Why use a postcard? Why not a regular size piece of paper? You can certainly fit more information on it! Postcards have many uses and they are not only used to write to a loved one or a friend from their vacation destination. They can also be used to see a distant place that someone would desire to go to. Postcards, can be used as advertisement or just to stick on your fridge and dream!.Postcards can be a means to simply say Hi to personalize and simplify life in our hectic sms and e-mail world.

With the invention of the automobile tourism soared. People used postcards to show where all they had been on their travels. With cars, people began to vacation in numbers like never before using new streets that were developed. Postcards of an early-developed street and what many streets of the time looked like were quite popular especially for those that couldn’t afford the luxury of a car. Before postcards were developed, many tourists would have used a gazetteer. A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary containing any landmarks or specific attractions of the place a person is going. People would tend to look at a gazetteer before of after they went on vacation to see what they were going to see or what they missed.

Postcards also serve as advertising functions. As stated before, a tropical island can be shown on a postcard, and automatically anyone who looks at it usually wants to go. Advertising could have been as simple as just putting pictures of beaches to attract tourists. Even if one’s vacation was dreary and filled with disappointment, postcards still portray the beauty of the vacation spot. Postcards at one time were quite posh and reserved “bragging rights” at the local get together.

I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

Architecture is another aspect of why people collect postcards. Buildings today have changed from those of the past which you could see using these architectural postcards. Also, you could use architectural postcards to see if any important people of the day lived in a certain town Historical buildings are an important factor to find out about different jobs or businesses of the time.

Improvement of education is another aspect where postcards can be used. You can take a postcard of a school from fifty years ago and compare it to a picture of a school and see the major improvements to show your students. Postcards are a great source for any historical information needed.
Postcards have been used as propaganda during war times. For instance Uncle Sam may have been used trying to persuade people to get involved in the war efforts. As for politics, postcards were used to show who was running and to tell people who to vote for.

Many people think that postcards are just something that gets sent to friends when they go on vacation and although this is true, one can see there are a number of other reasons. The most common people who would use postcards today would be historians and postcard collectors. Historians would use postcards to learn more about cultures and lifestyles of the past. For example, comparing the dress of people or the crowded streets of a certain city. Individuals who collect postcards may do it as a pastime or they may be interested in social history as well..

Is there really any information about Post Card that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

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PIONEER ERA (1889-1898)

This era began when vendors and exhibitors at the French Exposition in France (1889) started selling picture postcards. They gained much popularity and helped keep postcards in circulation. They are scarce today and have combinations of the following distinctions:

Undivided backs (no line dividing address and message) Does not say “Authorized by Act of Congress” in byline. If American, they have a Grant or Jefferson head stamp, most are multiple view cards postage rate, if listed, will be 2 cents. It is usually called Mail Card or Souvenir Card mostly used in larger Eastern cities/

PRIVATE MAILING CARD ERA (1898-1901)

As of May 19, 1898, government gave private printers permission to both sell and print postcards inscribed with the words “Private Mailing Card.” (Abbreviated today as PMCs). Many Pioneer Era cards were reprinted as PMCs. Postcards of this era have undivided backs as well. You were still not able to write on the back of the Post Card forcing people to write on the front. During this period around 1900, Real Photo postcards (RPs, postcards on film stock: i.e. pictures) began to come into use. These early real photo images were mainly advertisements.

If you don’t have accurate details regarding Post Card, then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don’t let that happen: keep reading.

In 1898 postage required for mailing a postcard was reduced from 2 cents to 1 cent.

