Why are Real Photograph Post Cards so pricey & so hard to find? This quick guide will attempt to explain that& provide a prices realized overview of the  RPPC.

Postcard collecting is the 3rd largest hobby in the USA. Since the 80s this hobby increasingly garners a rapidly growing field of passionate & informed collectors. At the top tier of the hobby is a format known as the RPPC.

If a picture speaks a 1000 words, then a photographic image conveys endless essays on what we as Americans are, where we came from & what we have the potential to become. The turn-of-the-century RPPC documented the transformation of an agrarian society with the advent of the automobile, the telephone, the airplane and an endless stream of modern inventions and resulting changes to American life.

When is a RPPC Collectible?

Example: If while searching in a family trunk, one found a RPPC of a woman holding a banner reading "Woman Voters!" while she was riding a Harley Davidson motorbike up the gangplank of the Titanic in Ireland, one could easily surmise a sense of value to such an image. If that image were proved to be one-of-a-kind, or at least at most one of a few, the value rises even more. Since this mythical image also incorporates 3 high demand collecting areas (Woman's rights, early motorcycles, & the Titanic), 3 aggressively active collecting groups would want to own it.  It is these types of factors that drive the value of RPPCs.

RPPCs are valued by the 1) AGE of the image, 2) CONTENT in the image, 2) RARITY of the image and 4) DEMAND for the image.

1) AGE. RPPCs are dated by both their front and backsides. Comparing the two to one another determines the age of the image.   A helicopter in an image dated 1903 would be an obvious fake, but knowing when hoop skirts were in vogue would date a street scene to within 10 years. Cars, buildings, attire, advertising signs and city backgrounds all give clues to the date of an image.

On the backside of a postcard, one will find marks made in the stamp corner by the maker of the photograph paper. A short listing of marks and their dates of use are available in ebay at http://reviews.ebay.com/Real-Photo-Postcard-Identification-amp-Dating_W0QQugidZ10000000000005830.

Study the image, study the usage, and study the format of the postcard to date it properly.

If the Titanic image we found had a KODAK stamp box, it would have been a 1950s reproduction of an early image. If the stamp box had a CYKO stamp box, the image would be off to an auction, quite possibly achieving $1000s. Knowing how to compare the front to the back of an RPPC is crucial to determining its value.

2) CONTENT.  Unidentified images where the location is not known have far less value than identified images.

Look closely at an image and look for interesting items such as advertising signs (FORD, Moxie, Coca-Cola, KEEN KUTTER, Gold Dust Twins.); early transportation (steam-driven cars, trolleys, biplanes, rigid balloons); ethnic groups (Black Americans, Shakers, Native Americans, Jewish Americans, Gypsies, Immigrants); famous people; or social history events in progress.

In general the smaller the town or location an image comes from, the more valuable it is. If you recognize the place in an image as a tourist spot, the value diminishes greatly. For the value of RPPCs, smaller is better.

3) RARITY. Think Pre-WWI. Earlier images were made far less in the RPPC format.

A new trend in RPPC collecting is the rise of photographic art by individual photographer. Clear and sharp examples by early photographers command their own following and generate higher values in auctions.

Condition is a major part of rarity. Well cared for images are much harder to find than well "viewed" images. A superb non-damaged image has the greatest value potential.

4) DEMAND.  RPPCs are the most in demand of all types of postcards for collectors & historical societies.

Pricing Guide List for RPPCs

So, just what do Real Photograph postcards go for? How much are they worth? The following price list is a sampling of values and prices realized in the last few years. 

All price ranges below reflect images where clarity and sharpness are superb, the overall condition of the RPPC is EXCELLENT ­ NEAR MINT and the image dates to pre-1940. It is also assumed that the physical location of the card is verfied by writing, postmark or photographer caption on the postcard itself. Images that are blurred or damaged should have their values cut by two-thirds off the lower range value stated below. For more adjustments both Positive & Negative to the prices see notes at end of price guide list.

