases 3700 images of over 1810 … [read review or visit site]
Digital Past
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]
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]
Tall Tale Postcards
Don't let this one get away from you. This 'unbelievable' collection, from the Wisconsin Historical Society, featur… [read review or visit site]
Old Tokyo
This beautiful site features a collection of tinted postcards, woodblock prints, and early maps of Tokyo. The image… [read review or visit site]
Postcardy.com
Lynne Appel's reference site contains useful information for postcard collectors such as such as a Postcard Collect… [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Clubs & Associations: Postcards
Other Great Reference Sites: Postcards
- Motelpostcards.com
- Playle.com Deltiology Pages
- Dorothy's Woolsworth Postcards
- Emotionscards.com History of Postcards
- About Postcards Blog
- Old Bahamas in Photos and Postcards
Are we missing one? Tell us.
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Recent News: Postcards
Source: Google News
Finding motivated buyer for your postcards is key
Arizona Daily Star, March 21stA Florida site, www.vintagepostcards.com, buys and sells postcards. Local postcard clubs have shows where the public can buy and sell...Read more
Watertown museum hosts 'Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago'
Watertown TAB & Press, March 19thKöker originally intended to write a book about Armenian life in the Ottoman Empire, but with the discovery of the postcard collection, the scope of the...Read more
'SEW FOR FUN' OFFERS FREE ART PROJECTS IN MARCH
Fitchburg pride, March 18thThis special program will feature guest speaker Peter Capodagli presenting an extensive Historic Fitchburg postcard collection. Free...Read more
A look back in time with free historic photographs of Ireland
Irish Central, March 17thSince then, the library staff have added another 12000 photographs from the Eason postcard collection, Stereo Pair, Clarke, Tempest and Keogh...Read more
Student Spotlight: Jared Welle
The Dieline (blog), March 16thTherefore I incorporated vintage postcard imagery and road sign iconography into the design of the catalog, bags, hangtags, and boxes...Read more
Newly released books with local ties include 'Kiss'em Goodbye' and 'Out of Body'
Seattle Times, March 15thA photo-history of the Washington state capital, featuring more than 200 vintage postcard images. "In for a Penny" by Rose Lerner (Leisure Books/Dorchester,...Read more
Events in Connecticut
New York Times, March 12thWATERBURY Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center “Our Beautiful City: Vintage Postcards and Photographs of Waterbury.” Through May 30...Read more
Books as Art: David Montgomery's Travelogues
Baltimore Sun (blog), March 12thHe says his Travelogues "are constructed of wood and plastic, with resin miniature books and birds, and a vintage postcard as the interior image...Read more