The Value of Antique Postcards and Their French Connection

Summary: Finding the actual value of antique postcards is indeed tricky, but no more worries when you buy one from oldpostcards.com. They have an extensive collection of real old valuable postcards and ship domestically and internationally.

The idea of postcards first originated at the Austro-German Postal Conference in 1865. By 1869 small administrative cards came into circulation, and in the first year itself, 10 million copies were sold. After the French Army in the battle of Sedan had run out of paper to correspond with their families, a bookseller named Léon Besnardeau near their camp had blank cards printed for communication. In 1872, the French officially incorporated the postcard into their law.

As tourism grew, the growth of postcards was encouraged. What made it accessible was that it could be bought anywhere, jewelry stores, grocery stores, pharmacists, and even shoemakers. Plus, it was far cheaper to send it than a letter. With postcards becoming a vital piece of communicating with friends and relatives and even used for official purposes, they soon became collector’s items.

Old Postcards

Finding Worth of a Postcard

If you have antique postcards, the first thing you should try to figure out is how old they are. Based on the type of card, a 1910 **antique French postcard** could be worth much more than one as recent as just a decade or two ago.

Pre-1940s postcards, produced in France during the World War days, are among the most precious. The back side of these cards is typical in that there is no message, only the address. Till the early 1900s, the right to print postcards was solely with the postal office, and after it was de-regulated, people began printing postcards with advertisements, photographs, or other messages. Although, for official purpose, the people were still prevented from writing remarks on the backs of postcards, which was meant exclusively for the address.

There are many websites that can support you in uncovering the worth of a postcard. One such website is oldpostcards.com. They can help you figure out how old a card is, whether it has a postmark on it, as well as find features that can make it rare. If an **antique postcard** was autographed by a famous artist or printed as part of a limited edition, its value has hit the roof.

The background depicted on a postcard is another feature that influences its value. Photos of ocean liners and railways are among the expensive postcards, as collectors want to have these unique photographs in their collections. Regular postcards, which feature photographs of homes, families, and other daily-life situations from the early 1900s, are also in demand based on their condition.