UNDIVIDED BACK ERA (1901-1907)

As of December 24, 1901, printers were allowed to use “Post Card” on the backs of their cards. All of these cards had undivided backs (Writing was still not permitted on the address side). For Undivided Back Era postcards, writing on the front is acceptable, not usually decreasing the condition grade of these cards but there are exceptions to every rule. The publishing of printed postcards during this time doubled almost every six months! In addition, European publishers opened offices in the U.S. and imported millions of high-quality postcards. By 1907, European publishers accounted for over 75% of all postcards sold in the U.S. The popularity of lithographed cards caught Eastman-Kodak’s attention as well. His company issued an affordable “Folding Pocket Kodak” camera around 1906. This enabled the mass public to take black & white photographs and have them printed directly onto paper with postcard backs. Various other models of

Kodak “postcard” cameras followed resulting in an explosion in the real photo postcard era. These cameras shared two unique features: their negatives were postcard size (the major reason why so many of these images are so clear) and they had a small thin door at the back that, when lifted, enabled the photographer to write an identifying caption or comment on the negative itself with an attached metal scribe. Also interesting to note is at the end of this period in time, the picture postcard hobby became the greatest collectible hobby that the world has ever known and still today is one of the most desired collectibles. The official figures from the U.S. Post Office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1908, cite 677,777,798 postcards were mailed. That was at a time when the total population of the U.S. was 88,700,000. That is an amazing piece of American trivia!

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in Post Card. When people start looking for more information about Post Card, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.

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There are many varying factors in what makes postcards valuable. Some of them are age and condition, subject matter, photo vs. printed, and even the postmark. Postcards are collected for thousands of reasons. Some are topical like Christmas cards, cards featuring Santa, Valentines, Halloween, Black related, alligators, etc… and others are topographical which are regional images, state views, buildings, your hometown, etc… There are plenty of cards out there to fit any interest varying in price from ten cents to thousands of dollars.

Obviously the older cards are make them more desirable to a lot of postcard collectors but even cards printed as recently as yesterday are collected. The first known postcard from what I have found was used in Austria in 1869. Postcards made in the USA before 1907 had an un-divided back and the only thing that could be written on the backside of the card was the address. The front of the card usually had a smaller image or design which didn’t take up the entire card or left an end open for a short message. After 1907 the back of the card was divided into two sides, one for the address and the other side for the message. Real photo cards seem to be most common from around 1910 through the early 1950s. Linen postcards were introduced in the 1930s during the Depression and were still able to be used into the early 1950s. Chrome cards, sometimes called photochrome made their appearance in the late 1940s and are usually the type of card you would find today. A number of these somewhat “modern cards” showing diners, roadside attractions such as tourist camps, motels and tourist traps have become very popular in the last decade for collectors. If you live in a metropolitan area you might have the opportunity to pick up rack cards. These cards can also be purchased at a postcard show or from dealers and are usually, but not always, fairly inexpensive…

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

The better shape the card is in certainly affects its value. Creases, folds, tears, soiling dirt which is postmark bleed through and water damage can lower the value of a card. When dealing with a real photo postcard the sharpness, contrast, exposure under or over exposed can also effect the graded condition and overall value of the card.

Also certain types of subject matter are more desirable to many collectors. State Views ie Main Street Scenes, Interior Views, Occupational and Railroad images (trains, depots, etc..) are probably some of the more expensive to find and aquire. When it comes to the greetings postcards the most popular are Halloween, full sized Santas, July 4th and Art Nouveau. There are many others and of course everybody has different interest and likes. People collect all kinds of cards for all different reasons. Of course rarity always come into play with collectibles even postcards! Purchasing a postcard value book can come in very handy if you are serious about your collecting.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of Post Card. Share your new understanding about Post Card with others. They’ll thank you for it.

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The tradition to send Easter postcards to relatives and friends developed in the end of the 19th century. During the year 1898 there were only a few Easter cards sent but the amount of sent Easter cards raised in the following years worldwide. Soon it was courteous and polite to send Easter postcards. In the beginning, monochrome as well as colored cards were printed. Most of the time in the center of the cards was an oversized colored egg. In the first years of the Easter postcards often a part of the front side was empty. This was the space for the greetings of the sender because the post-order only allowed the address and the stamp on the back side. Because of that, the artist creativity was hindered and precious illustrations were deformed. In 1905 the post in Austria and Germany separated the back side of the cards in two halves. The right half served as before for the address and the stamp and the other one was the new space for the message. 1906 this was officially allowed by the world-post-congress in Rome.

