Old postcards survive in drawers, attics, albums and dealer boxes, and I'm always looking for more. Some of the best cards come from people who never thought of themselves as collectors: someone clearing a parent's house, a family that kept a great-aunt's album for decades, a dealer retiring from the show circuit.
If you have old postcards you'd like to sell, fill in the form at the bottom of this page. Tell me a little about the cards, add a few photos if you can, and I'll reply by email. There's no cost and no obligation, and you're welcome to ask questions before deciding anything.
What I'm looking for
I look at collections and lots of every size, from a few dozen cards to many thousands. I'm especially interested in:
- Real photo postcards (RPPCs), particularly street scenes, small towns, businesses, interiors, events and people at work.
- Town and city views from the early 1900s through the 1950s: main streets, depots, hotels, schools, mills, churches, parks and bridges.
- Holiday and greeting cards, especially early embossed cards and artist-signed Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's and Easter cards.
- Linen cards of the 1930s and 40s: roadside stops, tourist courts, diners and large-letter "Greetings from" cards.
- Subjects collectors love: early aviation and automobiles, trains, ships, expositions and world's fairs, exaggeration cards, novelty cards, advertising and military cards.
- Albums and scrapbooks that have been kept together for generations.
- Dealer stock and accumulations, sorted or unsorted.
Later cards are welcome too. Even when a collection is mostly common views, there are often a few surprising cards mixed in, and I'd rather look than assume.
How it works
1. Tell me about the cards. Use the form below. A few sentences are plenty: roughly how many cards there are, where they came from, and anything you've noticed about them, such as towns, states, years or kinds of cards.
2. Send a few photos. Photos make a huge difference. They don't need to be perfect; phone photos are fine. See the tips below for what helps most.
3. I'll reply by email. I'll look through what you've sent and get back to you, often with a few questions, and then, when it's a good fit, with an offer. If your cards aren't something I can use, I'll tell you that honestly, and when I can, I'll suggest where else to try.
4. We work out the details together. If you'd like to go ahead, we agree on how the cards will get to me and how you'll be paid. Every collection is a little different, and I'd rather settle those details with you directly than set rules that don't fit your situation.
Photo tips
You don't need to photograph every card. A handful of good photos tells me most of what I need to know.
- Show the whole collection. One photo of the boxes, albums or piles together, so I can see the size.
- Show a sample of fronts. Spread out a dozen or so cards from different parts of the collection, not just the best ones, and photograph them in good light.
- Show a few backs. The back of a card tells me its era, publisher and whether it's a real photo, so two or three backs are very useful.
- Show anything you think is special. If a card or two caught your eye, photograph those on their own.
- Avoid glare. Natural daylight from a window, without flash, works best. Shooting from directly above keeps the cards square.
If you've inherited a collection
Many old postcard collections are passed down through families. A few suggestions, whether or not you end up selling to me:
- Don't take cards out of old albums. Cards glued or slotted into albums can tear if you pull them out, and an intact album can be worth more as a whole. Photograph the pages as they are.
- Don't clean the cards. Erasing, wiping or washing old cards usually does more harm than good. Dirt and age are part of their history, and collectors expect them.
- Keep everything together for now. Before you decide what to keep and what to sell, it helps to see the whole collection in one place. You're of course free to keep any cards with family meaning; just tell me which, and I'll look at the rest.
- Note anything you know. If you know who collected the cards, where they lived or how the collection was put together, write it down. That history can matter to buyers and to family alike.
- Store them safely in the meantime. Keep the cards dry, out of direct sunlight and away from heat. My guide on how to store old postcards explains more.
How I think about value
I can't tell you what your cards are worth before I've seen them, and I won't guess. When I make an offer, it's based on the same things that decide what cards sell for: scarcity, subject, era, condition and demand. A 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 on what makes a postcard valuable explains these factors in detail, and you're welcome to read it before you get in touch.
I'll always be straight with you. If a collection holds something special, I'll tell you. If it's mostly common cards, I'll tell you that too, and you're free to take your time, ask questions or get other opinions.
What happens after you send the form
Your message and photos come straight to me; no one else reads them. I look at every offer myself, usually with the photos enlarged so I can read the backs and the postmarks. If I need to see more, I'll ask for a few specific photos rather than asking you to photograph everything. Once I have a good picture of the collection, I'll either make an offer or tell you plainly that it isn't a fit for me.
If you'd like to think it over, take your time. An offer doesn't expire the moment I send it, and I'd rather you feel comfortable than rushed. If you decide to keep the cards, or to sell them somewhere else, that's completely fine, and there's no need to explain.
Questions sellers ask
Do I have to sell everything?
No. You can offer a whole collection or just part of one, and you're welcome to keep any cards you'd like to hold on to.
Is there any cost or obligation?
None. Telling me about your cards and getting a reply costs nothing, and you're free to say no to any offer.
I only have a few cards. Is that worth your time?
Send them anyway. A small lot can include a card I've been hoping to find, and if it isn't a fit, a quick reply costs neither of us much.
What happens to the cards after you buy them?
I sort, research, scan and describe them, and then they go to collectors, family historians and people looking for the towns they grew up in. Every card I list gets a page in the catalog on this site, so its history stays easy to find even after it sells.
Should I sort the cards before I get in touch?
No. Sorting can take days, and it isn't necessary. Unsorted boxes are perfectly fine; a few photos of the boxes as they are tell me plenty. If the cards are already sorted by place or subject, mention it, because it helps.
Do you want damaged cards?
Tell me about them. Creased, stained or worn cards can still be worth something, especially real photos and small-town views, and a damaged card of a scarce place is often more interesting than a perfect card of a common one.
Can you tell me what a card is, even if I'm not selling?
My collector's notes cover dating cards, reading postmarks and identifying real photo postcards, and they'll answer most questions. I'm not able to appraise cards for people who aren't selling, but the guides are a good place to start.
What do you do with my details?
Your name, email and anything you send are used only to reply to you about your cards. They aren't shared, sold or added to any mailing list. The privacy page explains the details.
Where your cards are
Wherever your cards are, tell me the town and state in the form. If we agree on a sale, we'll work out together the safest way to get the cards to me. Cards travel well when they're packed flat and snug, and I'll explain exactly what to do before anything goes in the mail.
Ready when you are
Fill in the form below and I'll take it from there. If you'd rather talk first, my phone number is on the contact page.