Post Cards: Discussions

Ok I have these cards I collected about 10 to 12 years ago when We use to go shopping at PATHMARK Food Stores... Every week they had these FREE Post cards displayed before leaving the store and I collected quite a few.. they are pretty cool looking.. Never thought Of selling them. How would i know if they will sell or not? some are COMMENT Post card and or Photo of items like One was for CHEERIOS As I recall and the other would be just girl talk in general.. But they are pretty cool. Should I list them?

When buying or selling postcards, everyone wants to know the condition of the postcard.
This rating system is used for older or antique postcards.
M - Mint : A perfect card just as it comes from the printing press. No marks, bends, or creases. No writing or postmarks. A clean and fresh card. Seldom seen.

NM - Near Mint : Like Mint but very light aging or very slight discoloration from being in an album for many years. Not as sharp or crisp.

EX - Excellent : Like mint in appearance with no bends or creases, or rounded or blunt corners. May be postally used or unused and with writing and postmark only on the address side. A clean, fresh card on the picture side.

VG - Very Good : Corners may be a bit blunt or rounded. Almost undetectable crease or bend that does not detract from overall appearance of the picture side. May have writing or postally used on address side.

G - Good : Corners may be noticeably blunt or rounded with noticeably slight bends or creases. May be postally used or have writing on the address side.

FR - Fair : Card is intact. Excess soil, stains, creases, writing, or cancellation may affect picture. Could be a scarce card that is difficult to find in any condition.



Album Marks - Discoloration or heavy indentations on the corners of the cards from the acid, leaching out of the antique album pages, or from weight.

Archival - Any museum quality material that will protect postcards for extended periods of time.

Artist Signed - Any postcard that has a printed signature of the illustrator. This does not mean that the postcard artist autographed the card, although examples do exist. If the publisher has printed a byline clearly identifying who did the work, the card is considered artist signed.

Chrome - Any card after 1939 with a shiny paper surface. The term is derived from Kodachrome.

Condition - Refers to the physical condition of the postcard. Terms used are Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor.

Deltiology - This is the study of postcards; the person doing the research, a deltiologist. Randall Rhodes of Ashland, Ohio, first used the term. It means (from the Greek) the science or study (logos) of small pictures or cards (deltion).

Die Cut - Any paper cut by the publisher into a shape other than a rectangle, such as the shape of an angel, Santa, or animal.

Die Cut Hold to Light - A hold to light (HTL) postcard that transforms fromday to night when a bright light shows through the tiny holes cut on the surface of the card.

Divided Back - A postcard back with a center line to divide the address from the message. Divided backs appeared in 1902 in England, 1904 in France, 1905 in Germany, and 1907 in the US. This helps to date unused postcards. Cards before these dates have undivided backs.

Embossed - Postcards that have designs slightly raised above the card's surface. Heavily embossed postcards have almost a papier-mache style, that stands greatly above the surface.

Ephemera - Any printed or hand written item normally discarded after its intended use such as calendars, postcards, tradecards, and valentines.

Foxing - Brown spots in the paper's surface. These spots of mildew, penetrating the paper, cannot be removed by erasing but may occasionally by removed by bleaching.

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Gelatin - A card with a varnish-like coating producing a glossy surface. The surface usually cracks or shatters.

Golden Age of Postcards - From 1898 to 1918.

Government Postal - A postcard that has a preprinted stamp on the back. The government postal office issues these postcards and publishers use them to print designs and advertising messages. They were especially used before the Act of Congress 1898.

Hold to Light - Any postcard that creates a different image if held to the light. Some are as simple as day to night, others as complicated as Winter to Summer. There are die cut hold to lights and transparencies.

Installment - A series of postcards designed to be sent one a day. The completed set forms one picture. Some installments are vertical, such as an Uncle Sam figure; others form horizontal, such as a running horse.