In the years around 1910 on the cards were mainly monochrome pictures which were sometimes colored with children in the context with lambs, chickens, ducks and eggs. Young girls were a symbol for luck and hope. The Easter bunny which was a personified symbol of fruitfulness was often portrayed with eggs. German publishers were leading in the production of Easter postcards before the first world war.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and Post Card experts is time. If you’ll invest a little more time in reading, you’ll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to Post Card.

During the time of the first world war the children were replaced through soldiers and a military appearance of the Easter bunny was quite common. After the first world war, photos were not the foundation for Easter postcards anymore but drawn colorful Easter sketches. At this time a very popular motive was Jesus in the open countryside surrounded by sheep. Also cards with flowers were sent very often too such as the Easter lily. In the time of prosperity during 1898 and 1918 the basis of the cards was chromolithography. There reveal very impressive cards with silver, gold and relief-stamping.

A huge reduction of sent Easter postcards occurred through the second world war. After the war, the amount of sent cards raised slowly but in the last ten years it fell rapidly because of the competition with telephony and e-mail. Easter postcards are still sent today but not with the fervor of the greeting card. The collection of the Easter postcard is quite collectible and not so easy to find.

This article’s coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.

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As of March 1, 1907, the divided back postcard came into circulation. They quickly became more popular because they allowed senders to write the address and the message on the back of the card. The address had to be written on the right side of the back of the postcard while the left side was reserved for writing messages. Postcards from this period are most collectible when they do not have writing on the front. At this time in American history the postcard hobby became a huge public addiction. Publishers printed millions of cards in this era. Most postcards were printed in Germany which was the world leader in lithographic processes. At the height of the countrywide postcard hunger, WWI caused a crash in the hobby. The advent of WWI caused the supply of postcards from Germany to end. Poorer quality postcards came from English and U.S. publishers. The lower quality of printed postcards, recurrent influenza epidemics, and WWI war shortages killed the American postcard hobby. During the war years, the telephone replaced the postcard as a fast, reliable, means to keep in touch.

WHITE BORDER ERA (1915-1930)

When imports from Germany ceased in the first World War, the U.S. began printing postcards to fill the void. Unfortunately, this also ended the “Golden Age” of postcards. After WWI, the German publishing industry was never rebuilt. Other European publishers were forced out of the U.S. market by high tariff rates. Most locally available postcards were printed by U.S. publishers during this period. On view postcards, to save ink, a white border was left around the view, and that is why we call them “White Border” postcards. The higher costs of post-war publishing combined with inexperienced labor caused production of poorer quality cards. Movies, as they were, replaced postcards as a visual experience. Higher competition in a rapidly narrowing market caused many publishers to go out of business. On the other hand, real photo postcard publishers enjoyed great success. Various types of rotary drum negative imprints allowed runs of thousands of postcards of a particular image. Roadside postcard racks contained a great variety of these images.

LINEN ERA (1930-1945)

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Post Card now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

In the 1930s, postcard printing in the United States improved. Publishers began using linen-like paper with a high rag content. These types of cards are very popular with collectors today. Of particular interest are Roadside America, Blacks, Comics and Advertising genres.

New American printing processes allowed printing on postcards with a high rag content. This was a marked improvement over the White Border postcard. The rag content also gave these postcards a textured feel to them. They were also cheaper to produce and allowed the use of bright dyes for image coloring. They proved to be extremely popular with raodside establishments seeking cheap advertising. Linen postcards document every step along the way of the building of America’s highway infra-structure. Most notable among the early linen publishers was the firm of Curt Teich. The majority of linen postcard production ended around 1939 with the advent of the color chrome postcard. However, a few linen firms, mainly southern, published well into the late 1950s. Real photo publishers of black & white images continued to have success.

