Card Values

The value of individual townview postcards is based upon lots of different factors: Used or Unused, Condition, Age, Size of Town, etc..  Here are some detailed in the form of rules of thumb:

Biggest Myth About Old Postcards Busted:

 Being a penny-postcard does not necessarily mean that it is rare or even very old.  Stamps for postcards were only 1 cent as late as the 1950s.

Number of Cards Available

One-of-a-kind cards carry the highest prices - these are usually real photo cards taken by an individual for sending to other family members.  You can find such cards taken by soldiers if military is your interest,  or another theme would be a small town football or basketball team from 1900-1930s.

Color or Black and White?

Black and White (even non-real photo) cards seen to be of more value, not less, because the cards have been color from the very beginning of the hobby (as early as the late 1800s, which includes the Pioneer-Era cards).

Used or Unused - Vintage postcards with writing (and stamps and cancels) are actually just as valuable as those that have no marks. There is genealogical interest in what is written and some times historical or biographical value as well. Our three highest selling postcards were all sold for what was written on the back:

1. A postcard written to Alice Roosevelt, President Teddy Roosevelt's daughter from a fan. Of course, since it was sent to the White House it had no signature from Alice herself and was not in her handwriting, but some folks just want something that somebody famous has held in their hands or for other unknown reasons. Vintage postcards can be a great source for such items.

2. A vintage postcard written from one minor league baseball player to another, the latter being Brown Rogers, who once threw a no-hitter. (The sender was probably a former teammate of Rogers on the San Antonio Mission). The writing on the card talked lots of baseball.

3. A postcard sent from the first black female dentist in America to another famous female: A combination dentist/medical doctor from Chicago.  It coincidentally showed the new Dental School Building at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), perhaps where one or both of them had gone to dental school

Lesson Here - Read the backside!

Condition - Not as important in town view postcards as in vintage signed artist cards or topicals. I've sold some pretty lousy cards for a good price if it is perceived to be the only one available. Nevertheless, the obvious is true - the better condition brings the better price.

Age - As long as the card is at least 25 to 35 years old, the value of a town view card is little affected by its age. There are collectors of 1950s cards and those who look for vintage postcards from 1901-1914, but most folk just want cards they don't have yet from their town. Some collectors of small towns want even nearly identical cards, as long as the printing is in a different color.

Size of Town - Generally speaking the smaller the town, the more valuable the vintage postcard, but there are so many exceptions that is hard to make too much of it. There are collectors of every big city and if tourist spots are avoided, the cards generally have some value (though I have sold some unusual touristy spots too). Some small towns must have printed and distributed thousands of certain views as every once in a while a small town card turns out to be common, but this is the exception, not the rule.

Factors in Selling Postcards in Big Groups

You will almost always get the best deal by selling a large collection of vintage postcards all at once - the good, the bad and the ugly. Avoid the temptation of letting dealers skim the cream of the crop (buying your best cards). You will have a hard time getting rid of the less interesting cards and your total will be considerably less than if you sold them all together. None of the cards are worthless and dealers who only want the very best are giving you nothing or next to it for the rest. Find a dealer who appreciates all of your cards and you will get the best deal. IF COMPARISON SHOPPING, ONLY COMPARE THE BEST OFFER ON ALL YOUR CARDS!