Make Money Collecting Things Postcards

About how to make money collecting postcards, where to buy and sell postcards for your collection.

How to Make Money Collecting Things

POSTCARD COLLECTING

The postcard was born in Austria in October, 1869. It became a popular postal greeting in Europe largely through the efforts of Raphael Tuck, a German printer and lithographer who lived in London. In the U.S. the government began issuing plain 1 cent postal cards in 1873, a monopoly that was broken in 1893 with the issuance of the first commercial picture postcard. The golden age of postcards ended with the opening guns of W.W. I.

Where to Look for Old Postcards

You can still find rare postcards hidden away in trunks and books or behind fireplace mantels, where they fell many years ago. Most antique shops and used-book stores sell or trade postcards. Garage sales and flea markets usually have a stock of them on hand.

Postcard collectors should gain some knowledge of the subject before they spend money on the first old batch they see. Of the millions of cards issued before 1914, only about 5% are worth anything. Particular manufacturers and artists are in demand. Advertising cards command good prices, especially Coca-Cola and Cherry Smash. So do cards illustrated with art nouveau, sports team pictures, stamps, expos, and U.S. presidents. Macerated money cards-made by the government from ground-up old money-are especially valuable.

Prices (1975)

A 1909 Coca-Cola advertising card sold for $75; a Campbell's kids advertisement brought $20; a 1908 card of French nudes was valued at $5-$7.50.

Where to Sell Postcards

The following clubs can put you in touch with other collectors:

International Post Card Collectors Association

6380 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 907

Los Angeles, Calif. 90048

American Viewcard Club

Box 6212

Greenville, S.C. 29606

Deltiologists of America

3709 Grady Road

Newtown Square, Pa. 19073