Faster reproducing equipment and lowering costs led to an explosion of real photo mass produced postcards. Once again a war interfered with the postcard industry (WWII). During the war, shortages and a need for military personnel forced many postcard companies to reprint older views when printing material was available.

There’s a lot to understand about Post Card. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

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Advanced collectors of topographical views tend to eventually find themselves in the pursuit of real photo postcards over printed cards. This is mostly due to the image quality and detailed contained in the photo. If you were collecting views from your hometown you might collect any and every card you could find no matter what. They all take on personal meaning to you. A real photo postcards is just that.. an actual photograph and not a printed lithograph. Although generally more expensive they are more detailed then printed views and can often be an extra special find since they could show buildings, homes, people and sometimes even towns that no longer exist. That is quite an exciting find! Many Historians and Preservationists have focused on acquiring photo postcards as they are wonderful historical documents. In 1903 Kodak introduced the No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak. This was Kodak’s first “postcard” camera.

This allowed the amateur photographer to produce their own photo postcards. You could take a photo of anything you wanted and send your photograph with a bit of correspondence on the back anywhere throughout the world. These views are often one of a kind. There were also many commercially produced cards by local or itinerant photographers that would take photographs of their regional areas and sell the cards wholesale to the local druggist or a store owner who then resold the cards to their clientele that visited their establishment. Usually these views were of Main Street or important buildings, such as the courthouse, bank, school, churches and even some of the prominent homes in an area. If a business owner did commission a photographer for some work he might end up sending the image to Germany where printed litho cards would then be produced. This was the case up until the first World War when the cards were then printed in the US Unused photo postcards can often be dated by the stamp box on the photo paper.

The information about Post Card presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about Post Card or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

Some of the most interesting real photo cards are sometimes called the “boring” postcards. A boring postcard is one you’d respond to by saying, “Now why would anyone want a postcard of that?”

Remember staying in the Howard Johnson’s as a child and standing at the front desk looking at all the postcards? The boring postcards were pictures of the rooms with the orange bed spread and “pleather” white headboards. The view of the pool in Sparta Tn. Holiday Inn, road signs, concrete dams, highways under construction, elementary schools, picture of eggs and bacon from an obscure diner on some off the road place.

There is even a book out called “Boring Postcards. There is a German title, “Langweilige Postkarten” that is even more evocative. It’s a collection of meticulously grouped, carefully reproduced… boring postcards. Yet the parade of gas stations, diners, shopping malls, motorways, airports, and other extremely un-photogenic subjects often photographed without even one bit of ambition, when presented as a collection, is incredibly funny.

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Post card collectors or more formally deltiologists, generally collect post cards for the view, subject depicted, topic, artist, publisher, photographer or any of hundreds of reasons relating to the front view of the post card. They are very much intrigued by the uniqueness and the view of a much simpler time in history.

The postal historian avidly seeks post cards for the stamp use, postmarks and postal markings, destinations and all the things related to the mailing or sending of the post card. Most of this information is generally found on the back of the card and the historian is unconcerned with the view or front of the card. This doesn’t interest him at all.
The philatelist collects the card for the stamp used on a post card and the way the stamp is canceled. This is closely related in some ways for to the reasons a postal historian would collect post cards and maybe even for the same reason.
It does get a little touchy when trying to separate the differences between the postal historian and the philatelist. Postal history and philately have crossed over blurred lines since stamp collecting began. Generally a philatelist is concerned how a stamp is used, condition of the stamp and the way it is canceled. A cancel is the method of obliterating the stamp to prevent reuse.

A postal historian collects for the way a stamp is used and postmarked. A postmark is the way to determine the place and date the post card was sent from although postmarks are often used as cancellations.
So a deltiologist, or post card collector, collects because of the front of the card and information relating to the image on the card and in many cases prefers a pristine mint card. The postal historian, or cover collector, collects post cards for reasons on the back of the card and prefers a postal used post card. The philatelist, or stamp collector, collects the post card for the stamp on a used card.

