Real Photo Postcards: Real photo postcards span the different styles of postcards so cannot be dated that way. But there are resources on the web which will help determine the time period in which the card was made. They can be dated either by the stamp box (where the stamp would go) or by the back stamp.
Postmarks: - will tell you the latest date the card could have been printed. Although its good to be careful of cards which may have been posted sometime after there production.
Style/Clothing/Inscription: - Reading the back of the cards, while eliciting a certain thrill, can also yield clues about the age of the card. Clothing pictured on the front can also help narrow down the era in which a card was printed as can images on the front of the card which may pinpoint the date it was made.
Publisher: Certain publishers have numbered there card and a bit of googling will tell you how to decipher these numbers. A good example of this is cards by Curt Teich (for a complete guide click here) who numbered all there cards. Certain publishers also only published at certain times or used certain style of backs. A useful reference for dating postcards this way is on Playle's (a postcard auction site) which has pictures and dates of when certain backs were used.
Postage Rates: The ever rising cost of mailing can be your guide to dating that postcard of yours. Try here for historic rates in the US.
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