Archive for the ‘Post Card’ Category

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of Post Card, then you should take a look at the following information. This enlightening article presents some of the latest news on the subject of Post Card.

Are we there yet? Everyone remembers those long family vacations which inadvertently someone asked that question. Family after family has stumbled across the unexpected treasures and comical gems that comprise America’s tourist traps. Decade after decade families have used souvenir postcards to share their discoveries with friends and family. Destinations like national parks, world’s fairs and scenic wonders, along with side attractions from Indian teepees to alligator farms. They have all been commemorated on postcards now beloved by collectors.

Many of the cards reflect on travel and tourism in this country and are especially intriguing if the travelers who bought them had a flexible schedule and allowed themselves to be drawn off the road to see something special.
The attraction could have been a cave, a wood carver, a dinosaur park or maple syrup farm where they have the opportunity to watch the making of the sap to the syrup.

Or maybe it was cars driving through tunnels cut in big trees in the West Coast forests. These postcards may indicate an environmental unawareness on the part of the average motorist of the time but some of them give a glimpse into the evolution of American cars. They show the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s models going through the same tree. The earliest card is dated 1915.

If you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Make sure you get the whole Post Card story from informed sources.

Of course states, towns and cities have long used postcards to advertise themselves. A lot of the time in the most creative, colorful and amusing ways. An entire genre of cards featuring gigantic produce, fish and animals to boast of a region’s greatness has augmented the nations store of folk humor since the beginning of the century.
Years ago, magazines and newspapers used few illustrations and small town publications did not use any before about 1915. There was no radio or TV and few telephones so postcards filled that void. The album of postcards was the mainstay of the parlor. A great find for any collector today would be to uncover someone’s grandma’s postcard album in a trunk up in the attic.

Major disasters such as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake were popular subjects for postcards. Tourists collected and sent them to the folks back home to let them know what had happened.

While traveling it was easy for you to get a card and a one-cent stamp and then write a note to your family to let them know you had arrived safely and that would put your loved ones at ease. A picture was worth the a thousand words and postcards were popular with people who were not particularly literate. The diversity of the postcards found along the journey proves traveling the roads of America was quite an adventure which still brings much delight today to the beginner and most advid collectors.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson (Click on the link to learn more about me)

Always remember first, because old post card collecting is such an expansive subject, there are few experts. That puts you in the middle of the runners before you’ve even started the race. Secondly, remember there are millions of cards out there on virtually every subject. Many have been priced in a hurry and without knowledge. They show up at all the same flea markets, garage sales, shops and auctions you go to. You can have fun collecting old post cards perhaps even make money in the hobby. Begin by understanding because there’s such a wide variety of postcards that they are collected and valued by category. Here’s a few postcard categories much sought after by collectors. It’s easy to understand why. Price averages are for early cards in good condition.

1. Artist Signed - Just as you’d be proud to hang a signed painting by Howard Chandler Christy, Thomas Kinkade, Kate Greenaway or Frederick Remington, so we should with singed postcards. Less famous of course, but equally prized postcard artists signed by Rose O’Neil, Charles Twelvetrees and many others can be recognized by their talent. Appraise postcards as you appraise art.

2. Mechanical and Hold up to the Light- People love gadgets. Occasionally, an old postcard is found with moving parts or a special message revealed when held up to light or even heat. Other varieties of Novelty cards are also collected.

3. Advertising - These cards draw the collectors: Coca-Cola, S & H Green Stamps, International Harvester, Bell Telephone, Expo’s and Fairs, etc.. Interesting small business ads like, “Dr. Keating’s Wooden Legs,” are also coveted.

4. Pioneer - Rare early Souvenir, Mail or Correspondence Cards with US Postal markings dating from 1861 to May 19, 1898.

Most of this information comes straight from the Post Card pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you’ll know what they know.

5. View Cards - A majority of cards published in the United States are view or picture cards. Most valued are pre W.W.I cards with real brown-shaded sepia photos.
Later to come would be the color photo prints. Interesting shots are much more valuable than boring ones but then again that is in the eye of the beholder. What kind of views are interesting? Famous people, early aviation, trains & depots, Indians, disaster scenes, occupational and bird’s-eye-views, etc..

6. Holiday Post Cards - Halloween, Thanksgiving, 4th of July and Saint Patrick’s Day cards were not produced in great numbers like Christmas Cards. Christmas Cards are still very valuable especially if the picture is of an old fashioned Saint Nick in a coat of green, blue, or white compared with what is common today.

7. Political Cards - Like advertising postcards, political cards bring a new category of collector into the market. One card featuring Uncle Sam scolding a baseball uniformed Teddy Roosevelt for having already batting twice would definitely attract collectors.

8. By Manufacturer - Rapheal Tuck and Sons are probably most famous. Early examples have a tiny easel in the corner on the picture side. Later cards will have Tuck’s name or that of his brands: Oilette, Charmette, Raphotype, Rapholette, and Aquarette.

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.

About the Author
Check out Anders Eriksson’s latest articles: Travel To Exotic Places and Make Money With Adsense

When you think about Post Card, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Post Card are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

As your collection begins to increase in size the inevitable question of where and how to keep them crops up. The method you choose will ultimately depend on what you want from your collection. Do you, for instance, want it to look like an original Edwardian collection filled with Aunties cards from the attic? Then original albums with their decorated front covers are for you. Maybe you’d like to display your cards with a write up about them close at hand? In cases like this it would probably be best to make your own albums from ring files, cardboard sheets and photo corners, thus giving you the opportunity to include the write up with interleaving for added protection.

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.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of Post Card is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about Post Card.

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.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you’ll be glad you took the time to learn more about Post Card.

About the Author
Check out Anders Eriksson’s latest creations: Online Marketing Succes and Make Money With Adsense

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…

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.

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.

Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what’s important about Post Card.

About the Author
Anders Eriksson hands out nice gifts on these topics to all visitors: free adsense ebook and free adsense sites

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.

See how much you can learn about Post Card when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don’t miss out on the rest of this great information.

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.