How to Determine the Age of Vintage Postcards

You just inherited some vintage postcards and you want to know how old they are. On the cards themselves are some clues that will help you determine their age. Any stamp or postal date offers a clue, as does the card's publishing date. But there are some additional clues on the vintage postcards that will help you establish their age.

Pioneer Era
Between the years of 1893-1898, postcards had an undivided back and carried a 2-cent postage. The postcard was known as a mail card or a souvenir card. The common term for postcards of this time is Pioneer Era and it began when postcards were sold at the Colombian Exposition in Chicago during May of 1893.

Private Mailing Card
Between the years of 1901-1907, the government allowed private printers to print the termPrivate Mailing Card on postcards for sale. These cards had an undivided back.

Undivided Back Era
Also between the years of 1901 to 1907, the government allowed the word Postcard to be used on the back of printed postcards. These privately printed postcards had an undivided back where the writer was only allowed to print the address. Due to this, messages were written on the card's front.

Divided Back Era
Between the years of 1907-1915, both the message and address were permissible on the back of the postcard. This left the image of the card to occupy the entire front.

White Border Era
Between the years of 1915-1930, because of World War I, US publishers needed to print most postcards used my Americans, because the German publishers were not available. Quality suffered and it is obvious by the use of white margin borders on the postcards.

Linen Era
Between the years of 1930-1945, postcard publishers started to use linen paper that had a high rag content. But the inks that they used were poor quality, and the images oftentimes reflected that.

Photochrome Era
From 1939 to the present, you will see beautiful modern chromes with a slick finish, almost like that of a color photo.

Real Photos
Finally, from early 1900's to the present, real photograph postcards have been sought by collectors. It's not always easy to date one though, but at least a postmark will tell a collector that the postcard is not newer than the date of posting. An additional clue is sometimes found in the stamp box. It might contain the name of the company who produced the photo paper.

Vintage postcards can unlock the mystery of the past and offer a glimpse into the cultural and social history of a nation. Now you can enjoy the historic treasure of your postcards, as you better understand their age.