How the catalog is organized
Every card I list on eBay also gets a place in this catalog, and it stays here after it sells. Cards are filed in one of two ways, depending on what they show.
By place. Most old postcards show a real place: a main street, a depot, a mill, a school, a lake or a view of a whole village. Those cards are filed by state, and then by town once a town has its own page. If you're looking for the place where your family lived, or a building you're researching, start with the state.
By subject. Many of the most collected postcards don't show a place at all. Halloween and Christmas greetings, comic cards, artist-signed illustrations, early airplanes and automobiles, animals, patriotic cards and novelty cards are filed by subject instead. Each subject has its own page with the history of that kind of card, the publishers and artists to look for, and the cards I have.
Some cards belong in both worlds. A real photo of a railroad depot is filed under its town, but it also shows up on the depot subject page, with a link back to its home. That way you can browse however you like without seeing the same card twice.
What each card shows
Every card here is described the same way, so you can compare them at a glance.
- Both sides. The front and the back, scanned flat, at a size you can read. The back often matters as much as the front: it carries the publisher, the stamp, the postmark and the message.
- A date with its evidence. Each card is dated from the clues printed on it, such as the back design, the stamp box on a real photo, a publisher's code or a postmark, and the date line says which clue it came from. My guide on how to date an old postcard explains the method.
- The publisher or photographer when the card names one, with any printed code.
- Postal history. Whether the card was mailed, and if so, the stamp and postmark as far as they can be read.
- The message. Where the handwriting can be read, it's typed out. Words that can't be read are marked as illegible rather than guessed.
- Condition in plain words. A grade, and every flaw that can be seen: corners, creases, stains, album marks, toning, writing on the front.
- An item number. The box-and-slot code that tells me exactly where the card sits on my shelves.
Cards that have sold
When a card sells, its entry stays in the catalog, marked as sold. I keep them because the history doesn't stop being useful when the card changes hands. A family historian searching for an ancestor's name, a researcher looking for a picture of a long-gone building, or a collector curious about what a particular publisher printed can still find the card, see both sides, and read the message.
Using the catalog for research
The catalog is free to browse, and you're welcome to use it as a starting point for research. A few suggestions:
- Search the state first. Town names repeat across the country, so start from the state to be sure you're in the right place.
- Read the backs. Postmarks and messages often name people, farms, businesses and neighboring towns. A message can mention a mill, a hotel or a family that a history book never does.
- Check the publisher. Local publishers, such as a town's drugstore or stationer, often printed their own views. A publisher's name can lead to a city directory or newspaper advertisement that dates the card more closely.
- Look at the details. Zoom into the scans. Shop signs, vehicles, telephone poles and building changes can all help date a view or identify a street.
My guides on reading postmarks, real photo postcards and using postcards for family history go into each of these in more depth.
Buying a card you find here
Every card that's still available has a "See it on eBay" button that goes straight to its listing in my store. You buy through eBay, with its usual checkout and buyer protection, and I pack and ship the card myself in a sleeve and a rigid holder or stiff mailer. The where to buy page explains how my listings are organized, from single cards to mixed lots.
Why some places and subjects have their own page
A town or subject gets its own page once there's enough to say about it: the history of the place or the kind of card, and the cards I have from it. Until then, its cards are filed on the broader page above it, a state page for towns, or a category page for subjects. As more cards come in, more towns and subjects get their own pages, so the catalog grows a little every week.
The kinds of cards you'll find
The catalog covers roughly the first sixty years of the American picture postcard, and each era has its own look. Knowing which is which helps you read a listing quickly.
Early cards, before 1907. Private mailing cards and undivided backs, where the whole back was for the address and any message had to squeeze onto the front. They're often printed in soft colors or black and white, and many were printed in Germany.
The golden age, 1907 to about 1915. Divided backs, with room for a message. This is when Americans mailed and collected postcards by the hundreds of millions, and it's the richest period for small-town views and holiday greetings.
White borders, about 1915 to 1930. A white frame around the picture, printed in the years after German printing was cut off by the First World War.
Linens, about 1931 to the early 1950s. Textured paper and bold, bright inks: tourist courts, diners, gas stations, roadside attractions and the famous large-letter "Greetings from" cards. My guide to linen postcards covers them in detail.
Photochromes, 1939 onward. Glossy color photographs, from mid-century main streets to motels and highway stops.
Real photo postcards, throughout. Actual photographs printed on postcard paper, made by local and traveling photographers from about 1903 into the middle of the century. They're often the only surviving pictures of small places, which is why they're at the heart of what I look for.
Subjects collectors look for
Beyond places, these are the subjects that turn up most often in my boxes and in collectors' want lists:
- Holidays. Halloween, Christmas, New Year, Valentine's Day, Easter and Thanksgiving greetings, especially the embossed and artist-signed cards of the early 1900s. See my guide to vintage Halloween postcards.
- Transportation. Early airplanes and airships, automobiles, trains, trolleys, steamboats and ferries.
- Artist-signed cards. Illustrators such as Ellen Clapsaddle and Frances Brundage, whose signatures collectors search for by name. My guide to artist-signed postcards explains what to look for.
- Comic and novelty cards. Humor, exaggeration photographs, hold-to-light cards and cards made of unusual materials.
- People at work and play. Occupations, sports, children, fashion and everyday life.
A note on condition and value
Old postcards vary enormously in value, and not always in the way people expect. Age alone doesn't make a card valuable, and neither does a postmark. Scarcity, subject, condition and demand do. A clear real photo of a small town's main street is usually worth far more than a common view of a famous landmark, even if the landmark card is older. My guide to what makes a postcard valuable walks through the factors, and every card here is priced with them in mind.
How cards get here
Every card in this catalog passes through the same hands, mine. A new box of cards is sorted, filed into a numbered archival box and slot, scanned on both sides, researched, and described before it's listed. That process is slow on purpose: a careful description is the only thing a buyer can rely on when they can't hold the card themselves. If you ever spot a mistake in a description, a misread postmark, a wrong date or a place I've misidentified, I'd be glad to hear about it through my eBay store, and I'll correct it here.
Reading a card entry
Each card entry starts with the caption printed on the card, or a short description if there isn't one, followed by its approximate date. Below the two scans you'll find the eBay button if the card is still available, a short history note when there's something worth knowing about the place or subject, the full description, and a facts table. The table always lists the item number, and it shows the date, type, publisher, postmark and condition whenever the card gives enough evidence for them. If a field is missing, it's because the card doesn't say, not because it was skipped. Where the sender's message can be read, it appears at the end, typed out line by line, with any words I couldn't make out marked as illegible.
Looking for something in particular?
If you're hunting for a specific town, building or subject that isn't here yet, the best approach is to save a search on eBay for it, so you're told when a card appears. New cards are added to the catalog as they're listed, and the newest ones appear on this page first.