You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Post Card. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

A postal historian will sometimes use collateral material for exhibiting in their albums, displays or at competitive exhibitions. In addition, a real photo town view, especially of a “ghost” town, will be used as collateral along with a postmark from that town. This forms a pleasing combination for many postal historians. What is even better is when the town view is postmarked in the same town as in the view. This is an awesome find!

The deltiologist will also use a postmark as a crossover especially when their collecting cards from Worlds Fair and Expositions. The postmark from these special post offices can add great value to a post card and prove that it was purchased at the sight of the fair or exposition. These are also sought after items for the postal historian.
It makes no difference whether you collect post cards as a deltiologist, a postal historian or philatelist, the field is wide open. Collect what you like and how you like to collect! You can find them everywhere especially in old attics, garage sales and flea markets, antique shops and stamp shops, gas stations and hotels. Collecting Post Cards is a great hobby and one that can be passed on from generation to generation to share your past travels, interests and history with your family.

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Tinselling

Tinselling of postcards was a common practice and one frequently used by dealers to enhance the sales of slow-moving stock. The lines on the view selected for highlighting were drawn on with a steel pen dispensing a special tinselling glue. Tinsel, mica, diamond dust, small transparent beads or finely ground glitter was taken from a special jewelling outfit, shaken on the postcard and the residue blown away. In 1907 the Canadian Post Office Department briefly prohibited their transmission in the mail because of the damage they were causing to electric stamping machines in use at city post offices.

Vignette

Vignette is the name given to the style of finish in which the background of the image or a portion of it appears to fade away gradually into the paper.

Bookmark

The Rotary Photographic Co. of London, England established in 1901, was a huge publisher of real photo postcards. One of their unique novelty postcards was a 1 3/4″ x 5 1/2″ photo series of bookmark cards. Most seem to have been posted in the 1903-04 period. Pugh Manufacturing Co. and Rumsey & Co., both of Toronto, published in 1910-11 a similar novelty postcard, 1 1/4″ x 5 1/2″, with the name Book Post Card. The cards were printed in England, probably by Rotary Photographic. Rumsey & Co. published a number of Hamilton subjects. To date no Hamilton subjects by Pugh Manufacturing have been seen.

Deckle Edge

The deckle edge postcard was die-cut to give a wavy or uneven edge. Most of the examples seen are chrome postcards of relatively recent date.

If your Post Card facts are out-of-date, how will that affect your actions and decisions? Make certain you don’t let important Post Card information slip by you.

Embossed Printing

In embossed printing, the letters or illustrations in part or in whole are in prominence. Heavily embossed cards because of the indentation on the back caused problems. The problems this caused when addressing the card or writing the message required a separate backing.

Felt Pennant Applique

The pennant postcard was a stock card carried by a publisher which could be imprinted with a town or city name on request. In this case felt fabric has been cut in a pennant shape and printed with the city name then glued to the postcard. A number of felt pennant applique postcards were published by K.&T., an American firm. Later to come there was an even more elaborate design combining the felt pennant with a photo insert then embossing and airbrushing.

Foil Pennant Applique

One of the more elaborate mail novelties seen was produced by Valentine and Sons’ Publishing Co. about 1917. It has an applique pennant of ribbed blue foil printed with the city name over which a circular real photo view has been attached.

Gelatine Film

Some postcards were treated with a film of gelatin which is a varnish-like coating that produced a glossy surface. Unfortunately the coating was brittle and the surface had a tendency to crack. The cards also tended to curl and the gelatine coating peeled back at the corners.

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PHOTOCHROME ERA (1939 to present)

Photochromes (also known as Modern Chromes) first came into being in 1939. Their colors were particularly appealing to collectors. The famous movie, The Wizard of Oz, affirmed America’s love for color images. These “Chrome” postcards started to dominate the scene soon after they were launched by the Union Oil Company in their western service stations in 1939. They were easily produced, of high photo quality and most importantly, they were in color. Their spread was momentarily slowed down during WWII due to supply shortages, but they replaced both linen and black & white postcards by 1945 in the roadside postcard racks. Linen firms converted to photochrome postcards or went out of business. Black and white postcard firms merged with larger companies or disappeared completely.

