Guest blogger: How much are old postcards worth?

By Laura Davis on Oct 27, 09 08:30 AM

THE second guestblog from Old Postcards looks at the different types that exist and how valuable they can be.

OBVIOUSLY not all postcards command the same worth. Some are worth coppers, some change hands at up to £100. Different ways of producing the cards play a big part in determining the card's worth as well as the scene they depict.

Real photo postcards, (usually black and white) based on an actual photographic process, are worth more than printed cards which tended to be more mass produced with less definition than RP cards.

An example of a real photo postcard - and also an example of a scene that has long since disappeared is this one of Mount Pleasant, Runcorn. I believe this was in the area behind Trinity Church.

This card was posted in 1913; being a real photo postcard AND depicting a scene now vanished forever, makes this card more valuable. Admittedly one of the dearer cards in our store, but in 30 years of postcard collecting I have only ever seen this postcard once.

This doesn't mean to say that you should disregard printed cards - certainly not! With topographical postcards, value depends on the location they feature and whether or not it has changed over the years. Take a look at this printed card of Well Lane, Higher Tranmere... rather different today!

How do we date postcards if they are not posted?

If a postcard has an undivided back, where the sender had to use the front of the card for a message then these were all produced no later than 1902, which helps to date them. After that time they were published with a line down the middle and the message written on the left with the address on the right.. much as it is today. Postage rates quoted also give us an idea of date - up to 1918 inland postage rate for the UK was a halfpenny; it then went up to 1d.

Here's an example of an undivided back postcard, this one of St George's Hall, Liverpool and also an image of the reverse side of the card (note the limited space allowed for a message to be written on the front of the card!

Unfortunately the postmark is not clear but the card will have been produced no later than 1902.

In tomorrow's third and final part of our guest blog, we will show you some more of our vintage cards from Merseyside and Cheshire. For now, we will leave you with an image of Seabank Road, Egremont, posted in 1904: