Two kinds of mid-century postcards
The period splits into two looks.
Linens (about 1930 to the early 1950s). Textured card stock and bright, painted-looking colors. Diners glow, skies are impossibly blue, and the cars are always polished. See linen postcards.
Chromes (about 1939 onward, dominant from the 1950s). Glossy, photographic color. Early chromes often have white borders and standard postcard size; later ones are full-bleed and frequently larger. See chrome postcards.
Both were printed in enormous numbers for a booming travel market, which is why so many survive.
The subjects collectors want
Roadside businesses. The single strongest category: diners, cafes, drive-ins, motels and motor courts, tourist cabins, gas and service stations, roadside attractions and souvenir stands. Specific, named businesses, especially ones long gone, are what collectors seek.
Highways and routes. Route 66 above all, but also the Lincoln Highway, the Dixie Highway and other named routes. See Route 66 and roadside postcards.
Mid-century architecture. Modernist motels, bowling alleys, shopping centers, banks, churches and signs with neon and space-age styling attract design enthusiasts.
Transportation. Airports and early airliners, streamlined trains, bus stations and car dealerships.
Period cars. Cards where the cars are prominent, such as a motel parking lot full of 1950s automobiles, appeal to car collectors.
Advertising cards. Cards issued by businesses to promote themselves, often with the business name and address printed on the back.
Small towns. Main streets of small towns remain more interesting than big-city skylines, just as with earlier cards.
Defunct amusement parks and attractions. Places that closed decades ago.
The common mid-century cards
- Famous scenery, national parks and big-city skylines.
- Beaches, sunsets and generic resort views.
- Souvenir folders and multi-view cards.
- Unused souvenir packs and duplicates.
- Later continental-size chromes.
These have modest value individually but still count in a collection.
How to date a mid-century card
Check the surface (textured linen or glossy chrome), the border (white borders are generally earlier), the size (standard size is generally earlier than continental), the publisher name and code on the back, the postage rate if mailed, and the cars and clothing in the picture. The domestic postcard rate rose from one cent to two cents in 1952 and increased several times afterward, so a stamp can help confirm a date.
Mid-century cards in a collection
Many collections combine an older core, perhaps a grandparent's early 1900s album, with a later layer of mid-century travel cards. The mid-century layer is usually larger and less valuable, but specific roadside and advertising cards can add meaningfully to it. When I quote a collection, I count the mid-century cards as a group and look closely at the roadside, architecture and advertising subjects.
Unused cards and duplicates
It is common to find dozens of identical unused cards from one motel or attraction, bought as souvenirs or given away. Duplicates add little; one or two examples of a card are what collectors want. If a collection holds large quantities of duplicates, mention it, and I may suggest leaving them out of the shipment.
Messages from the road
Mid-century travel cards often carry messages about the trip: miles driven, the heat, a flat tire, the motel's air conditioning. They are part of the charm of these cards, though they rarely change value much.
Local publishers and photographers
Not every mid-century card came from a national publisher. Many small-town businesses ordered cards from regional photographers and printers, sometimes as real photo cards, sometimes as small runs of printed chromes. These local cards, of a particular motel, diner or main street, were made in far smaller numbers than tourist scenics, and they are the mid-century cards most likely to interest collectors. The publisher name on the back can be a clue: an unfamiliar local name often means a small run.
Questions people ask
Are postcards from the 1950s worth anything?
Most are common. Roadside businesses, Route 66, architecture, airports and advertising cards are worth more.
Are 1940s linen postcards valuable?
Most are worth a little. Roadside, diner, motel and gas station linens are the most collectible.
Are postcards from the 1960s worth anything?
Usually only a little individually, with the same roadside and architecture exceptions.
Do collectors want unused mid-century postcards?
Clean unused examples are fine, but duplicates add little.
What about mid-century real photo postcards?
Some real photo cards were still made in the 1940s and 1950s, especially of small towns and roadside businesses, and they can be of interest.
Do you buy collections of mostly 1950s cards?
As part of a broader collection, yes. A collection of only later chromes is usually of modest value, and I will say so honestly.
Why the roadside era matters to collectors
The mid-century roadside was built for a particular moment: families crossing the country by car on two-lane highways, before interstates bypassed the towns and the businesses along the old routes. Diners, motor courts and gas stations were often family businesses that lasted a generation and then disappeared. Postcards are frequently the only color images of them. That is why a card of an ordinary-looking motel can matter so much to a collector of that highway, that town or that kind of architecture.
Spotting the good ones quickly
When flipping through a stack of mid-century cards, slow down for anything with a business name on it, a neon sign, a gas pump, a counter and stools, a row of tourist cabins, an airliner, or a main street in a small town. Speed up through mountains, beaches, sunsets, skylines and famous landmarks. That one habit sorts the bulk from the interesting cards in a few minutes.
Caring for mid-century cards
Glossy chromes can stick together in humidity and show fingerprints and scuffs. Linens can lose their texture under weight. Store both upright, in a dry place, away from sunlight, and handle them by the edges.
Sources and further reading
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