Linen - Postcards published in the late 20s through 50s, using a textured paper with a cross hatched surface. The surface resembles linen fabric. The cards romaticized the images of gas stations, diners, hotels and other commercial buildings. Using the photographic image of an establishment, all undesirable features, such as telephone poles, junk yards, background clutter, and sometimes even cars and people were removed by air brushing.

Mechanical - Postcards that have moving parts. It may be simple as a die cut top revealing a different idea of the previous image when opened. It could be as complicated as pulling a tab for a curtain to move and totally change pictures. Some mechanicals have wheels that change the faces on a body or dates on a calendar.

Miniature - Postcards done as a novelty during the Golden Age. They were about 1/2 the size of the standard 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch postcards. They have stamp boxes and are often postally used. The most desirable are those by the Scandinavian artists or publisher John Winsch.

Novelty - These cards include mechanicals and cards that have item attached, such as bags of salt, real hair, metal medallions, paper applique, silk, or even pennies. Some novelty cards are die cut shapes or have holes in which fingers can be inserted to make the postcard figures appear to have real arms, legs, or even a nose.

Oilette - A term used by Raphael Tuck and Sons of England to refer to a particular style of postcard production. The oilettes often looked like oil painting, with noticeable brush strokes.

Over Sized - The standard postcard size during the Golden Age was 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches; the standard modern postcard size is 4 by 6 inches. Any card larger than these sizes is considered oversized. Modern postcards are often called continentals.

PVC - Poly Vinyl Chloride, polymers derived from vinyl chloride used to make plastic pages and sleeves. These can cause damage to postcards over time.

Pioneers - Postcards issued before the Act of Congress in 1898. They carry instructions on the back, such as, Write the address only on this side - the message on the other, or Nothing but address can be placed on this side, or This side for address only.

Postcard - A card specifically made with the intention that it could be used by itself as a mailed message or souvenir.

Private Postal - Postcards produced, not by the government, but by private business or publishers.

Puzzle Cards - A European term for installments. In America, it refers to hidden picture cards, jigsaw puzzle cards, rebus cards, or anything that is a puzzle to solve.

Real Photo - A term coined to distinguish between commercially printed photographic images and an actual photograph printed on photograph paper with a preprinted postcard back. Real photo cards are more desirable than commercially printed postcards. Most real photos are one of a kind, while commercially printed photographs were produced in large quantity.

Rebus - A puzzle postcard on which words, phrases, or sentences are represented by pictures of objects and signs, the names of which, when sounded in sequence afford the solution.

Sepia - A dark brown color applied to photographs or other prints. Inky secretions of the cuttlefish produce this coloration.

Series - Groups of postcards that belong together in a collection. The individual cards may or may not have been printed at the same time. More than just a common topic, a series has a common artist and publisher.

Sets - Postcards published in a group of 4, 6, 7, 8, or 12. These were sold in packets or individually. Examples are: days of the week or months of the year.

Silk - Postcards where silk fabric is applied to the design, or the total image is printed on silk fabric, then attached to a postcard back.

Topics - Postcards that are not views, but are of subjects such as baseball, kites, cats, and golf.

Tradecards - Advertising cards issued before 1900. Store keepers gave then away in products or with the purchase of a product. They were very popular before the postcard and were often times glued into large scrap books with other die cut scrap.

Transparency - A type of Hold to Light postcard that creates its transformation with many thin layers of paper. A total change in image is caused by strong light behind the postcard. There are no die cut holes in the surface to achieve this transformation.

Undivided Back - A postcard back without a dividing line to separate the message from the address. Undivided backs on postcards help date the cards (see divided back).

View Cards - Postcards that feature cities and places within cities, such as parks, main streets, depots, store fronts, bridges, and roads. They are not topics such as Halloween, cats, or Clapsaddle

Postcards, Flowers, Set of 4
Postcards, A Charmed Life

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Follow the link in the auction to see all available postcards

I am a jewerly seller on ebay but have just gotten some post cards that were my great grand pappys and since some of them do not appeal to me (black americana and risque) I was thinking I might list them on ebay of course.

