HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

A SHORT SYNOPSIS OF THE HISTORY OF POSTCARDS

Chronological history of postcards in the United States



1861 - The first copyright for a postcard was issued in the United States

1873 - First government postcard was issued in the United States

Postage was printed on the card by the government.

1898 - First private postcards allowed in the United States

Cards could be printed by private printers and publishers.

1898-1907 - Address only allowed on one side of card

Any message had to be written on the side with the picture.

1907 - Divided backs allowed by Post Office

With the address required on the right side of the card, the

left side was open for any message to be sent. The other

side of the card now had an undisturbed picture.

1916-1930 - White border cards

Since most cards printed before 1916 were printed in Germany,

the advent of World War I precipitated negative feelings toward

that country and the printers wanted their customers to know

that the cards were produced in the United States. So they put

a ¼ inch white border around the picture on the postcard.

This also used less ink and saved the printer money.

1930-1945 - Linen cards used

The finish on these cards has the appearance of linen cloth.

1945 - Modern chrome era begins

These cards have a glossy finish and appear as a photograph.



Dating postcards – sometimes you can date a postcard if you know when the postal rates changed. Postcard collectors should keep this table handy.

1872 1 cent 1959 3 cents 1978 10 cents

1917 2 cents 1963 4 cents 1981 12 cents

1919 1 cent 1968 5 cents 1981 13 cents

1925 2 cents 1971 6 cents 1985 14 cents

1928 1 cent 1973 8 cents 1988 15 cents

1952 2 cents 1975 7 cents 1991 19 cents

1976 9 cents



Postcards have been made from many materials other than paper over the years. These materials include leather, metal, wood and often included the addition of pieces of other materials such as fur, feathers, hair or cloth in their construction. The modern Post Office either forbids or discourages the use of these non-standard cards.

The very best cards are what are known as “real photo” cards. These are made from actual photographs and are printed in very limited quantities due to the subject matter. Most of them are of someone’s relatives or an event of some significance. Anyone having one of these should write the name of the pictured party on the reverse in light pencil. Many can be found amongst old family pictures. Today these are rare and can be quite costly to obtain due to the nature of the subject matter if it is of local interest. The following is a chart for identifying and dating real photo postcards.



PAPER DATES NOTES

AGFA ANSCO 1930’s-1940’s

ANSCO 1940’s-1960 Two stars top and bottom

ARGO 1905-1920

ARTURA 1910-1924

AZO SQUARE 1927-1940’s Squares in corners

AZO TRI 1 1904-1918 Four triangles pointed up

AZO TRI 2 1918-1930 Triangles: 2-up, 2 down

CYKO 1904-1920’s

DEFENDER 1 1910-1920 Diamond above and below

DEFENDER 2 1920-1940 Diamond inside

DOPS 1937-1942

EKC 1945-1950

EKKP 1904-1950

EKO 1942-1970

KODAK 1950-

KRUXO 1907-1920’s

NOKO 1907-1920’s

PMO 1907-1915

SOLIO 1903-1920’s

VELOX 1901-1920

VITAVA 1925-1934

There are many categories to collect – holidays, patriotics, and just about any subject you can think about – but what are known as “local views” are the most popular because it is a wonderful method of collecting a pictorial history of a certain geographical area.

Before the age of local views, many collectors collected post marks. The Post Offices in Wicomico County were located at Allen, Athol, Barren Creek Springs, Bivalve, Capitola, Collins Wharf, Fruitland, New Hope, Nanticoke, Pittsville, Parsonsburg, Powellville, Riverton, Salisbury, Sharptown, Twilley, Tyaskin, Walston, Wanamaker, Wango, Whayland, White Haven and Whiton.