ADVERTISING:

Automobile Id'ed Make $20-$50
Barbershop interior w/barbers $40-$75
Barbershop interior w/0 barbers $20-$45
Bus stops w/bus $15-$45
Cigar & Tobacco Store Interior $175-$220
Coca Cola Plant Interior $300-$500
Coca Cola truck $500-$600
Coca Cola Wagon $1,800-$3,000 
Gas stations $50-65
General Store Interior $75-$125
General Store Exterior $45-$90
Grocery Store Exterior $75-$100
Hearse Wagon $200-$300
Ice Cream Stands $150-$300
Ice Wagon $125-$200
Kodak Girls $75-$100
Medicine Remedies Wagon (Watkins) $100-$400
Medicine Remedies Wagon (other Co.) $200-$800
Milk Wagon (Borden)$100-$150
Milk Wagon (other)$150-$250
Oil Delivery Wagon $100-$150
Telephone Company Wagon $225-$300
Trucks- Identified make $30-$60
Trucks- Delivery w/advertising $50-$150
Trucks- Service(Mail/Fire/Dump) $65-$200
Wells Fargo Wagon $150-$250  
 
 
ETHNIC:

Black Baseball regional $200-$500
Black Doctor $200-$400
Black Baseball Negro League Pro  $5500-$40000
Black Band Jazz $100-$250
Black Band Circus $100-$350
Black Band Minstrel $100-$125
Black Face Minstrel $40-$65
Black Chain Gangs $1700-$3200
Black Lynching (No ID)$2000-$5500
Black Lynching (with ID)$3000-$9000
Black dead remains(Mob action) $1200
Gypsy $80-$100

PEOPLE & OCCUPATIONAL:

Billboard Hangers $50-$75
Blacksmith w/anvil $100-$275
Cobbler $75-$125
Dairy $75-$200
Dentist $90-$150
Fire men horse drawn $125-$275
Firemen Truck $150-$200 
Geronimo $90-$325
Ice Delivery Men $150-$350
Logging Crew $35-$90
Masseur $80-$125
Quilting Bees $400-$500
Salesman portrait w/product $100-$150
Teddy Roosevelt $40-$65

SOCIAL HISTORY: 

Drug abuse related $200-$450 
Racist anti black $150-$1250
Evangelist $200-$250
Segregated Buildings $70-$130
Flu Epidemic $250-$350
Socialist Party Wagon NYC  $2,500-$5,600
Labor Leader Eugene Debs $1000-$4000 
Strike related $150-$700
Patriotic US Flag Dress $300-$400
Suffragette Speaker USA $100-$230
Prohibition Party Candidate $250-$300
Sweat shop work scene $40-$80
Klux Klux Klan $300-$1500
Third party political $200-$750
Man-Woman sideshow $200-$300
Uncle Sam $50-$150

SPORTS:

Baseball Team Pro $1500-$9,000 
Boxing-Professional $50-125
Baseball Stadium Pro $125-$300
Boxing-Professional, Black $200-$550
Baseball Stadium Regional $30-$75
Female Basketball Team $35-$55
Baseball Regional $90-$150

TOPICAL:

Covered Bridges $8-$12
Post Offices $4-$8
Dams $4-$6
Schools $12-$25
Disasters $8-$20
Schools Exterior $7-$20.00
Schools Interior $15-$50
Factories $12-$35
Skylines Cities $12-$25
Ferries $20-$45
Stadiums Football $12-$25
Stadiums Baseball $50-$500
Lighthouses $35-$100
Main Streets $25-$95
Theaters $15-$75
Lighthouses $15-$100
Lightships $125-$500

TRANSPORTATION:  (larger images command higher values)

Air Planes Air shows $100-$425
Air Planes Commercial Pre-1920  $200-$400 
Air Ships/Dirigibles $125-$275
Automobiles $20-$25
Bicycles $20-$30
Balloons Ascensions $125-$300
Farm Tractor $35-$75
Female Aviator $200-$1000
Train Wrecks $20-$45
Trolley $25-$30
Trucks $25-$35
Truck-Delivery w/ads $60-$125

NOTES ON PRICING:

All pre-1940 images & all at identified locations price range EX-N Abbreviations:
D&H (dirt street w/horses). Unidentified images command 2/3s less value. Small or blurred images command 2/3rds less in value.

+&- Price adjusting factors to items on list above.

ADD $$$$$
 
D&H add $25
Southern add $30
Trolley add $10
Advertising sign add $10
Storefront add $10
Ethnic add $25
Political add $35
Private Mailing Card Back cira 1898 add 100%
Horse & car together in view add $10
Known collectible photographer add $30
Occupational in view add $10
  
SUBTRACT $$$$$

Small Image subtract 66%
Blurred Image subtract 66%
Parade subtract $10
Flood subtract $10
Fire subtract $10
No readable signs subtract $10
Northern State View subtract $5