REAL PHOTO POSTCARDS (1900 to present)

Real Photo Postcards were used as early as 1900. They can be particularly difficult to date unless they have a postmark or a date from the photographer. They must be carefully examined to ensure they are not reproductions which can be a problem.
There is much confusion on what “Real Photo” postcards are and how to identify them. Real Photo postcards are reproduced photographs developed onto photographic paper. With the size and weight of postcards with a postcard back. There are many postcards that reproduce photos by various printing methods that aren’t “real photos.” Instead are the same methods used to reproduce photos in magazines and newspapers. The best way to tell the difference is to look at the postcard with a magnifying glass. If the photo is printed you will see that it is made up of a lot of little dots, the same as a photo printed in a newspaper. A “real photo” postcard is solid, no dots.

It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Post Card. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

Helpful Hint: Most real photo postcards have identifying marks on the back usually in the stampbox corner, that identifies the manufacturer of the photographic paper. You can approximate the age of the Real Photo by knowing when the paper manufacturer was in business

ART DECO ERA (1910 to early ’30s)

Art Decos are known mainly for their vibrant colors. Art Deco is usually concerned with things of the past including pictures done by the ancient Greeks. Also copies with a twist of Middle Eastern subjects, variations on Egyptian artifacts, a natural extension of Art Nouveau and a whole variety of other influences not so directly related. They often depict pretty ladies in fancy clothes vogue style. Also of note are the sharp angles and straight lines. They have gained in popularity over the years and now have a very strong following.
The Art Deco period began around 1900 and ended around 1930. If in fact it ever did have an ending. At least however, this is the period during which the greatest volume of work was produced. What finally ended the movement? Most likely it suffered an untimely demise due to the financial crash of 1929 plus a worldwide depression. Then the second World War interrupted any recovery

Sometimes it’s tough to sort out all the details related to this subject, but I’m positive you’ll have no trouble making sense of the information presented above.

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However, for the vast majority of collectors the main alternatives are either albums or postcard boxes. Old albums designed in the Edwardian era for the first collectors to keep their cards are certainly very attractive and will give your collection a period feel. They are often hard to find though and their pages so fragile that taking cards in and out tears the slots into which the corners of the postcard are fitted. This taking in and out can also damage the cards as well. Also another disadvantage of original albums is that the reverse of the card is not visible. Often the message is as interesting as the image and it is nice to be able to see it without having to remove the card. Luckily you need not be concerned as there are many types of modern albums available. These vary in size from two, four or six cards per page. The pages are plastic leaves and the cards slide into a pre-made slot. They are designed for either horizontal or vertical cards so check the make up of the album and your collection before you buy. Also make sure that the plastic used is acid free as there is some concern about the long term affects of keeping cards in albums where non acid-free plastic has been used. One of the many advantages of this type of album is that once it’s full additional pages can be purchased at a relatively small cost. In addition white cards could be added to adjoining pockets to display any write up you may wish. Your collection will look impressive to everyone you show it to without the need to handle the cards.

The more authentic information about Post Card you know, the more likely people are to consider you a Post Card expert. Read on for even more Post Card facts that you can share.

Another way to house your cards is either in a shoe box or a specially made postcard box which can hold between 400 and 500 cards. If you decide on this method of storage you should consider to use one of the many types of individual paper or plastic envelopes available so that each of your cards can be protected against damage and continual handling. Handling is after all one of the joys of postcards. Also, if your collection falls under different headings dividers can be used to separate them.
Finally, if you need to carry cards with you when you visit fairs etc. to show dealers the type of card you are looking for, small wallets are available that hold about twenty cards and fit into most pockets! Where do you buy all there various accessories? The answer couldn’t be simpler. You will find them on sale at most large postcard fairs or of course the internet.

This article’s coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.

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