How to read this guide
The ranges below are broad and approximate. They describe what individual cards in reasonable condition typically sell for to collectors, based on the kinds of results seen in sold listings and at shows. They are not offers, and they change over time with collector interest. Within any range, a specific card can sell for much less or much more depending on its exact subject, place and condition.
One more thing: retail prices are what collectors pay for individual cards that someone has identified, photographed, described and listed. A buyer of a whole collection takes on all of that work, plus the cards that never sell, so whole-collection prices are always a fraction of the sum of retail prices.
Typical ranges by type
| Type of card | Typical single-card range | What lifts it |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome tourist cards, 1950s onward | Pennies to about $1 | Roadside businesses, diners, motels, early advertising |
| Linen cards, about 1930 to early 1950s | Under $1 to a few dollars | Roadside, diners, gas stations, advertising, big-letter cards of small towns |
| Common printed views before 1930 | Under $1 to a few dollars | Smaller towns, street scenes with activity |
| Good printed small-town views | A few dollars to about $10 | Depots, businesses, people and vehicles |
| Common greetings and Christmas | About $1 to a few dollars | Unusual Santas, fine embossing, hold-to-light |
| Early embossed Halloween | Roughly $10 to well over $100 | Known publishers and artists, mechanical cards, great condition |
| Studio portrait real photos | About $1 to a few dollars | Unusual subjects, costumes, pets, identified people |
| Real photo small towns and main streets | Commonly $10 to $50 | Small places, activity, clear captions |
| Real photo occupations, events, interiors | Commonly $15 to $75 and up | Rare subjects, crisp images, identified places |
| Exceptional rarities | Hundreds or more | Unique subjects in fine condition |
What moves a card up or down
Real photo or printed. The single biggest factor. A real photo version of a scene is usually worth several times the printed version.
Place. Small and specific beats famous and general. A crossroads village is usually worth more than a state capital.
Subject and activity. Work, vehicles, events, interiors and identifiable businesses all raise value. Empty landscapes and generic scenes do not.
Condition. Creases across the image, missing corners, stains and album residue can halve a card's value or worse. A message and postmark on the back generally do not hurt. See the condition guide.
Demand for the topic. Halloween, railroads and early automobiles have deep collector bases. Some subjects have very few.
Why price guides disagree
Printed price guides date quickly, and online asking prices are often far above what cards actually sell for. The most reliable evidence is sold results for comparable cards: the same town and subject, real photo or printed, in similar condition. Even then, two sales of the same card can differ widely depending on who happened to be bidding.
Valuing a whole collection
A collection's value is not the total of the ranges above. In practice, a buyer estimates how many cards fall into each group, applies a realistic wholesale value to each group, and looks closely at the cards that could be worth more individually. That is how I quote: one number for the whole collection, with a short note on what drove it. The values guide walks through a worked example.
Three examples of how the factors combine
A printed view of a famous hotel, around 1910, light wear. Common subject, printed, made in large numbers. Typically at the bottom of its range, perhaps under a dollar to a couple of dollars, regardless of age.
A real photo view of a small-town main street with a horse and wagon, clear caption, very good condition. Scarce, identified, with activity. Comfortably in the real photo street-scene range, and potentially higher if the town is very small or the view has never sold before.
An embossed Halloween card, around 1910, with a jack-o'-lantern figure, bright color, sharp corners. Strong topic, fine printing, good condition. Toward the upper part of the Halloween range, and higher still if it is from a known series or artist.
Notice that age was similar in all three. Subject, method and condition made the difference.
Using this guide responsibly
Price ranges are a starting point for understanding a collection, not a basis for pricing every card. If you plan to sell individually, check sold results card by card. If you plan to sell the collection whole, the useful question is not what each card might fetch at retail but what a buyer will pay for all of them together, and that is what a quote tells you.
If your collection holds cards that do not fit neatly into any row of the table, such as novelty materials, foreign cards or unusual topics, that is normal. Describe them and include a photo.
Lots and bulk prices
Common cards are usually traded in lots rather than singly: a hundred printed views of one state, a box of linens, a stack of greetings. Lot prices work out to a small amount per card, which reflects how slowly common cards sell. That is the honest economics behind any whole-collection quote: the common cards are valued at lot prices, and the better cards at prices closer to what individual collectors pay, less the cost and risk of selling them.
Questions people ask
What is the average price of an old postcard?
There is no meaningful average, because the spread is so wide. Most cards sell for little; a small minority sell for a lot.
Are there postcard value websites?
Sold-listing searches on major marketplaces are the most practical tool. Collector club publications and specialist dealers are also good sources for particular topics.
How do I price postcards to sell?
Find sold examples of the same subject and place, adjust for condition, and price singly only the cards that are clearly identifiable and wanted. Group the rest into lots, or sell the collection whole.
Sources and further reading
Ready to sell? Compare where to sell old postcards, or see how to sell old postcards step by step.