This is not an attempt to identify topics and trends in collecting. There are entire books given over to such matters. People collect views of their hometown, bridges, Santa's, cats, French nudes, flowers, real photos, and hand-tinted postcards. The list goes on and on, with thousands of unique collecting fields. I recently saw a quite impressive collection of postcards with the moon as its unifing theme. This is also not an attempt to put a price on postcards. Postcards are still inexpensive, with millions available for less than $3.00. There are some that get so high, your teeth ache. Prices will fluctuate, sometimes weekly. I saw a Large Letter Austin sell for over $25.00 one week. The next week I bought the exact same card for $3.50. There are books available on eBay, the online dealers, and through postcard magazines about prices and topics and are worth further study.

Pioneer Era (1893-1898) While a few postcards issued before 1893 exist, postcards as we know it, along with their popularity, began with the cards sold at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893. The printed postal cards for the Exposition were issued by the government with a printed one cent postage stamp (see example) and by privately printed souvenir cards requiring a two cent postage stamp to be applied to it. The stamped side of the card was reserved for the address only. Usually the front of the card had room for a short message. Thus the brief but descriptive "Having a wonderful time, wish you were here" came into existence.

Private Mailing Card Era (1898-1901) On May 19, 1898, private printers were allowed, by an act of Congress, to print and sell postcards with the inscription Private Mailing Card. A one cent stamp was required for mailing. While many of the cards were locally produced, a dozen or more American printers began to take postcards seriously. Notice that the front has a small area for messages, while the back is reserved for the address. This 'PMC' still has the stamp and a reasonable clear 1901 postmark. It is best not to remove the stamps from postcards. Stamp collectors generally won't want the common one cent stamp and postcard collectors won't want a defaced card.

Post Card or Undivided Back Era (1901-1907) On December 24, 1901 the use of the word "POST CARD" was granted by the government to private printers. Note that there is still a space on the front reserved for a brief message, though in this case the card was never written on. The 'undivided back' was reserved for the address and one cent domestic postage or two cent foreign postage. This era was also when professional photographers and amateur shutterbugs began to take black & white photographs and have them printed on paper with post card backs. (see Photo Postcards)

Divided Back Era (1907-1914) Congress allowed the use of postcards with a divided back on March 1, 1907. The right side of the rear panel was for the address and the left side was for writing messages. Millions of cards were published in this era, and collecting them became a popular hobby. You will find cards being exchanged by strangers across the country and the world. Most of the color postcards in this era were printed in Germany which was far ahead of this country in the lithographic processes. By World War I the United States and England had started producing postcards in larger numbers. This particular card was originally produced during the earlier, undivided back era, recognizable because of the writing space on the front. The rear of the card, though, shows that it was printed on a divided back era stock. The light tinge of red in the background is printed on, not hand-painted. Hand-tinted postcards are in demand if well-done and pictures a popular subject matter.

White Border Era (1915-1930) More postcards were printed in the USA during this period, when folks had a few pennies to spare on hobbies and more of them were able to travel than ever before. There was a sense of awe in the beauty of America, from the national parks to the skyscrapers being erected in even small towns. Interest in technological wonders such as airplanes and streamlined trains, passenger ships and automobiles. The white border came about as a method to save ink. During this period poor quality cards abounded, caused by the high cost of labor, cut-throat competition and inexperience with the printing processes. Note that the back of the card is similar to the earlier divided backs.

Linen Era (1930-1944) By 1930 a new process was found which allowed printing on postcards with high rag content that caused a 'linen-like' finish. These inexpensive cards allowed the use of bright, 'somewhat non-lifelike' or gaudy dyes for coloring. While many linen cards have white borders, others are 'full bleed.' The picture goes all the way to the edge as shown here. When you handle a linen card you can see and feel the woven texture of the paper. The backs of linens look very much like white border cards.

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Photochrome or Chrome Era (1945 - present) The "chrome" era cards are also called "moderns" by collectors. Chromes are the most popular type of postcard sold today in souvenir shops. Among these you will find 3-D postcards and cards with wavy or scalloped edges. A slightly blurred or fuzzy image is typical of the early chrome cards. The plastic layer on the front can sometimes peel away from the backing. These cards are sometimes confused with "real photo" cards. The two examples shown here are two different sizes. The standard sized Austin chrome is 3.5" by 5.5". The larger sized card depicting the Boot Hill Museum is often called a "continental" and is 4" by 6".

Real Photo Postcards Real photos are just that. A photograph was taken and developed. A caption was often hand-written or scratched on the negative, as in this case. Then the photograph was printed onto postcard sized photographic paper stock. This paper was made especially for postcards, again, as in this case, with the word "postcard" and a stamp location already printed on the paper. Many real photos are one of a kind. Some were produced in slightly larger quantities, usually by the photographer. Some clues are that if the caption is not neat, it probably was one of a kind. Mass produced cards usually were neater. Some of them carry the name of the photographer. Real photos date from early in the century to present day. The easiest way is to look at the card under slight magnification. RP's do not have the dot pattern seen on modern Photochrome cards. Also, RPs can be identified by the photographic paper used. The manufacturer of the photographic paper usually have markings that can be used to date the card.