The resort era
In the late nineteenth century, Henry Flagler's railroad and hotels opened Florida's east coast to wealthy winter visitors, from St. Augustine's grand Spanish-style hotels to Palm Beach and eventually Miami. Henry Plant did the same on the Gulf side with his railroad and the Tampa Bay Hotel. Postcards of these hotels, their grounds and their guests were sold by the thousand. Common printed hotel views are plentiful; early real photos of hotel life, interiors and the towns around them are more interesting.
The Overseas Railroad
Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway extension to Key West, completed in 1912 across the Florida Keys, was a famous engineering feat, and postcards of its bridges and viaducts are popular with railroad and Florida collectors. The 1935 Labor Day hurricane destroyed much of the line, and the route later became the Overseas Highway.
Citrus and agriculture
Orange groves, packing houses, celery and vegetable farms, cattle ranches and sugar cane all appear on Florida cards. Real photo cards of packing house crews, grove workers and farm towns are collected and scarcer than printed grove scenics.
Turpentine, timber and fishing
Northern and central Florida had large turpentine and lumber industries, with camps deep in the pine forests. Tarpon Springs had a famous sponge fleet worked by Greek divers, and fishing villages lined both coasts. Occupational real photos of these industries are among the more sought-after Florida cards.
The 1920s boom and the hurricanes
Florida's land boom of the 1920s produced new towns, subdivisions and promotional cards. The Miami hurricane of 1926 and the Okeechobee hurricane of 1928 brought it to an end, and the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 devastated the Keys. Real photo cards of hurricane damage in identified places are historically significant and collected.
Roadside Florida
From the 1930s, Florida's highways filled with roadside attractions, alligator farms, springs, citrus stands, motor courts and diners, and linen and chrome postcards advertised all of them. Named attractions and businesses that have closed are the roadside cards collectors want most. See Route 66 and roadside postcards.
Places and subjects to look for
- St. Augustine: early hotels, the old city, and Flagler-era buildings.
- The east coast: Palm Beach, Miami's early growth, Daytona's beach racing and small coastal towns.
- Tampa Bay: Tampa's cigar factories in Ybor City, St. Petersburg's early tourism.
- The Keys: the Overseas Railroad, Key West's streets and harbor.
- The interior: citrus towns, springs, cattle country and the lakes.
- North Florida: turpentine camps, lumber towns, Tallahassee and the Panhandle.
- The Gulf coast: fishing villages, Tarpon Springs sponge docks and early resorts.
Cigar making
Tampa's Ybor City was a major cigar-making center, built by immigrant workers from Cuba, Spain and Italy. Real photo cards of cigar factories, workers and the neighborhood are popular with occupational and Tampa collectors.
Real photos versus printed views
Florida's tourist industry produced huge numbers of printed and later chrome cards, and those are common. Real photos of small towns, workers and local events, made in small numbers, carry most of the value in a Florida collection.
What is common
Printed and chrome beaches, palms, sunsets, alligators, flamingos and large hotel views are plentiful.
Springs and rivers
Florida's freshwater springs, including Silver Springs with its glass-bottom boats, Wakulla Springs and many smaller ones, were tourist attractions from the steamboat era onward. River steamers on the St. Johns and Ocklawaha carried visitors into the interior, and real photo cards of steamers, landings and early spring attractions are popular with Florida and transportation collectors. Early views are worth far more attention than later chrome cards of the same places.
Questions about Florida postcards
Are old Florida postcards valuable? Common tourist views are modest; early real photos, occupational scenes, hurricane views and named roadside businesses are more collectible.
Are Overseas Railroad postcards collectible? Yes, especially views of the bridges and viaducts.
Are Florida linen postcards worth anything? Most are common; roadside attractions, motels and diners are the exceptions.
Do you buy Florida collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.