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Vintage Postcard Field Notes

Dating, publishers, local history, care, value research, buying, selling, and subject guides.

Vintage Postcard Eras: A Practical Timeline
Dating

Vintage Postcard Eras: A Practical Timeline

Private Mailing Card through photochrome, with the limits of era-based dating.

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Real Photo Postcards: Identification and Research
Types

Real Photo Postcards: Identification and Research

How photographic postcard prints differ from mass-printed cards.

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Linen Postcards: Texture, Color, and Dating
Types

Linen Postcards: Texture, Color, and Dating

Why textured linen-style stock and bold inks are strongly associated with the 1930s and 1940s.

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Large Letter Postcards: States, Cities, and Values
Types

Large Letter Postcards: States, Cities, and Values

Research the publisher, place, variation, condition, and collector demand.

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Curt Teich Postcards: Researching Production Numbers
Publishers

Curt Teich Postcards: Researching Production Numbers

Use Newberry records and the official dating guide as primary research tools.

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How Much Are Old Postcards Worth?
Value

How Much Are Old Postcards Worth?

A realistic framework for subject scarcity, location, condition, publisher, and sold prices.

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Rare Postcard Subjects Collectors Watch For
Value

Rare Postcard Subjects Collectors Watch For

Vanished businesses, small towns, unusual transportation, disasters, and social history.

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Postcard Condition: Creases, Corners, Writing, and Damage
Care

Postcard Condition: Creases, Corners, Writing, and Damage

How common defects affect presentation and comparable-sale research.

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How to Store Vintage Postcards Safely
Care

How to Store Vintage Postcards Safely

Archival sleeves, boxes, light, humidity, handling, and organization.

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How to Scan Vintage Postcards
Care

How to Scan Vintage Postcards

Capture fronts, backs, postmarks, details, and color accurately.

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How to Sell Vintage Postcards
Buy & Sell

How to Sell Vintage Postcards

Identify, group, describe, photograph, price, and ship collections.

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Best Places to Buy Vintage Postcards
Buy & Sell

Best Places to Buy Vintage Postcards

Shows, dealers, auctions, marketplaces, paper fairs, and estate sales.

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Researching the Town on a Vintage Postcard
Research

Researching the Town on a Vintage Postcard

Directories, maps, newspapers, local archives, and exact caption searches.

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Common Postcard Publisher Marks and Where to Research Them
Publishers

Common Postcard Publisher Marks and Where to Research Them

Logos, codes, series numbers, and archive-based research.

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Vintage Hotel Postcards: Buildings, Rates, and Road Trips
Subjects

Vintage Hotel Postcards: Buildings, Rates, and Road Trips

What hotels, motor courts, and resorts reveal about travel history.

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Roadside America Postcards: Motels, Diners, and Neon
Subjects

Roadside America Postcards: Motels, Diners, and Neon

Collector appeal around highways, signs, attractions, and vanished businesses.

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National Park Postcards: Lodges, Roads, and Scenic Views
Subjects

National Park Postcards: Lodges, Roads, and Scenic Views

Research location, publisher, era, view, and park-history context.

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Transportation Postcards: Trains, Ships, Streetcars, and Aviation
Subjects

Transportation Postcards: Trains, Ships, Streetcars, and Aviation

Identify equipment, route, station, operator, and historical setting.

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Vintage Holiday Postcards: Artists, Publishers, and Series
Subjects

Vintage Holiday Postcards: Artists, Publishers, and Series

Seasonal iconography, artist signatures, publisher series, and condition.

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Using eBay Sold Listings for Postcard Research
Value

Using eBay Sold Listings for Postcard Research

Compare the same place, view, publisher, era, and condition instead of broad asking prices.

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