I have been a member of enough neighboroods to know that they each have their own rules and interests, so I wanted to ask if, when I list them would this group welcome the notice by listng the item numbers in a post?

I DO NOT want to be accused of spamming as has happeded to me in other spots when I just thought I was sharing something of interest, so figured I would join here and ask (also read threads on how to ship and list condition - so helpful THANKS).

Also I have two ID's one has over 400 postive feeback (jewerly) and one has about 15 I use mostly as a buyer - would a low number of FB discourage post card collectors to purchase form me? I sort of wanted my seller id to be only for jewerly but it does show I am honest and provide good service so mabe I should just put them in my store?

If anyonoe has comments or suggestions I would welcome them - I know I ned to learn before jumpng inot a new thing.

Gwynne

I published this guide almost 2 years ago and update terms frequently when I come across a new word or term beginner collectors might find perplexing. I hope you can find it useful!


Postcard Terms

Airbrush - A Technique which colors have been painted using air compression. Very popular with linen postcards where all undesirable elements have been airbrushed away while enhancing the scenes colors.


Aluminum - Cards made out of aluminum.

Antique Postcards - Although the word Antique is generally considered to mean an item over
100 years old, many collectors use the term antique postcards to describe cards of the 1893 -
1918 period, also known as the Golden Age.

Applique - A term sometimes used to describe a postcard with added elements such as hair,
feathers, wood, beads or metal. These type postcards are also called novelties.


Art Deco - describes artistic style of the 1920s which can be recognized by its symmetrical designs and straight lines.

Art Nouveau - Popular style from the turn of the century and characterized by flowing lines and flowery symbols.

Artist Signed - Any card which has an artist's signature or initials. Postcards where the
publisher has identified the artist are also considered to be artist signed. The term does not
mean the postcard has been autographed.

Back of Card - For most postcard collectors this will mean the address side of the postcard
although some philatelic collectors consider the back the picture side.

Bas Relief - Postcards portraits which the portrait has been raised to form a
three-dimensional effect.

Bookmarks - Postcards in a bookmark shape. Not usually over two inches wide but length has
been found in various sizes.

Cachet - Information opposite the stamp area in special cards or envelopes which relates to
the date the piece was mailed. First day of issue envelopes are good examples. Cachets can
be printed on stickers, stamped by rubber stamps or printed directly on the postcard.

Cartephilia - Name used by the early collectors of postcards to describe their hobby, derived from the Greek to mean “a hopeless love of cards.”

Celluloid - A postcard with decorative additions made from celluloid. Celluloid is a highly
flammable synthetic made from nitrocellulose and camphor.

Checklist - Complete listings of all the cards within a certain set, subject or publisher.
Checklists usually give the title and serial number if any, to identify the cards but also could
have descriptions of the picture side.

Chrome Postcards - The term chrome came from the Kodachrome processing. This finish is
what you see on postcards made today that have a shiny surface. Chrome postcards became
very popular after 1940.

Colophon - A publishers emblem or trademark

Composites - a number of individual cards in a series that form a larger picture when placed together.

Condition - Most dealers use the term Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and
Poor to describe the condition of a particular postcard.

Credit Line - This term refers to the information giving the publisher's name and location,
serial number or any other information which gives details about the card. Process information
such as Oilette used by Tuck & Sons', Series Numbers, Titles and dates may be included in
the credit line. This information is usually seen at the left edge, center or bottom of the
address side.

Deltiology - Terminology for the study of postcards taken from the Greek word Deltion (small
pictures or cards) and Logos (study) term was first used by Randall Rhodes of Ashland, Ohio.
Alternate words for the study of postcards is Cartology and Cartophilist. See also defination Cartephilia

Die Cut - A postcard cut into any shape other than a rectangle by the publisher.

