Old Postcards

[krickard]

Hello everyone! Went digging in my parents basement ans found a box of old postcards. These are from the early 1900's. There are probably 150 of them. Some very ornate, for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Christmas and others from various locations around the US. So, I have a collector coming over this morning and my question is...should I sell these individually or as a group. I think I would make more individually but wow that would take a lot more work. But if I sell them as a group I have know idea what to charge for the lot. Any suggestions? I know it's hard to guess since y'all can't see them.

[hosman321]

I have a small collection of early 1900's postcards that I've been slowly collecting. Some are worth more than others depending on what's on the card and what year they were printed. I usually pay $5 or less (each card) with free shipping on ebay. I'd say the holiday ones are worth a bit more. I absolutely wouldn't take less than $150 for them, that'd be a great deal for a buyer. Going through them individually may take longer but you could get a lot more money. You could even put them in small groups of 10 or so and sell them that way. A Christmas group, a cityscapes group, the public park ones etc. Postcards are really collectible, great little pieces of history!

[wendy177]

Krickard I also have old postcards and have been researching, One I have just sold on ebay by someone  for $26.00 so I think they are  worth the time of selling one by one, Halloween seem to go high.

[ironlord1963]

    I would have to agree with the others about selling them individuals.  Unless you really don't want to spend the time and go through them, then I would start by asking 2 bucks a piece.  as a set, I'm sure you could get that on Ebay with little effort as a group.  I think if you did go through them and sell them individual on ebay you will get between $300.00 to $500.00.  These are very collectiable, and they are really easy to sell on ebay, and shipping them is even easier.

[waywardangler]

I am familiar with real photo postcards and, depending on the scene and age, some can bring quite a bit of money.  Train depot ones are especially sought after.  I would pull those out from the lot and ask a higher average per card for real photos. $10 each would be my guess.  I am with everyone else on this...you would make more money selling them individually or in small groups than in selling the whole lot to one person.  It all depends on how much time you want to put in it.  At some point, one has to fish or cut bait.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Hey, since several of you have collections, it would be fun to see some photos of your favorites!

I remember an Antiques Roadshow episode from a few years ago where they had a lady who had several valuable postcards that things like Teddy Roosevelt with the "Teddy Bear". Iconic moments in history, that made them valuable also. There are other things like Kewpie postcards that collectors like.

[KC]

FYI, vintage postcards are a very popular and money worthy collectible item - especially since they were only worth pennies in their time.

Those of greater value are those that are actual photographs of famous persons, Handpainted and Black Americana.  In addition to the artwork being valuable.  Those that bear credence to the happenings of the times (historical events) and written on by famous persons are also $$$$$.

Well worth your research (if you have the time and inclination) time and value!

[wendy177]

Tales here are a few I could get my hands on  Halloween are my favorite, some I do not approve of the content ( but I do collect black memorabilia and find it fascinating) I do not  wish to offend anyone , they are part of history and I feel should not be ignored or forgotten.

[Dean Perdue]

Hi Krickard-

Good valid comments by all. Interesting reading.Yes it would be fun to start a thread to showcase these treasures.

I also collect old postcards and think there great. Wendy177 makes a point I think is true about the popularity of Halloween postcards especially the ones with witches.

The answer to your question lies in do you want and have the time to make the money on these yourself or will you pass that opportunity on to somebody else.

From my understanding, if you list them yourself on eBay it shouldn't cost you anything for the 1st 100 each month if you start the biddding at .99 or less so I don't see how you could lose outside of your time,effort,and selling fees.

If you wish to take a hit on the price but make it easier on yourself you can also sell them as a lot on eBay and pass the money making and fun of it all on.
Listing individually would be good and enjoyable experience to learn about these artifacts IMO. Maybe along the way you'll become hooked.

I would suggest that if you decide to list them individually, you include if they are artist signed and if so include artist name, country of origin,subject matter,photo of front and back (sometimes the back has  strong selling points),and style (jugenstil,nouveau,deco,ect..) as this is how many of the cards I'm looking for are found.

Even though all your cards will not sell I'd think you'll still be way further ahead money,enjoyment,and education wise if you list individually yourself.JMO

Here's a link from the many who buy these as a lot then turn around and reap the benefits from selling them individually.

http://search.reviews.ebay.com/postcards_Postcards_W0QQucatZ914QQuqtZg

Good luck whatever you decide.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Neat postcards Wendy! Love the Halloween one and the other holidays are cool too! I know what you mean about preserving Black Americana and other ethnic items in the spirit of "lest we forget" and simply because such things will likely never be produced again. I have an old Victrola record with a song called "Oh Sing-a-Loo" on it that is about a Chinese man who to the dismay of his sweetheart, has cut off his long pigtail. The song is full of all kinds of ethnic slurs, but I've always kind of felt like I should hang onto it.

[hosman321]

Since I normally go completely crazy with whatever collection I start, I absolutely promised myself I had to stick to one subject with the postcards. Kind of a "mental" contract I signed in my head.
Now I see all of these holiday and black ones and I really shouldn't have looked!

All of mine are from my home city (Tacoma, WA). Here's a few of them. I am totally confused about the church tower one. It reads, " 148-Oldest Church Tower in America,Tacoma, Wash." This picture was taken in 1914. But Tacoma wasn't even settled until the 1850's. So, the oldest church tower in America was 60 years old? I find that hard to believe. Unless I'm missing something in the history department? Sorry to hijack the post, it's just been bothering me!

Oh, and just a side note. If you're having trouble dating a card, it helps a little bit to know the history of postage rates in the US. At least it narrows down the date a bit.
 
http://www.akdart.com/postrate.html

[waywardangler]

The backs also date cards...divided back, undivided back, etc.  here's a site that helps and also has the rates like hosman mentioned. http://www.thewebfooters.com/html/postcard_dating.html

[syl]

We have some cards that were collected by family members when they traveled. Many from Europe, many from the US. Back before it was easy to take photographs people would buy postcards as souvenirs of their travels. I hope you all enjoy.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Ok this looks like entirely too much fun. I think I feel the itch for a new collection!

[syl]

It really is fun. We are accidental collectors I guess you could say. These cards were inherited but I think they are great. We have probably somewhere between 600 -700 altogether all in albums.