Dating Postcards - Part 2

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.

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!

An Introduction

My name is Megan and I'm a postcard dealer. While it isn't something that I never thought I would do its something I enjoy very much. I get to 'meet' some really nice people and here about their interests and collections and I've learned allot about different cities and towns. You can visit my store at www.PlethoraofPostcards.com. At the moment I have approx. 3400 cards for sale and many more which have not been listed.

Postcard collection is a hobby to fit many different budgets and life styles. The price can range from twenty five cents to thousands of dollars for a particularly rare card. Antique or vintage postcards make great art and are also small and easy to store.

People collect cards for as many different reasons as there are cards. You can collect cards of the place you live, the place you were born, a hobby or sport you like. I've sold to people collecting postcards of there home town who are trying to collect every postcard published of that place and to people who are simply buying one card of the church they were married in or the hospital where they were born. People also collect cards of a mind boggling number of topics and themes from Santa Clause and Halloween to postcards or lobsters or money.

I myself collect postcards that were illustrated by my great-great-great grandfather John Hassal who was a British children's illustrator. Here are a few examples of some of the cards in my collection:






Thanks for reading!