Divided Back - A divided back postcard has a center line drawn to seperate the message
area from the address side. Some early divided backs have a 2/3 and 1/3 division with the
larger area for the address.

Double Backed - An additional layer of backing usually found on heavily embossed postcards
which helped the sender in writing their message.

Embossed - A popular decorative process which raised and highlighted the postcard area.
Mainly used in greeting type cards

Embroidered - Postcards which embroidery is added.

Exaggerations - Tall tale type scenes, many include giant fruits or animals.

Ephemera - items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, postcards,
calendars, pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc.

Face or Front - For most postcard collectors this refers to the picture side of the postcard. As
in the back definition many philatelic collectors consider the front the address side.

Fake Scenery - A View card of a scene which usually has wordings such as "A Scene
Near_______" or "Greetings From_________".


Folder - Sometimes called Vacation Folders these were souvenir mailers with postcard views
in an accordion pleated arrangement.


Franked - A mark or signature placed on a piece of mail to indicate the right to send it free of
charge.

Foxing - Spots on paper surface caused by mildew.

Gelatin Finish - A colorless or slightly yellow, transparent, brittle protein formed by boiling the
specially prepared skin, bones, and connective tissue of animals. This finish leaves a shiny
attractive surface although very delicate and usually seen with cracks.

Golden Age - Postcards from 1898 to 1918.

Government Postal - Postcards that have a preprinted stamp on the back. These were very
popular with early advertisers as the cards were purchased for the cost of the stamp value.

Greeting Cards - Most collectors refer to this term when describing birthday and holiday type
postcards.

Grus Aus - German term for "Greeting from".

Hand Painted - This refers to postcards which the color has been added by hand.

Hold to Light - These postcards when held up to a light create a different view, such as a day
view of a building to a night scene with the windows lit up. Highly popular and collectible.

Installment - A series of postcards with bits of the picture meant to be sent consecutively until
the entire scene or topic is complete.

Large Letter - This covers many time periods. Early cards usually are names, widely popular
linen period are locations.

Lentucular - This type of post card shows one scene than another when viewed at a different
angle or moved.

Linen Postcards - Postcards of the 1930's to 1950's which have a linen embossed texture
and usually bright vibrant colors.

Lithography - Printing process from a flat surface on which the image to be printed is ink receptive and the blank area is ink repellent.

Logo - Decorative initials or drawings which is the trademark for the publisher.

Mechanical - Postcards with moving parts.

Message-Face Postcards - A message area on the front, picture side of the postcard.
These were used during the undivided back era when the address only was allowed on the
back.

Metamorphic s - alteration or change. A picture made up of different pictures depending on
how you look at it. Example: A face of Napoleon may be composed of nude women.

Miniature - Postcards approximately 1/2 size of a regular standard size card. They have
stamp boxes and were considered a novelty.

Mint Condition - Having no writing and not posted. These cards have a "brand new"
appearance.

Multilingual Back - A backing that has Post Card written in a variety of languages.

Name Brand Postcards - Modern Chrome postcards with a large band across the postcard
announcing the name of a town, state or specified place.

Novelty - Postcards which have items attached, mechanical, die cut and silk are some
examples.

Oilette - A process name used by Raphael Tuck & Sons'. This name was used by the
company to describe several very different kinds of printing techniques.

Oilfasism - A term used by Raphael Tuck & Sons' for postcards that have "brush strokes"
giving the postcard a oil painting look.

Over Sized Postcards - Any postcard larger than the modern 4 by 6 inch continental.

Pebbled Paper - Slightly textured embossing giving the paper an egg shell appearance.

Pennants - Popular location type card with add on pennant flag usually made of felt.

Philatelic - Hobby of stamp collecting.

Philocarty - See Cartephilia

Photochrom - German word for color photo this term refers to a lithographic method of converting black and white photographs into color lithographs. The Detroit Publishing Company held the exclusive North American rights to this process.

