All images and text Copyright © 2001 Susan White Pieroth

Postcard Collecting Information


Deltiolgy is the formal name in the U.S. for postcard collecting. In the process of collecting, I soon learned that private postcards were not even allowed by the post office until the late 1800’s, and that until 1907 cards had undivided backs because only the address was permitted there. These early cards often have a blank section at the right or bottom of the front for the message. During this time real photo postcards first became popular, for both scenic views and as souvenirs of an event. Many of these have been saved, and provide some of the best sources of pictorial information about towns and people in the early 1900’s. In our area A. S. (Arthur Smedley) Greene of Port Jefferson is the most well known early postcard photographer.

Cards from later periods can also be dated if they were not postmarked, or there were no cars or people in the view, by the style. Below are some quick pointers with links to more detailed information done well by others.



Pioneer Era (Pre 1898)
 
Front of postcard requiring 2 cents
"Copyright 1895 by American Souvenir Co. Boston"
Stamp Box for 2 Cents Back of postcard requiring 2 cents
Two cent stamp required because it was a private card. Cute poem in stamp box.
Most pioneer cards in collections begin with cards from the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. At that time, the government postal cards had the printed 1 cent stamp while the souvenir cards required a 2 cent adhesive postage stamp to be applied to it.


Private Mailing Card Era (1898-1901)
 
Private Mailing Card
On May 19, 1898, private printers were granted permission, by an act of Congress, to print and sell cards that bore the inscription "Private Mailing Card" and postage required was a 1 cent adhesive stamp. Writing was not permitted on the address side.


Undivided Back, Postcard Era (Dec. 24, 1901 to March 1, 1907)

The use of the term "POST CARD" was granted by the government to private printers on December 24, 1901. Writing was still not permitted on the address side.



Divided Back Era (March 1, 1907 to 1915) (Golden Age)

Postcards with a divided back were permitted March 1, 1907. The address to be written on the right side and the left side was for writing messages. These cards usually had no border.



White Border Era (1915-1930)

Most of our postcards were printed in the USA during this period. To save ink, a border was left around the view thus we call them "White Border" cards. There are earlier white borders.



Linen Era (1930-1945+)

New printing processes allowed printing on postcards with high rag content that caused a "linen-like" finish. Although first printed in the early 1930’s, these early cards look like white border cards and only close inspection will detect a texture. The color of the later card tended to be very artificial and gaudy.



Photochrome Era (1939 to date)

In the mid 1940’s “Photochrome” cards began to be produced in great numbers, although the first ones appear earlier. These are the cards that look most like real color photographs and the process, with improvements and card size changes, continues today.



Real Photos (RP's)

Real photo postcards are photographs, often with a hand-written caption on the negative, printed on special postcard stock. Real photos also date from early in the century, but are still being made today. Cards that are merely based on photographs but printed through means such as lithography or other printing technique are not real photo (RP) cards.

How does one recognize Real Photo (RP) cards?

The easiest way to recognize Real Photo cards is to look at the card under slight magnification. RP's do not have the dot pattern seen on modern cards. Most printed cards will have this dot pattern, much like a photograph printed in a magazine or newspaper. A "real photo" postcard is solid, no dots. Additionally, RPs can be identified, and dated, by the photographic paper used. This is often indicated on the back. Also, the captions were often "scratched" or marked on the negative in some other way that leaves the text white in color. Not all black-and-white cards are Real Photos, and not all Real Photos are black-and-white. The best way to tell the difference is to look at the postcard with a magnifying glass.


History of Postcard Stamp Rates
1872 to 1916.01
1917 to 1918.02
1919 to 1924.01
1925 to 1927.02
1928 to 1951.01
January 1, 1952 .02
August 1, 1958 .03
January 7, 1963 .04
January 7, 1968 .05
May 16, 1971 .06
March 2, 1974 .08
September 14, 1975 .07
December 31, 1975 .09
May 29, 1978 .10
March 22, 1981 .12
November 1, 1981 .13
February 17, 1985 .14
April 3, 1988 .15
February 3, 1991 .19


Links to pages with additional information:

Back to the First Postcard Page
Back to the Pieroth Home Page