Monday, December 12, 2005

COLLECTING & BUYING HISTORIC VIEW POSTCARDS



Sam Mudd & Betsy Linhares
P.O. Box 833, Inverness, Fl.
34451-0833
Phone: 352-341-1619

~ We are always buying and selling interesting postcards
so keep and eye on our auctions. ~

and
historic_view_postcards2

historicviewpostcards.com

As an important adjunct to the study of history, POSTCARDS can be helpful in genealogical research. Check postcards for YOUR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS, TOWNS, connected to your Family History! You may find that through research YOUR NAME may knitted amongst the early development and history of America, perhaps your families ancestors were successful merchants, gold miners, villains, politicians, or historians…

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SOME SAY... the French invented the postcard at the back-end of the 19th Century. `The postcard was not invented, it evolved and with its creation the writing habits of the civilised world changed `, so said expert Frank W. Staff. Yet as with the hand written letter before it, the postcard has been naturally surpassed by the internet and emailing, as the most convenient means of keeping in touch with people. Some say, `An Austrian economics professor invented the postcard-at first a plain slice of buff cardboard-in 1869. In 1889 the French invented the picture postcard and erected the archetypal postcard subject, the Eiffel Tower, to put on it.When the world`s first postcard appeared in Austria in 1869, it triggered off a craze for postcard collecting and caught the public`s imagination, so much so in fact that in their heyday between 1890-1920, they even took the place of traditional family photo albums. Picture cards became status symbols and would reflect a person`s position in society. BRAGGING RIGHTS: Who invented the postcard? The Guardian (UK) 02/19/02 Until this week, "the world had laboured under the impression that the greeting card was a German or Austrian innovation, although the Americans had also claimed to be first. But the postal historian Edward Proud has finally proved conclusively that the postcard bears the stamp of British genius."

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE POSTCARD IN THE UNITED STATES
By John McClintock

PIONEER ERA(1893-1898) Although there were earlier scattered issues, most pioneer cards in today's collections begin with the cards placed on sale at the Colombian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois on May 1, 1893. These were illustrations on government printed postal cards and on privately printed souvenir cards. The government postal card had the imprinted 1 cent stamp while the souvenir cards required a 2-cent adhesive postage stamp to be applied to it. Writing was not permitted on the address side of the card.

PRIVATE MAILING CARD ERA (1898-1901) On May 19, 1898, private printers were granted permission, by an act of congress, to print and sell cards that bore the inscription "Private Mailing Card". Today we call these cards "PMC's". Postage required was now a 1-cent adhesive stamp. A dozen or more American printers began to take postcards seriously. Writing was still not permitted on the address side, however many publishers often left a wider border on the side or bottom of the view side so a short message could be added.

POSTCARD ERA (1901-1907) The use of the word 'POST CARD' was granted by the government to private printers on December 4, 1901. In this era, private citizens began to take black and white photographs and have them printed on paper with post card backs. Writing was still not permitted on the address side.

UNDIVIDED BACK ERA (1893-1907) The above three eras can also be grouped into the general heading of 'undivided back'.

DIVIDED BACK ERA (1907-1914) Post cards with a divided back, that is, with a printed vertical line down the middle, were permitted starting March 1, 1907. The address to be written on the right side and written messages to be on the left. Many millions of cards were published in this period. Up to this point most cards were printed in Germany who was far ahead of this country in the lithographic processes. With the advent of World War I, the supply of post cards had to come from England to the United States.

WHITE BORDER ERA (1915-1930) Most of our post cards were printed in the USA during this period. To save ink, a border was left around the view thus we classify them as "White Border Cards". High cost of labor, inexperience and public taste caused production of poor quality cards. High competition in a narrowing market caused many publishers to go out of business.

LINEN ERA (1930-1944) New printing processes allowed printing on post cards with a high rag content that caused a "linen like" finish. These cheap cards allowed the use of gaudy dyes for coloring. The firm of Curt Teich flourished with their line of linen postcards. Many important events in history were recorded on these cards.

PHOTOCHROME ERA (1945 to present) The "chrome" post cards started to dominate the scene soon after they were launched by the Union Oil Company in their western service stations in 1939. Mike Roberts pioneered with his "WESCO" cards soon after World War II. Three-dimensional post cards also appeared in this era.


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