Pioneers - Term used to refer to the early postcards before the Act of Congress in 1898.

Postal Card - These are government issue postcards with a printed stamp. The first postal
card in America was printed in 1873.

Post Card - Printed by private company where the stamp has to be affixed.

Postcard Backed - For a postcard to be considered a postcard it must have a postcard back
which includes traditional features such as a stamp box, back label, divided back line or
information which indicates the address area.

Postcard Blanks - Area left in the design that needs some add-on decoration which was
supplied by the sender.

Postcard Stock - Material which the card is made, can include card stock, leather, wood or
cloth.

Postally Used - A postcard showing a cancellation mark.

Private Mailing Card - This term was required by law in the 1898 Act of Congress which
qualified these cards for the 1 cent rate. The Law was rescinded i n 1901 and the new term
Post Card was replaced on the back.

Publisher - Any person or company can be listed as the publisher and many local drug stores
and book - news stores are listed as such. Usually the person or company who ordered the
cards is considered the publisher. Some companies were also the printer and publisher.

Puzzle Postcards - These cards can include hidden pictures, jigsaw puzzles, or any card
which is a puzzle to solve.

Real Photo - Actual photograph printed on photograph paper with a postcard backing.

Repro - Reproductions of old and antique postcards.

Rebus - A puzzle postcard which words, phrases or sentences are represented by pictures.

Sepia - Dark brown color applied to photographs or prints. The cuttlefish's inky secreations
provided this color.

Sets and Series - Postcards which belong together and sold as a set either together or
individually. Many cards were sold as sets including zodiac signs, local views and other topics.

Silhouette - Popular form of art deco illustrating from the 1920's and 1930's. Silhouette postcards, many times fantasy scenes show the main subject in black which gives a shadow appearance.

Silk - Postcards with silk fabric applied to the design. Silk postcards can also be entire images
printed on silk than attached to a postcard backing.

Size of Postcards:
Standard Size - Approximately 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
Court Size - Usually Foreign and squarish, approximately 3 1/2 x 4 1/2
Continental Size - Approximately 4 x 6 inches, common size for modern cards.
Jumbo or Over Sized - Larger than Continental
Bookmark Cards - Long and narrow approximately 2 1/2 x 5 or 6 inches.
Miniature Size - Approximately 1.2 size of Standard.

Squeakers - Postcards that emit a sound through a small hole on the backside of the card
when pressed. These are also considered novelties.

Stamp Box - Outline for stamp which is drawn on card. Many times information or date codes
are printed in this area.

Text - Any message, poem, advertisement or title printed on the picture side of the postcard.

Timbre Cote Vue - A fad which placed the postage stamp on the picture side of the postcard.
The term told authorities that the stamp is placed upon the view side. Sometimes these words
were hand printed or applied with rubber stamps, can also be omitted.

Topic or Theme - Themes and subjects such as Dogs, Airplanes and Flowers. Not scenes or
views.

Topographical - a term used to describe postcards showing street scenes and general views.

Tradecards - Advertising cards issued before 1900. Often given away in products or with the
purchase of a product.

Undivided Back - Postcards with no dividing line to separate the message area from the
address. These cards were printed before March 1907 and help in dating a particular card.

View Card - Postcards that show views of cities including bridges, parks, store fronts and main
streets. These cards were printed from plates that were prepared from actual photos.

Vinegar Verse - Usually found on Valentine Postcards, these curt and sometimes very hurtful messages offered an alternative to the overly sweet sentiments. Definitely not politically correct by modern standards.

Vignette - Postcard where the picture fades away into white background. Popular early style
which left writing space on the picture side of the card.

White Border - These postcards followed the Golden Age and have a white border around
the card. There are many stories about how this practice saved ink but I tend to believe it was
just the "new look" for the era.

Is there any profit to be made selling postcards on ebay?