Collecting old vintage postcards is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Antique postcards are collectibles which offer a glimpse into the past. Real photo postcards - also known as RPPC and RPPCs - are especially prized because they provide an accurate depiction of what a town or city looked like. Small town real-photo postcards are among the most popular of all. For more information about vintage postcards, also see our extensive reference and Canadiana sections, where many additional postcard history and postcard artist links are included. We’ve provided a hand-selected list of postcard reference books on our Postcard Books page. Read more about this postcard dealer on our About Us page. Comments and questions to the webmaster are always welcome.

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There’s a lot of confusion as to what constitutes a real-photo postcard. They were printed on photographic paper and not regular paper: if holding a magnifying glass to a postcard reveals small printed dots, this is not an RPPC. Hundreds of different stamp box styles on the reverse side of old postcards helps to further date them; more information regarding dating postcards can be found on the reference page.

View many examples of vintage real photo postcards here.

As an example, this is an early 1900s real-photo postcard of an American Indian chief. Native Americana, or American Indians, is a popular postcard collecting category.

An example of a native American postcard which is not an RPPC but which is highly collectible is this one. View other Native American postcards.

Postcard history and the dating of old vintage postcards generally falls into about six time periods. Postcards from 1898-1901, printed in what was known as the “pioneer era,” are usually referred to as private mailing cards. Generally speaking, they are somewhat scarce.

Undivided back postcards (UDB) were in use from 1901-1907. Postcard, post card or carte postale was often printed on the back, with the back reserved entirely for the address, as had been the case with pioneer postcards.

Divided back postcards date from 1907-1915 and had a vertical line down the middle on the back, much as is the case with modern postcards, with the area on the left for a message and the area on the right reserved for the address. Hundreds of thousands of postcards were printed then.

Some other postcard eras useful in dating an antique postcard are the white border era from 1915-1930, in which a white border surrounds the image; linen postcards from the 1930s to the late 1950s and early 1960s (with many of the better views printed by Curteich; and chrome postcards. A few chromes were printed starting as early as 1945, although the majority of these collectables were printed in the 1950s and 1960s. The chrome technique is still used today.

Linen postcards are characterized by visible, slightly coarse lines resembling a linen texture throughout the cards. Some of the finest examples of them are in high demand, as they depict roadside America: diners, cafes, drive-ins, motels, gas stations, Route 66, Greyhound bus stations, the Lincoln Highway, Route 40, etc. They are often brightly colored. Here’s a nice one from a roadside cafe in Missouri, along Route 66. Other examples include this Scranton, PA Greyhound bus station and the interior of a cheery Aberdeen, Maryland diner and its soda fountain. View many examples of roadside America and Route 66 vintage post cards.

Postcards are also prized for their great graphics, as in this wonderful 1907 Uncle Sam postcard. View other examples of patriotic postcards.

Holiday and fantasy postcards, especially Halloween postcards and vintage Santa Claus and Christmas postcards, are also avidly sought, as are artist-signed postcards such as those by Ellen Clapsaddle. As with most antiques, rarity and condition affect the price.

If you”d like to learn more about collecting vintage postcards, we’ve browsed through hundreds of postcard books to bring you a selection of some of the best. Simply click on the thumbnails below to learn more about postcard collecting books.

Examples of vintage postcard collections can be seen on the Alderdale, Bonfield and Rutherglen, Callander and Corbeil, Commanda, Dokis, Ferguson Highway (Highway 11), Lavigne and Verner, Marten River, Mattawa, Monetville and Noëlville, Nipissing and Restoule, North Bay, Powassan and Trout Creek, South River, Sturgeon Falls, Sundridge, Temagami, Trout Lake, Tilden Lake and Trout Mills pages of our digital virtual museum, along with a guide to Northern Ontario Postcard Photographers.

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For collectors of vintage postcards, old postcards and the antique postcard. Deltiology, the hobby of collecting vintage postcards, is one of the fastest-growing collectibles hobbies. Old postcard collections interest collectors of antiques, memorabilia and ephemera; collectables such as old vintage postcards are used by museums and historians to document what was.

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