Part 1 - How old is my card? - A quick guide to postcard dating.

Here is a quick guide to dating cards, please note however that some of these techniques work best with cards from/of the United States.

Techniques for dating cards:

Type or Style: One of the easiest ways to date unmailed cards is by style. Certain defining characteristics define postcards made between certain years and this can be used to narrow a card down to a particular time period.

Private Mailing Cards (1898-1901) - usually marked Private Mail Card or Private Mailing card on the back.




Undivided Back (circa 1901-1907) - These cards, many of which were printed in Germany, have an undivided back and it was only permissible to write the address, no note or message, on the backside. Many times however it was common to write a message on the front.

Buffalo, New York - City Hall circa 1906 - Buy it now!




Divided Back Postcards (circa 1908-1915): - Postal regulations at this time allowed the back of cards to be divided allowing one half to be used as a message and the other for an address. This was the most prolific time in the United States for postcard collecting. These cards are can be mistaken for more modern chromes so be aware that many will have a less shiny surface and a different paper texture than modern cards. Also look out for cards by the Detroit Publishing Company as many of there cards - ie. Phostint cards have a white border but were published during the divided back era.


Savoy Apartments - Rochester NY Circa 1915 - Buy it now!




White Border Era (Circa 1914 - 1930): - World war one had an adverse affect on the German Publishing industry so printing moved to the United States. To save money a white border was added to the edge of these cards. Many of these cards also had a description on the back above where the message would be.


Washington Square, Haverhill Massachusetts - Buy it now!

Linen Postcards (circa 1930-1945): Linen era postcards are made with high rag content paper. They are probably the easiest, along with undivided back cards, to identify. While the linen era ends in 1945 many linen cards are found postmarked well into the 50s and occasionally new ones can still be found on sale today. Most linens are brightly coloured and the scenes they show are sanitized and airbrushed.

Here is an example of a popular linen era subject the big or large letter card so called because it has large letters with smaller views of the place inside them:

Large Letter Texas Linen - Buy it Now!

Chrome: (circa 1939-present): In 1939 photochrome was invented and is still used today. It is a cheap way of printing photo quality cards with bright colors. Chromes started off as the standard vintage size, 3.5 by 5.5, and in the last few decades have become 5 by 7 or what is referred to as continental size which is 4 by 6.


Johnson's Hummocks Seafood Restaurant - Providence Rhode Island - Buy it now!



Part 2 - including Real Photo dating comming soon!