What to do with unused postcards?
How to sell old postcards
- Step 1 – Store your postcards properly. …
- Step 2 – Research the value of your cards. …
- Step 3 – Visit vintage markets & postcard fairs. …
- Step 4 – Trade with a postcard dealer. …
- Step 5 – List your items on eBay. …
- Step 6 – Offer postcards for sale at auction. …
- Step 7 – Sell to an auction house outright.
Then, Are unused postcards more valuable?
All unused postcards have some value. However, an unused one would be of more value to a deltiologist more so than a philatelist or postal historian due to lacking a postmark and / or stamp(s).
What is a postcard collector called?
Deltiologists, as postcard collectors are called, collect for a variety of reasons. Some are attracted to the postcards themselves, then narrow down their interests.
What is a vintage postcard?
Vintage postcards, in particular, offer a unique glimpse of the past. The hobby of collecting postcards is so popular that it even has its own word: deltiology, the study and collection of postcards.
How do you date a vintage postcard?
17-18), postcard size can also be a clue. Ø If the card is old and is larger than 3.5 by 5.5 inches, it may date from before 1898. Ø If the card is old and is slightly smaller than 3.5 by 5.5 inches, it may date from 1898-1902. Ø If the card measures 3.5 by 5.5 inches, it was probably made between 1902 and 1970.
What is the most valuable postcard?
Age. The oldest known picture postcard sold in 2002 at the London Stamp Exchange auction for just under $50,000 dollars. Posted in 1840, the postcard’s value lay in its significant age, as well as the fact that it was among the earliest cards printed and mailed.
What makes an old postcard valuable?
Rarity. As with all antique items, rarity brings up the value of postcards. If only a few of the cards were printed or only a small number have survived the ages, your card may be very valuable. However, rarity goes hand-in-hand with other characteristics; if only a single card was printed, that makes it rare.
Are old birthday cards worth anything?
Most vintage greeting cards aren’t worth a lot of money, at least individually. But designers, crafters and artists often like to use the images in scrapbooking, decoupage and other applications – or simply for inspiration. They prefer to buy quantities of vintage cards.
Are leather postcards worth anything?
Most leather postcards are not valuable. The sale prices for individual cards were low on eBay, and many were not selling. Some large lots were selling for $50 and more. A retail site was selling them for $5 each.
What is a lithograph postcard?
A magnified photo-lithograph shows a series of dots, produced by separating the image into light and dark areas or different colors with screens. Extremely fine screens could produce a very sharp image. A lithographic postcard might have up to 10 colors due to multiple passes through the press.
What is a hand colored postcard?
“HAND-PAINTED” POSTCARDS
The latter describes a regular printed item being coloured by hand with or without the use of stencils, airbrush etc.
How do you tell the age of a postcard?
If the postcard is used, the most check the date on the postmark. However, there are many postcards that were never mailed or that a part of the post mark is illegible or soiled.
How can you tell if a postcard is linen?
Following the date was the card’s ID number, which was always preceded by the letter H if the card was linen. Linen postcards were printed in the United States from the 1930s until the 1950s.
When was the golden age of postcards?
These changes to the backs of postcards ushered in the Divided Back Period, which spans from 1907 until 1915. The Divided Back Period is also known as the “Golden Age of Postcards,” due to the vast popularity of postcards during this time period.
Why do people collect postcard?
Why Collect Postcards? Nostalgia is one of the main reasons people collect postcards: pictures and stories on cards are often associated with memories from their own past. Others collect postcards with photos or drawings from certain times or places for historical value.
How do you start collecting postcards?
Visit antique stores, flea markets, garage and yard sales, secondhand bookstores and other similar stores for older postcards. Auction houses may also sell postcards, and if you’re after someone’s existing collection, an auction house or an art or vintage collectibles auction are good places to start.
What is a linen postcard?
Linen postcards were printed in the United States from the 1930s until the 1950s. Contrary to their descriptive name, linen postcards were not made out of linen, which is derived from flax, but they did have a high rag content, which means the paper contained a certain amount of cotton fiber.
What is a pioneer postcard?
1873-1897. Pioneer is a general term applied to postcards manufactured in the United States before the appearance of Private Mail Cards. These cards were instrumental in creating and expanding the growth of the postcard industry.
Is there a postcard museum?
Welcome to the Chicago Postcard Museum. Welcome to the Chicago Postcard Museum. You are about to enter a fascinating exhibition of rare, antique, vintage, contemporary and novelty Chicago postcards. There is approximately 15% of the Museum’s postcard collection currently online.
Are old Christmas postcards worth anything?
“All of the holidays have gotten more popular in collecting,” she tells GoodHousekeeping.com. “And the most popular one obviously is Christmas.” Vintage cards in good condition can fetch about $10 to $50 apiece, she says, but particularly valuable ones can shoot up into the three- or even four-figure range.
Does anyone buy vintage greeting cards?
Old greeting cards sell for fairly good money, and again they don’t have to be “antique” to qualify. Here’s the really oddball part though, they don’t need to be mint or unused to sell. People will buy used vintage greeting cards for good money. Take a look on eBay under Collectibles > Paper > Vintage Greeting Cards >.
Does anybody collect old Christmas cards?
Christmas cards can be widely recycled via household recycling collections in the UK, so for now, our advice is that you should recycle Christmas cards in your household recycling collection.
How do you tell if a postcard is a real photo?
Real photo postcards are postcards with genuine photographic images on the front. They are actual photographs on photopaper, but designed to be mailed and have letters written on the back. As with all photographs, if you examine the images under strong magnification the you’ll see no dot or other printed ink patterns.
How do you tell if a postcard is a reproduction?
Signs of a Reproduction:
- Print that comes off with an eraser.
- Postcard backs with color or print “ghosts” from another card.
- Bright or neon colors.
- Misaligned or cut off portions of stamp areas.
- RPPC with printing dots.
- Purportedly antique postcards in mint condition should raise a flag of caution.
What is a DB postcard?
Divided Back (DB) – A postcard back with a center line to divide the address from the message. Divided backs appeared in 1902 in England, 1904 in France, 1905 in Germany, and 1907 in the US. This helps to date unused postcards. Cards before these dates have undivided backs.
