Collecting guide

Souvenir Postcard Folders: How to Collect, Date and Store Fold-Out View Sets

A souvenir postcard folder is a strip of small views folded accordion-style inside a cover that could be addressed and mailed like a postcard. Tourists bought them at lodges, drugstores and roadside stands to send a whole trip's worth of scenery home at once.

Folders are an underrated corner of the hobby. They pack a lot of local history into one item, they show views that never appeared as single cards, and they're often overlooked in dealer boxes because they don't fit neatly with regular postcards. Here's how to recognize them, judge completeness and condition, date them and store them safely.

What a souvenir folder is (and isn't)

A typical souvenir folder has a stiff outer cover with a title and artwork on the front and a mailing area on the back, with space for an address and a stamp. Inside, a continuous strip of small view panels folds back and forth like an accordion. Some strips print on both sides; some include short captions or descriptions for each scene.

Folders are related to, but different from, a few other items you'll see in the same boxes:

The line between them can blur, and dealers don't always use the same words. Read the description and look at the photos rather than relying on the title alone.

Why collectors like them

• Many views in one item. A single folder can show a town's main street, courthouse, hotels, parks and landmarks together.
• Views you won't find on single cards. Small panels sometimes show minor buildings, interiors or side streets that didn't get their own postcard.
• Strong graphic covers. Many covers use bold lettering and bright artwork in the same spirit as large-letter postcards.
• Snapshot of a trip. Folders for national parks, scenic highways, caves, resorts and big-city sightseeing capture what a visitor would have seen.
• Often overlooked. Because they're bulky, folders may be stacked in a separate box or left out of sorted stock entirely. Always ask dealers if they have any.

How to date a folder

Folders were produced by many of the same publishers that made regular postcards, so the same dating tools apply. Work through the clues together rather than relying on any one of them; our article on mailing date vs printing date vs image date explains why they can disagree.

If the publisher is one you know from single cards, compare the folder's views with that publisher's cards of the same place. Our guides to Curt Teich and Tichnor Brothers postcards are good starting points for those two common linen-era names. Some folder views reuse artwork from single postcards; spotting a match can help with dating.

Completeness and condition checks

Condition on a folder means more than corners and creases. The fold-out strip is the vulnerable part.

• Panel count: count the views. If the cover or a caption lists how many views are included, compare. Missing end panels are easy to overlook.
• Attachment: the strip should still be attached to the cover as originally made. A loose strip tucked inside is a common problem.
• Fold tears and splits: repeated unfolding weakens the folds. Look for partial splits, especially at the ends of the strip.
• Cover wear: rubbing, creases and corner wear on the cover, which took the brunt of handling and mailing.
• Writing: messages on the cover or panels. Some collectors enjoy them; others prefer unwritten folders. Our guide to posted vs unused postcards covers how writing affects interest.
• Tape repairs: old tape at the folds is common and can stain. Note it, and don't try to remove it yourself.
• Separated panels: folders cut apart into single views are no longer complete folders and should be described that way.

Researching interest and value

We don't list values, because they depend heavily on place, publisher, condition and completeness. What tends to draw collectors:

• Places with strong collector followings, like popular national parks, big-city sightseeing, scenic highways and roadside attractions.
• Small towns and minor attractions where few other views exist.
• Bright, graphic covers and clean, complete strips.
• Folders that show businesses, motels or attractions that later vanished, which also appeal to roadside collectors.

To research a specific folder, search sold listings using the place name and the word "folder," for example sold souvenir folders, then narrow by your city or park. Compare folders of the same place and era, and pay attention to whether sold examples were complete.

If you collect a city, it's also worth browsing broadly, like city souvenir folders or souvenir postcard packets, since packets and folders of the same place often turn up together.

Storing and handling folders

Folders are bulkier and more fragile than single cards, so they need slightly different storage.

1. Keep them closed. Every unfolding stresses the strip. Unfold once to check and scan, then store closed.
2. Use oversized archival sleeves or envelopes sized for the closed folder, with a little room so you don't force it in. Standard postcard sleeves are usually too snug.
3. Store flat or upright with support, in an acid-free box, so the folder doesn't sag or bend. Don't pack them so tightly that the covers bow.
4. Scan the full strip for reference. A scan lets you enjoy and share every panel without unfolding the original. Our scanning guide covers settings; scan panels in sections if the strip is longer than your scanner bed.
5. Catalog by place. In your spreadsheet, list the folder under its town or park and note the panel count and subjects.

Buying tips

• Ask the seller whether the folder is complete and whether the strip is attached.
• Request a photo of the strip fully opened, not just the cover.
• Watch for folders listed as single postcards or misfiled under the wrong state, especially when the cover title is a park or highway rather than a town.
• At shows, ask dealers directly. Folders are often kept in a separate box.

FAQ

The bottom line

If you collect a particular place, add "folder" to your saved searches. It's a simple way to find views of your town that most other collectors never see.